We live in an alternate, and scary, reality
Just when we thought that reality TV stars Sanjaya and Omarosa were gone for good, they turned up to debate Monday night. Oops. That was actually Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at Hofstra University, but forgive the confusion — one of the most noxious reality stars of all time is battling one of the most noxious politicians of all time in a bareknuckled brawl for the White House, and it’s gotten hard to separate fact from fiction.
Around 100 million viewers were expected to tune in Monday, and, like any trashy reality show, this has been an election all too often defined by showmanship, strife and ratings.
Take Trump. Although he’s been a cheesy reality star in his own right for years, in terms of this election, his remarkable run offers shades of Sanjaya, the mediocre 2007 “American Idol” star who progressed further along than anyone could have anticipated.
Sanjaya’s rise came because viewers — egged on by Howard Stern and a website called Votefortheworst.com — hoped to break the game. Sound familiar?
Trump’s shrill, groaning, shouting, eye-rolling, sniffling mediocracy was on full display throughout the whole debate. He admitted he rooted for the housing crisis that left millions homeless so he could make more money. He also crowed, “That makes me smart,” when Clinton said he paid no federal income taxes based on returns he submitted when seeking a casino license.
Trump also made little sense when talking nuclear weapons. A scary development.
Sanjaya was hapless, sweet and clearly in over his head. Trump is only the latter. He’s also a clueless, dangerous, crass, egotistical liar who has singlehandedly dragged campaigning for President to a new low.
Clinton seemed presidential, but she’s got her own crappy-realityshow-contestant doppelganger: fervent Trump supporter and obnoxious “The Apprentice” contestant Omarosa Manigault.
Once dubbed “the most hated woman in America,” Omarosa’s 2004 run on Trump’s reality competition was famed for her alienating tactics of game play — delivered with a calculating calm.
For all the trash talk Monday night, the biggest loser in this election has already been revealed: the American people.