Miss Independent Goes to Washington

Hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered at the Washington Mall Monday afternoon for a declaration of renewed effort, for a continuation of hope and change, for the promise of a better future. That event, as so many progressives and conservatives alike will forever remember, was Kelly Clarkson's comeback at the 57th presidential inauguration.

Bill loves a good comeback

Clarkson speedily rose to stardom when she became the first white woman to win American Idol. Though what happened next is a poignant tale.

Clarkson's early single "Miss Independent" seemed to break traditional pop party lines, eschewing partisan rhetoric in hopes of reforming an already polarized musical genre. Her energy invigorated the youth of the nation, her charm captivated the elderly, and her image as a pop-music outsider had the whole world watching with anticipation.

But the music faded; during her first term as a pop icon, the mainstream media observed that Clarkson was compromising her unique sound for a more adult-contemporary pop over a cutting-edge bieberesque. Recent singles such as "Stronger" indicate that Clarkson is still trying to hold on to her once commendable idealism, but her message has been lost in the crowd.

Here at American Difter, the search for truth never ceases, and our research contests that Clarkson acquiesced to neither camp, but instead embodied servitude to the major record labels.

Don't expect changes in Camry emission standards anytime soon

But as we saw yesterday at the inauguration, Clarkson appears reinvigorated for a second term in pop's most powerful position. As she belted out "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," viewers across the nation were hoping to see a preview of recharged loyalty to the progressive ideas she championed in the past.

We here at AD predict that these hopes will fall flat. So many times we've seen American Idols fall back into mundanity. Rubben Studdard, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert, and even Clay Aiken couldn't escape the realities of actually becoming American Idol finalists, no matter what promises were made in their respective campaigns.

Physical changes are symptomatic of the pressure the office holds

The Editors at American Difter propose a solution, albeit not a silver bullet, to how we elect our American Idols. We must adopt a "one vote per caller" policy. Without such a policy in place, special interests, far more capable of outweighing the individual voter, will flood the phonelines ensuring that their candidate will emerge victorious, with the occasional exception:

Ralph Nader of the Idol World

Special interests, at minimum, should be wholly barred from political activity, for their ubiquitious presence in the American Idol election process only guaruntees that their needs will be met.

The Devil uses product (and yes that's a real website).

The team at American Difter urges your support for serious American Idol election reform. Without it, our nation will be forever trapped in a corporate loophole, headed towards the status quo: recycled pop garbage.