So, Al Gore’s come back to Iowa, and Elizabeth Dole visited and left. Many more presidential hopefuls will soon be jetting through Des Moines, Ames and surrounding areas, pushing programs, addressing issues in which they have no real interest and begging for money.

The race is on and, fortunately, those of us in the corn belt will have the distinct advantage of watching the opening shots from the front. Given this unique and somewhat tenuous vantage point, I thought it appropriate to assert a new criteria for handicapping the race as politics in this country have mutated in a very real way forever.

The American political scene has been altered by the events of the past three years. Scandal, intrusion and pure venom have pushed and conspired to force a reexamination of voter priorities. Voters now crave a calmer political storm: a simpler time.

The media’s engagement of citizen’s moral positions has created a vacuum of opinion. Regardless of the indiscretion, those who visit the polls will not be swayed (in significant numbers) by acts committed in private. Value judgments, when coupled with self-examination, offer only more quandary and call to action.

When pushed to the forefront of news, politics and entertainment, scandal breeds introspection; moral lapse in theory is not the same as moral lapse at home. Given this juxtaposition, Americans will shy away from judgment, opting to hide from responsibility in that given form.

Such a shift should not, of course, be mistaken for some sort of maturing process on the part of the public. In actuality, American voters are still lazy and apathetic. Scandal may have seen its last days for the time being, but soundbite politics has not.

This essentially means a strengthening of public relations in the political realm. Image will represent even more to the citizenry as voters will prefer to exert a finite amount of knowledge about the candidate in question and fill in the remainder as it is deemed necessary.

Paired with the mantra of full disclosure now being embraced by all candidates, especially Gov. Bush, the material from which a voter will paint a picture will continue to dwindle. In addition, politics of identification, rather than issue, will truly become the norm as individuals across the United States will now be able to say to themselves, “Elizabeth Dole’s husband has erection problems — just like mine!” Of course, the consequences of such revelations can only be judged by time.

There is little evidence that a leader embraced for image will do any more damage than a leader backed for stern leadership ability, or erectile dysfunction.

Party affiliation will also become far more significant. Unlike the past two presidential races, in which perception of the individual was paramount, voters will require references, so to speak. Ideas and issues espoused by a particular party will be adopted during candidacy, as such elements can viably replace the personality quirks and nuances erased by the removal of supposition and slander. As both major parties race to define and redefine themselves, pushing issue and cause, a maturing process will overtake the parties —a mid-life crisis of sorts, or a late growth spurt.

American politics has often been at the mercy of public relations personnel. While policy and issue will always stand in the booth with the voter, the real driving forces remain identification and concept. Scandal has created a need within the public conscious for concealment.

Although the voting public will always want to know what candidate A will do as opposed to candidate B, the voter will much prefer to rely upon the belief of the infallibility of the presidency — the still-pristine nature of the institution.

Through such denial, the citizen can continue to accept soundbite politics and commercial campaigning.

It is the destiny of our culture, the totality of our institutions.

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Zuri Jerdon is a graduate student in English from Cincinnati.