---
[ WORLD WATCH ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch)
# CityWatch Today: Democracy as Reality TV
June 08 2017
Written by Abby Zimet.
[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
****
GUEST COLUMN--Coming to a bar near you: The Comey Show! Aka the Super Bowl of Washington and the Shit-Just-Got-Real-Tour!
Come [see ](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/watch-parties-covfefe-cocktails-planned-comey-testimony-article-1.3229384)the Republic crumble on live TV! Prepping for James Comey's Senate [testimony ](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ComeyHearing?src=hash)Thursday, bars and restaurants in DC and around the country are [opening ](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bars-across-u-s-opening-early-for-james-comey-testimony-thursday/)early - *very* early on the [West coast ](http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Comey-s-early-morning-testimony-will-be-11200441.php)- and offering tasty [specials](https://www.facebook.com/events/1481781788562648/) like The Impeachmint, Drop the Bomb, Bad Hombre, Paid Protester, $5 Stoli Vodka, the mysterious Covfefe cocktail, the FBI Breakfast - French toast, bacon and ice cream - and free rounds every time Trump tweets himself in the foot.
"Come watch the drama unfold!" urges one establishment. "Grab your friends, grab a drink and let's COVFEFE!"
The watch party circus is no more or less tawdry than what's come before. Comey testimony released Wednesday [reveals ](https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/06/07/patronage-presidency-james-comeys-extraordinary-testimony-trump)a needy, bullying, cringingly-off-the-charts inappropriate Trump demanding an unseemly "loyalty" and wooing, Godfather-or-Bachelorette-like, the wary Comey with an intimate dinner laced with "awkward silence." But "we had that thing," bleats Trump. Ewww.
Having arrived at this sordid state with the non-election of a [reality TV ](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/how-reality-tv-made-donald-trump-president)non-president, this is what we get.
Still, in all its awfulness, it has inspired [community,](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ComeyHearing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fqz.com%2F1001132%2Fthe-james-comey-congressional-hearing-americas-biggest-reality-tv-circus-since-trump%2F) which is not enough but something. Thus, people are expected to flock to public viewing places for not just news, but solace.
Explains one New Yorker, "When it rains outside, you talk to other people. Trump’s presidency is like extremely bad weather.”
*(Abby Zimet writes for the excellent Common Dreams … where this column was first posted.)*
-cw
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/98 "Donna Tryfman - HS1-1")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/111 "David DeJute Campaign")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)")
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/112 "Anna Reitano Vertical R. Col")
## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays
Phone
---
## Featured CityWatch Stories
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33349-l-a-county-faces-a-government-shake-up)
### [L.A. County Faces a Government Shake-Up](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33349-l-a-county-faces-a-government-shake-up)
WESTSIDE - Currently larger than 40 states in terms of population with roughly 10 million residents, Los Angeles County…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33346-before-we-ask-god-to-judge-us-the-jewish-people-must-judge-ourselves)
### [Before We Ask God to Judge Us, the Jewish People Must Judge Ourselves](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33346-before-we-ask-god-to-judge-us-the-jewish-people-must-judge-ourselves)
Yom Kippur demands more than personal repentance. At a defining moment for Jews everywhere, it asks whether we have tru…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33372-the-greater-israel-delusion-may-undo-israel)
### [The Greater Israel Delusion May Undo Israel](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33372-the-greater-israel-delusion-may-undo-israel)
ANNEXATION - The vision of “Greater Israel” draws on maximalist readings of biblical verses, especially Genesis 15:18–2…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/33366-israels-political-map-is-being-redrawn)
### [Israel’s Political Map Is Being Redrawn](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/33366-israels-political-map-is-being-redrawn)
NETANYAHUISM - The next Israeli election may be about something larger than Benjamin Netanyahu. For the first time in a…
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33347-la-stop-the-war-on-cars-they-arent-going-away)
### [LA, Stop the War on Cars. They Aren’t Going Away](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33347-la-stop-the-war-on-cars-they-arent-going-away)
LA TRANSPO - For anyone traversing the San Fernando Valley, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: Los Angeles is sp…
---
## [ WORLD WATCH ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32951-venezuela-needs-the-world-more-than-ever-english-spanish)### [Venezuela Needs the World More Than Ever \[English & Spanish\]](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32951-venezuela-needs-the-world-more-than-ever-english-spanish)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32873-netanyahus-betrayal-of-israels-promise)### [Netanyahu’s Betrayal Of Israel’s Promise](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32873-netanyahus-betrayal-of-israels-promise)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32727-turkeys-egregious-human-rights-violations-are-beyond-the-pale)### [Turkey’s Egregious Human Rights Violations Are Beyond The Pale](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32727-turkeys-egregious-human-rights-violations-are-beyond-the-pale)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32427-from-epic-fury-to-a-trap-of-trumps-own-making-finding-the-way-out)### [From ‘Epic Fury’ To A Trap Of Trump’s Own Making: Finding The Way Out](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32427-from-epic-fury-to-a-trap-of-trumps-own-making-finding-the-way-out)
[  ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32307-top-7-mongolia-travel-tips-for-2026)### [Top 7 Mongolia Travel Tips for 2026](https://mail.citywatchla.com/world-watch/32307-top-7-mongolia-travel-tips-for-2026)