I have to admit it. I miss the gang of presidential wannabes that made the long-running Republican nominating process such a…such a…distinctive exercise. I’ve been watching presidential aspirants come and go for more than 40 years, and can say in all honesty that I’ve never seen a field of this…of this…caliber presenting itself to take the reins of the U.S. government and the leadership of the Free World.
Seeing these aspirants reunited in an appropriate setting, indeed, a setting presided over by one of their own early aspiring number, thus seems to me the perfect cap on a nominating process that ended by giving us a Wall Street vulture fund executive as the Republican nominee for President.
And what might such a perfectly appropriate setting be for these presidential also-rans in my view? Being part of a Donald Trump, Celebrity Apprentice — Losing Presidential Candidates series starting this coming fall. A series that if it actually came about, would run in tandem with that other cash-based TV vehicle, our next national election.
Just imagine! A weekly television show in which Herman vies with Michele to come up with an ad campaign to boost business at a family hardware store. Or the pithy exchanges between a visionary Newt and a values peddling Rick as they argue over what might work best for a charity fund raiser.
Could an almost also-ran such as Sarah be brought on the show to hype ratings? Might The Donald himself come down from his perch as Firer-In-Chief to take part in side debates about Michele’s Norwegian citizenship? The mind boggles.
Is there a Celebrity Apprentice —Losing Presidential Candidates Edition in our TV watching future? There has been no public announcement to that effect. But if it actually happened, who’d really be surprised?
Tasteless, tawdry, repetitive reality TV, juxtaposed with tasteless, tawdry, repetitive Super-PAC ad buying politics? It’s a natural.