in a Bacchanalian haze.
Springer, who died in 2023, was hardly an enigma.
And Jerry Springer was a profoundly interesting man.
The political insiders from this era speak of Springers prowess in shockingly reverent terms.
[In] 92, [Michael] Dukakis.
80, I worked for [Ted] Kennedy.
76, I went through Birch Bayh, Mo Udall, and Jimmy Carter.
[Jerry Springer] is the best Ive ever seen, bar none.
So uh…what happened?
How does a generational political talent end up pioneering the worst kind of televised entertainment?
Believe it or not, it wasnt because of the aforementioned personal-check-to-a-sex-worker scandal.
Instead, Springers political career ended for a much more simple reason: he lost an election.
In 1980, he stepped down as mayor to run for Governor of Ohio.
Springer took the attempt seriously, speaking with Democratic organizations in universities and cities across the state.
No, its just confirmed it, Springer said.
I mean, any job Ive ever had, its been the same constituency.
Its been middle and low-income people that need a voice, that need help, that need whatever.
So even in my entertainment, thats my base.
Say he wins that election.
American voters have proven themselves to enjoy a candidate with some TV experience after all.
Is a timeline with President Jerry Springer preferable to our own?
The wrong president can do a lot of damage, certainly.
But Im not entirely convinced that the wrong TV host cant do more.
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action is available to stream on Netflix now.
