Politics Gets A Dose of Reality

Who will get voted to stay on the island?

So, it has to come pass that now Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is using the promise of American Idol ducats as a way to help retire her presidential campaign debt

A contribution will enter participants in a contest to win one of three prizes: a day attending events with former President Bill Clinton followed by "your own special weekend" in New York City, a lunch and political conversation in DC with Democratic political strategists James Carville and Paul Begala, or the chance to attend the American Idol season finale in Los Angeles.

Clinton has about $5 million left in campaign debt. Note, however, that there's no direct quid pro quo offer here. A contribution only gets an entry into a "contest" that promises a "chance to attend" the AI finale.  Caveat emptor! Don't pencil yourself in for that dance with Paula Abdul.

However, Mrs. Clinton's people may have stumbled onto something! The merger of politics and reality TV has been coming for a long time. There have already been suggestions that a better way to go through the primaries would be a Survivor-like vote 'em-off-the-island weekly process. 

The Biggest Loser: Republican voters would get jump start on the primary process by choosing early on who -- under no circumstances -- they don't want to run in 2012. Possible participants will include ex-Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), author Ann Coulter, and the ever-wacky Alan Keyes.  

Deal or No Deal: In a special series of the hit show starring Howie Mandel, Obama administration officials will compete with corporate CEOs to come up with the perfect financing level for cap-and-trade energy policy. The Obama team would push for more tax revenue from the CEOs, while the latter would try to get government to agree to a less punitive regulatory atmosphere.  

Bill of Love: Similar to "Rock of Love" (faded rock star gets his pick of a bunch of honeys), this one would feature the former Democratic president as he surveys applicants seeking to be chief intern in the Clinton Foundation. Contestants would participate in stunts like delivering pizza, dropping off dry-cleaning (or not) and modeling the latest thong designs. Like the American Idol prize, all monies would go help retire Hillary Clinton's campaign debt! 

Who Wants To Be A Trillionaire?: Updated version of the hit show will feature original host Regis Philbin and only one contestant -- President Barack Obama. The commander-in-chief will work through a series of increasingly difficult multiple choice questions -- all so he can win the $1,000,000,000 prize, which will help cut down the national debt. Here's the kicker: President thinks Rahm Emanuel is his "phone-a-friend." In fact, sneaky producers have slipped in Karl Rove!! Hi-jinks ensue!!

Robert A. George is a New York writer. He blogs at Ragged Thots.

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