Welcome to the age of the perpetual campaign.

It wouldn't be surprising if some voters think there is a U.S. Senate election Nov. 3. Former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon is already advertising heavily, and attacking the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Chris Dodd, specifically, in her quest for the Republican nomination in the Senate race. President Barack Obama made a campaign-style visit last week to promote Dodd's reelection. "Dump Dodd" signs are appearing on lawns and other Republican hopefuls, including former 2nd District Congressman Rob Simmons of Stonington, are busy raising money to offset McMahon's riches.

Of course, those citizens who bother going to the polls in a week will be voting for local candidates, despite all the attention the national candidates are receiving. It will be a year before Dodd stands for reelection. But such is the nature of modern politics, with one campaign overlapping another, much as the sport seasons now overlap one another with baseball, football, basketball and hockey all played at the same time.

The last presidential campaign dragged on for a good two years, but anyone hoping for a little campaign down time in 2009 has to be disappointed. The speculation began almost immediately -- how will the Republicans fare in the off-term (2010) election and who might the Republicans field in 2012 to challenge Obama?

Besides being tiresome, the problem with this is that when candidates spend their entire time running, they never spend any of their time governing. When every move is a campaign move, the best policies won't necessarily win out.

It is enough to make a person wistful for a parliamentary system in which the prime minister announces he or she plans to form a new government and the election is held two or three months later.

But the U.S. Constitution and the system of government it provides have, largely, served us well. And as much as some might want to shut up the politicians for a while, a little something called the First Amendment prohibits it. And so society adjusts. Political junkies, such as me, immerse ourselves in the endless speculation and campaigning. Others tune it out until election time draws close. Still others tune it out completely, and don't participate in voting.

Do perpetual campaigns increase voter interest or so overload citizens that they stop listening? Many predicted the long, competitive presidential campaign would generate record turnouts, particularly among younger voters. Didn't happen. We will have to wait to see what more than a year of Dodd and anti-Dodd campaigning does for the Senate election.