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How ‘The Apprentice’ Can Fix Our Democracy
We need a better debate format — maybe it’s been right in front of us all along
“We cannot afford, suddenly, to treat this like a reality show.”
- President Barack Obama, September 13, 2016
As debate season approaches again, we’re reminded of how inadequate the practice is for helping voters make actual decisions. Whether the stage holds two dozen hopefuls or a pair of finalists, debates teach us little. Facts go unchecked, bloviation is unpunished, and meaningful exchange is paltry by design.
We’re also reminded that running for president and actually doing the job require vastly different skill sets. Tarmac rallies serve no purpose in grasping the nuances of foreign affairs. Corn dogs and baby kissing are useless in times of crisis. In no other industry is a job interview process so detached from the work itself.
These two problems go virtually undisputed in American life. We concede them as compromises inherent to democracy as we know it. But with the consequences of a flawed campaigning system now in sharp relief — and the current stakes unquestionably high — it’s time to consider a new option for giving voters real perspective on their choice.
Painful as it is to say, we need a reboot of The Apprentice.
Perhaps we’ve been overlooking a superior model for the last decade or two. Instead of relying merely on debates and stump speeches, why not consider a weekly competitive broadcast of working simulations that can shed real light on which candidate is best-equipped to do the job?
Painful as it is to say, we need a reboot of The Apprentice.
Picture it. Each week, live in prime time, the nation is riveted by a new competition. In one installment, a military standoff is simulated, helping us gauge candidates’ strategic acumen and grace under pressure. The next week’s audition requires each to console the nation in the wake of a major terrorist event.
This cavalcade continues over the arc of a season, with details of each challenge held tightly as state secrets. Negotiating a budget with congressional hard-liners, meeting with war…
