TV Show to put US Democracy to the Test

ananova ^ | 21st September 2002 | ananova

[jstone78]

TV show to put US democracy to the test

The next President of the United States could be the winner of a new Pop Idol-style reality television show.

US trade newspaper Variety reports that plans are under way for an ambitious series which would climax with the US public choosing a "people's candidate" to run for president in 2004.

Cable network FX has joined forces with Austin Powers director Jay Roach and producers RJ Cutler and Tom Lassally on the long-term project, American Candidate.

The idea is that the show will go on the hunt for untapped political and leadership skills just as Pop Idol, and its US version, American Idol, sought out undiscovered musical talent.

Cutler said: "We will be making available to every American who is qualified, by virtue of the Constitution, the opportunity to run for president.

"We're trying to see if there's a young Abe Lincoln out there, somebody whose vision could turn on the public in an exciting way."

To land a slot on the show, applicants will have to fill out questionnaires, provide video-tapes in which they explain why they would make a great president and put together a group of 50 supporters from their community who will serve as sponsors.

The process is likely to get under way in January 2003 with the first of a minimum 13 episodes airing the following year.

A panel of experts will assess the initial applications and choose about 100 candidates for the start of the series.

The number of semi-finalists will be whittled down each week based on points won in the competitions and telephone/internet voting by viewers.

[jstone78]

Wanna know what's scary? The TV show candidate might just win, due to the expected media coverage, which would be worth tens of millions in terms of free publicity. Think of all those WWF fans, Hillary Clinton supporters, Perot voters, Jesse Ventura voters, Reagan Democrats, "Millionaire" show fans, etc.

Perhaps that explains why America's founding fathers wanted a constitutional republic, rather than a democracy.

[Skwidd]

The fall of America and the rise of idiocy...will be televised.

[itzmygun]

Oh yeah, this is a good idea....

[KevinDavis]

I see this is a good way. This could be a opprotunity for someone from the FR to run. I know I can', I'm not old enough.

[Wolfstar]

It just seems to me that if this isn't unconstitutional, it ought to be. Apart from questions of constitutionality and legality, too many people are ignorant of how our system works. WE DO NOT HAVE NATIONAL ELECTIONS. We have 50 state elections, and each state has its own election laws. Every candidate for president has to pick a vice presidential running mate, and that slate has to qualify for the 50 state ballots one at a time. By the time the organizers of this contest get to the point where their "winner" is determined (my understanding the target for this would be July 2004), the opportunity for that person to even get on ANY state ballots would be slim.

And you are right, jstone78, thank God for the timeless wisdom of our founding fathers!

[shadowman99]

I think this will be worse for the Dems than the Republicans. The way this will be packed (think of the typical Fox reality show) it's going to target youth and black voters.

This will insure a Bush second term. And it may sink a few Dems, tho I doubt it.

[discostu]

This could be the best tool ever to break the two party oligarchy. Most campaigns are all about pretty pictures and good chins anyway (we the issues voters are in the minority in this country). So what the hell, put up a pretty face and screw up party politics big time, sounds like fun. Hey, I turn 35 in 2004, maybe I'll give it a shot.

[prov1813man]

Here it comes, the ultimate outcome of "democracy" which is nothing more or less than mob rule.

Also known as "Roman disease", complete with bread and circuses. Democracy, by it's very nature, cannot avoid the twin temptations of expansion and mob appeasement, whereby he who promises the most to those who do the least guts the wheels of production and collapses the entire machine.

Hence, the dark ages, seven hundred years of unrecorded history.

"First, we kill all the lawyers", next, the pimps in vests who call themselves "producers".

"Constitutional Republic", we must insert this correction every time some nitwit talks about our glorious "democracy".

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

WE DO NOT HAVE NATIONAL ELECTIONS. We have 50 state elections, and each state has its own election laws. Every candidate for president has to pick a vice presidential running mate, and that slate has to qualify for the 50 state ballots one at a time.

This thread will not be much fun if you continue to insist on the use of logic! ;-)

[weegee]

Thank God that Tom Green was born in Canada (and is too young to become president):

The tv contest won't be able to do much to prove a viable candidate as internet voting is far from safe from ballot stuffing and there can be no screening process to eliminate minors or non-citizens from voting.

[Wolfstar]

Silly me. LOL!

[ErnBatavia]

Hear ye, hear ye! All rise for the President of the United States of America.....

[BulletBrasDotNet]

How is this going to work? The morons in FL can't even figure out the On/OFF button. The government will have to have 87 language interpreters in every house so that the illegals can vote remotely.

[CyberAnt]

I wondered how Hillary was planning to get the nomination ...!

Pretty sneaky ... but, has it occurred to anyone that not a lot of people will be watching ...??

Hmmm? The mood of the country does not bode well for this show.

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm? Maybe the point is not to get the person on any ballot ... maybe the point is to stir up discontent, or apathy for the REAL election.

I agree with Jim Robinson and Ann Coulter, "there may be a few bad Republicans, but THERE ARE NO GOOD DEMOCRATS".

[Fearless Flyers]

I'd like to nominate the Agitator/Luis Gonzalez ticket.

The only new law agitator might sign are ones to eliminate unnecasary laws and the IRS. Luis will keep the compassionate conservatives happy.

Not that Luis is all that compassionate sometimes, but I think he could pull it off.

[Domestic Church]

This is creepy...many of the thinkers in this country don't even own a TV or rarely watch it if they do.

[alnick]

We're at war and these idiots want to make a gameshow contestant the leader of the free world.

[SEGUET]

"The fall of America and the rise of idiocy...will be televised."

Riddle me this -

100 years from now - which will have a larger global impact on every facet of life on this planet -

Jesus Christ or Television? -

Unfortunately - TV by a long shot - hands down

[weikel]

Normally this would scare me but since Coollidge was our last true conservative President( Reagan was close but Im told on FR even he did a few unconservative things) with this system we might just get lucky.