Win $1 Million to be President

[Valerie S. Johnson]

By Valerie S. Johnson

There were 70 million votes cast on a recent American Idol night. How many of those voters will cast a ballot in the ’08 presidential election? How do you get younger people interested and involved in national politics?

Answer: combine money, MySpace, and reality TV. Mark Burnett, producer of the wildly successful “Survivor” series is working up a new political reality show called “Independent.” Contestants will battle it out in the political jungle – using their MySpace profiles and television appearances – for a $1 million cash prize.

However, there are always strings attached in Washington, DC. The winning candidate can use the money only to finance a presidential political campaign, to give to a PAC (political action committee) or to donate to a political cause.

Ready to out-schmooze?