‘Shark Tank,’ ‘Dragon’s Den’ star Kevin O’Leary announces bid to lead Conservative Party in Canada
Is it really possible that we could have two reality stars leading two of the most important countries in the world? It’s starting to appear more and more like this is something to be aware of.
Earlier today, businessman Kevin O’Leary, otherwise known as Mr. Wonderful on “Shark Tank” and for his work on “Dragon’s Den” and other shows in Canada, officially announced that he is running to lead the federal Conservative Party in his home country of Canada. Basically, he wants to be on the track to become the next Prime Minister over current Liberal PM Justin Trudeau. In a statement, he said the following about his candidacy and what seems to be his primary goal:
“I am a successful Canadian businessman with a great deal of international experience … I am the only candidate who can beat Justin Trudeau.”
There are going to be some similarities made inevitably between O’Leary and President-Elect Donald Trump in the United States, beyond of course that they are both reality TV staples who have been considerable figures in the business world. Both appear to be leveraging their outsider status as a means to get further votes, and at the same time both have received a wide range of backlash for some of their viewpoints. On the flip side, O’Leary, a child of immigrants himself, has not used the same sort of discourse regarding immigrants as Trump has during his campaign, and also qualifies as more of a self-made businessman who really made something out of next to nothing in life.
Like when Trump first announced his candidacy, there are going to be many hurdles for O’Leary to clear before he gets even close to making his way to leading the Conservative Party. With that, it’s not entirely clear what his future on “Shark Tank” is going to be. If he eventually finds his way to the job, it’s hard to imagining him being able to film 20+ episodes of the show a season in Los Angeles.
It’s not our purpose to get overly political here on this site, but we will say that we personally prefer most of our politicians to have some sort of political experience, and for TV culture and the government to remain two very different entities. While we’ve always enjoyed Mr. Wonderful on “Shark Tank,” there’s a difference between laughing at him saying “you’re dead to me” in the Tank and him running a country.
What do you think about O’Leary’s sudden bid? You think that reality TV personalities in general should steer clear of politics? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. (Photo: ABC.)