Marketing suggestion for Democrats: your own 24-7 reality tv show

The first presidential candidate to sponsor their own 24-7 reality tv show wins. The idea is simple: have a camera crew or two follow you around everywhere… and I don’t just mean for the photo op… I mean everywhere (bathrooms and bedrooms excluded). Let the world download a podcast, stream a YouTube, or watch CNN clips of you…

• Giving speeches, shaking hands, debating, kissing babies… all the usual junk we associate with campaigning
• Hanging out with friends, your spouse, political action committees, lobbyists, your campaign advisors, the democratic national committee, foreign diplomats, members of congress, going to church (or synagogue)
• Being eloquent, being stupid, being tongue tied, saying “fuck” and “bullshit” and “goddammit”

i.e., let the world see you as you are… your foibles, your brilliance. If you’re meeting with big oil or Doctors without Borders, we’ll know it.

Don’t own any rights to the video. Let amateurs mash up the video as they like, let professionals broadcast sound bites, let podcasters stream unadulterated content.

There are of course some downsides to this idea: it would be exhausting, potentially embarrassing, and it would be incredibly intrusive.

But, I think there’s more upside.

The 18-24 year old voters might, for once, care about the election. They’re already going to share video of you via YouTube, give them more than the gaffs. (In 2001, no 18 year old cared about Ozzy Osborn whatsoever. That changed. The lesson here is to not take yourself too seriously. If Ozzy was embarrassed about what he saw on camera, we would stop caring.)

People cynical about politics are cynical because of the politicians. Every year, you make promises through bright white smiles, and more often than not, the promises (see compassionate conservatism) are left dead and bloodied on the campaign trail. With a camera following you around everywhere, your genuine self is bound to be seen. Either you’ll be exposed as the real deal, or people will see right through you.

A 24-7 show about you gives you the time to explain your views… all of them.

Be real. The electorate are hungry for honesty, for finding someone they believe will really follow through on all those promises. But also, in American politics there is a notion that our leaders must somehow live up to an unachievable standard of perfection. Be transparent and honest about yourself 24-7—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and you have a better chance of overthrowing the ideal of perfection for the humility of being, gasp, a real person and someone people of all ages would want to vote for.

Dubya is leaving in two years… let’s hope whomever is elected is more honest with Americans and the world.