I don’t claim to be any sort of psychic or futurist, but you don’t need to have any special abilities to see where this is headed.  

The President of the United States will one day be chosen by the American public via a reality TV show. 

Now, read that again, because I guarantee you it’s going to happen. And you know what? It might not be a bad idea. Think about all the possibilities. The initial “regional” vetting process could feature legitimate candidates mixed in with some real nut jobs much like the opening rounds of Idol. Legitimate candidates nominated by their own respective political parties could be mixed in with that guy who lives alone in a cabin in the woods and the lady who said Jesus appeared on her piece of toast. Entertaining? Absolutely mesmerizing! The entire process could be broadcast by all the networks and a panel of “judges” would decide who goes to the round of 16. I suggest 7 judges from all walks of life. Perhaps a retired Supreme Court Justice, a former Governor, a laid-off factory worker, a cast member from Jersey Shore, a war veteran, Brett Favre and Idol judge Randy Jackson. I can hear him now; “You’re going to D.C. Dawg!!!” 

Once in D.C. the American public would tune in weekly to see our potential future leaders tackle problems presented to them by Donald Trump. Divided into teams, which are comprised of mixed political party candidates, they would need to work as a non-partisan unit to come up with legitimate solutions to things that plague every day Americans. Unemployment, the environment, dwindling retirement savings, health care, getting the NFL network on my cable, problems we all face. At the end of the week they present their solutions to a panel of experts to see if their solution is actually workable. The American public votes on their favorite solution by calling a 1-900 phone number and each call (vote) costs one dollar. That’s right, the rich can vote as many times as they like, and the poor may only be able to afford one vote, if at all. Yes, it’s unfair and unethical, but what about real politics is fair and ethical? The money that’s raised would all go to eradicating the enormous debt that America has taken on. If, by chance, we eliminate all of our debt, then all proceeds go a nationwide 401k account to be divided equally among all legal citizens once they reach retirement age. You’ve heard of the Roth IRA? I would call this the Robin Hood annuity. 

Then, each week, just like Apprentice, two members of the last place team are nominated for the Board Room. Whoever receives the fewest number of votes from the American public gets to hear Trump say, “You’ve been fired by America!” One by one America gets rid of unqualified, or maybe just unpopular, candidates. We get to see if these future “Presidents” can really work with all political parties to do what’s best for the country. After all, isn’t a major portion of our President’s agenda comprised of problem solving? This process would also afford reality TV obsessed Americans the chance to actually pay attention to, and more fully understand, the issues our country is facing.  

Once we get down to the finale, it’s “Election Tuesday”. You think Super Bowl Sunday is huge? Just wait until the every 4 year, national holiday, worldwide TV special, “Election Tuesday!” Hours of pre-show coverage, specially produced TV commercials (think Clydesdales at the National Mall), interviews with eliminated candidates, and so much more!  

The evening would be hosted by Alex Trebek, Ryan Seacrest, Tom Bergeron and Guy Fieri. The show kicks off with our finalists announcing who they have chosen for their new cabinet. Then, along with their newly announced cabinet, our candidates will have one hour to tackle a problem Iron Chef style. The same problem is presented to both teams, and a mystery issue is then introduced. After one hour, the respective teams explain their resolution to said problem.  

Part two features Alex Trebek with Final Jeopardy. Categories could include; American History, World History, Geography, TARP or Tweet, and Things World Leaders Need to Know. Finally, we toss it to Tom Bergeron for the last hour for Dancing with the President!  Judges Bruno, Len and Carrie Ann could critique our future President and then it’s up to Americans to decide. This whole process would allow us to choose a knowledgeable, bi-partisan leader who’s quick on his/her feet, literally and figuratively. Miss the big show? That’s what Digital Video Recorders (DVR) are for! You can even watch it again, if you’d like.  

We’ll have a week to either log on, dial up or stop by a polling place and vote using our pre-registered voter ID number. I’m sure by then we could figure out a way to use some sort of pre-registered voter ID number ensuring an accurate vote, right? One week later, a winner is announced.  

And wait until you hear about my spin off idea; Extreme Makeover, Congress.

BEFORE I HEAD OFF TO THE GLO SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS:

*How long before Mel Gibson checks into “rehab”? And while it’s impossible to rehab the racist, sexist, anti-Semite out of somebody, he’ll try to convince us that he’s trying.

*So, Bella has a hard time choosing between Jacob and Edward? She sees the good and evil in both of them, and they’re both dangerous to her long term survival. Are we sure this story isn’t a metaphor for politics? As Louis Black says, “Whoever is in office, I want them out!”

*Why don’t MLB teams draft only pitchers? It seems that every year pitching is at a premium while position players are readily available. Draft all pitchers and wait for some to develop, when you have a plethora of good arms, go and get the everyday players you might need.

*Spain scores 8 goals in 7 games and wins the World Cup? That’s all you need to know about how exciting that sport is. I agree with one of our listeners who suggested getting rid of the offside rule to add some excitement. Then again, 3 Billion people watch so I doubt the rest of the world cares what we think.

*The owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers should have hit ‘delete’ instead of ‘send’. That open letter made him sound like Glenn Close in that bunny boiling movie ‘Fatal Attraction’. Dear Ohio, LeBron’s just not that into you.

*Speaking of the NBA, how good is the Milwaukee Bucks roster looking these days? John Hammond is doing an awesome job.

*Is anyone else bothered by the number of late night TV appearances our elected leaders make? Not sure it’s necessary to waste time joking with Leno about the Russian spy scandal when so many other things need taken care of. Maybe that’s just me.

*Who knew Lindsay Lohan had a Mom? It’s true! I saw her wearing a black robe and lecturing Lindsay in a courtroom recently. She was explaining that bad behavior has consequences and then she was doling out the punishment. You know, all the things Lindsay’s biological Mom never did?

*For you smokers, I’ve got a deal. You can smoke all you want, anywhere you want, just back me up when I insist that Wisconsin adopt Georgia’s drunk driving laws. Our laissez-faire attitude regarding drinking and driving has got to end.