I've seen enough.

One presidential candidate debate. One vice presidentialcandidate debate. A billion months of campaigning. I'm out.

Oh, I'll be voting in November, but I'm done watching the crazy.It's just not politically, mentally or spiritually healthy foranyone – much less the entire country. I'm exhausted by it and itmakes me miss Jon Stewart even more.

I really don't want to know if you lean to the left or to theright on the political spectrum. What I do want to know is what areyou doing about this mess of a presidential campaign season at yourcredit union? Nothing, I know … tax-exempt and all. I get it.

Here's my point.

Are you capitalizing on the madness of this agonizingly-longpresidential campaign season to beef up and/or draw attention toand/or guide your members to participate in your elections and payattention to the important issues up for a vote at your creditunion? If you're not, you are missing a golden (hair)opportunity.

Credit unions are democracy in action. Sometimes it might feelmore like inaction, I know. Despite the downfalls of a truedemocracy; even the nut who is ticked about how short your chainsare that keep your credit union's pens in place – yeah, he gets asay in this true democracy. This campaign overload is an excellenttime for you to bring out your inner Clinton or Trump to bring themessage about your issues and elections to the membership.

For instance, if you have a board election coming up, you couldhold a parody-style debate. Give each board member candidate twominutes to answer a question and the other candidate gets 30seconds during that time to talk over the other person. You couldend the debate with a series of “Your momma” jokes. It would all bedone in good fun. I know it sounds like I'm joking, but I'm not.Your local media would eat this stuff up!

Another example for highlighting any issues you need yourmembers to vote on can be approached using an anti-presidentialcampaign fact sheet. Let's say the issue is voting on opening a newbranch in your community. The fact sheet, which presidentialcandidates release daily to set the record straight (if that'spossible), could read something like this:

Trump says opening a new location would violate U.S.NAFTA agreements.

• False! The new location would create 15 new credit unionpositions.
• The new branch would fill banking needs for a growing part ofour community.

Clinton declares that opening a new location is a plotby Trump and Vladimir Putin.

• False! We conducted a survey of the community and found that82% were in favor of having a financial institution locatedhere.
• The mayor and city council members are on record in favor ofexpanding our services to this area of our community.

Clinton and Trump were both seen at a hot-dog eatingcontest. Both deny they were there.

• True! If our membership votes yes for the new location, we'vedecided that we'll hand out free hot dogs.
• For our vegetarians, we will also have hummus.

You get the idea. I could go on because this kind of writesitself. Also, if your credit union put out parody fact sheets likethis online and distributed them to your local media, I can almostguarantee you'd get coverage. Hell, I'd take a look at it becauseno one is doing stuff like this. It's unusual, original and itcould be a branding boost for your credit union. The key to thisworking is that you have to make fun of both sides. I call itequally offending. That way, everyone is happy at theridiculousness of it all and your message makes it to your memberswho will then turn out to vote.

In the short time I've been at CU Times, I've beencalled names (thanks mom) and some fairly good insults have beentossed my way. But those things, like the presidential election, Idon't pay attention to because it's lazy communication. Whenthere's an actual issue or message presented to me in a differentand interesting way, I pay attention. Let's face it, we have busylives and most of us are bored by the day-to-day existence of thiselection.

So think outside the pantsuit, or the troll doll hair, or thebox and make this election work for you and your credit union. Ifyou do try any of these ideas, let me know.

Final point. Why do we still call this a campaign season whenthe damn thing lasts for just shy of two years? Really, it's beendocumented that the presidential campaign season started a full 644days before Election Day. According to an interview on Slatemagazine's website, “That's enough time for some women to conceiveand bear two successive children.” Think about that!

Let's just call it what it is, the Perpetual and Persistent Pushfor Presidential Power – the Ceaseless Campaign.

Be sure to vote and stay tuned for the next season of theCeaseless Campaign. It'll be on every network. You won't be able tomiss it.

Michael Ogden is executive editor for CU Times. He can bereached at [email protected].