With the 1984 elections still 19 months away, the quadrennial chorus of complaints about the ever earlier start of presidential campaigns again fills the air. But short campaigns are no longer possible, in the view of Washington Bureau Chief Robert Ajemian, who has reported on presidential politicking since 1956, first for LIFE, then for TIME. "Since 1972," he says, "we have reformed the electoral process, opened it up to more voters. For the candidate, this means in-person, retail politics, drawing voters in, confronting them in primaries, winning over delegates. That takes time. For...
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