Improving the Presidential Primary Process: A Modest Proposal

In the USA, political parties hold primary elections/caucuses to determine who will be their candidates in the general election. In an effort to appeal to voters, potential nominees engage in a variety of expensive activities. Because most politicians try not to actually hang out with the peasants they claim to want to represent, they choose activities that will keep those voters at a safe distance until election day.

One of the favored activities is the presidential "debate," which resembles an actual debate(1) like a socket wrench resembles a cellular phone. Like a pineapple resembles a harmonica. Like a platypus resembles a pencil. Like...sorry...I could do this all day...

Anyway, the "debates" are nothing but people slinging sound bites out into space, hoping they get more TV time than the other candidates. The sound bites are predictable (even for farmers, factory workers, and other folk not as "intelligent" as Michael Bloomberg(2)) and not especially informative or helpful in differentiating the candidates from one another so voters can make an informed choice.

I have what I believe is a better idea. Can we agree a president should be adaptable to a variety of situations and should understand the people he/she represents? What better way to do this than a reality show? Stay with me. I am going somewhere with this.

Imagine all the contenders for a party's nomination on a show that requires them to do something real, like bake a cake, or drive a forklift, or be a nanny for a day. Think "Dirty Jobs" or "Hell's Kitchen" or "Undercover Boss" or, dare I say it, "The Apprentice." Would that not give us far more insight into a person's character and ability to handle the stresses of the presidency than some talking head event?

I welcome your comments on the merits of this proposal.

(1)https://www.speechanddebate.org/rules-forms-manuals/
(2)https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/02/bloomberg_caught_badmouthing_farmers.html