Could independence, substance, and vitality be restored to American politics by the likes of Blockbuster Video?  The prospect is not entirely farfetched.

With the right format and packaging, videocassette-based political communication could begin luring back more than a few of the currently disaffected, by providing an antidote to the trivializing effects that other media have had on our political processes.

At the same time, it could help reduce the dependency of today’s candidates on campaign contributors to pay for media time to reach voters.

Video's potential is based on certain innate, structural ways in which this medium differs from newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV.  By capitalizing on video's structural differences, we can significantly improve the political process--without having to improve either politicians or voters.  Instead of continuing to blame politicians for being too superficial or voters for being too apathetic, we can simply provide information in a more reasonable and convenient form.