The Most Amusing Reality on TV: The Republican Debates

C-SPAN is an incredible television anomaly. It stays on the air despite its ratings being lower than pretty much every reality TV show on TLC. The Republican primary debates are doing slightly better, since cable news channels use typical television tactics. Between the hyped up intros and overly patriotic backdrops, the most successful ratings on a republican debate are still below Dancing With the Stars.
Mostly due to the 'colorful personalities' of the candidates, a lot of the debates so far have been able to produce as much ridicule as actual content, and its participants don't seem bothered with laughing along. However, they seem to draw the line at allowing pop culture directly into their respectable discourse, even at the hope of actually peaking the nation's interest as much as Toddlers in Tiaras does. Donald Trump recently announced that he plans to host a republican debate later this month in Iowa, except it won't be much of anything if it occurs, since only Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have agreed to attend. Apparently, the other candidates consider attending 'beneath the office of the presidency and flies in the face of that office's history and dignity.' This concept does not apply to riding around the country in a bus with their face on it.

Still, allowing Donald Trump to be more than just the host of The Apprentice might be too much of a gimmick, even for candidates hungry for media attention. The various politicians are trying to seem down to earth and relatable to the country, but also want to avoid scrutiny. In an age when every misstep they take in a debate goes viral within hours, that might be too much to hope for. The Republican candidates can avoid reality TV as much as they want, doesn't mean their not in one. Except in their case, many members of Celebrity Apprentice had more name recognition.
It's worth noting that the power of firing people may have gone to Trump's toupee. He says he might consider running himself if the Republican nominee fails to impress, and would intend to take the job.

December 2nd, 2011. Jeremy W. Peters. 'Trump to Moderate Republican Debate' New York Times

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/trump-to-moderate-republican-debate/?scp=2&sq=donald%20trump&st=cse