This story contains House of Cards spoilers.
House of Cards Season 4 is exactly what this country needed — the antidote to the toxicity of the real world 2016 Presidential election.
We have chaos in the Republican Party as the establishment rushes to find a candidate who can win the nomination instead of Trump — and every day, this goal seems more and more unattainable. He’s leading in Florida, which will have its primary on Tuesday, March 15.
For the Democratic party, we have two qualified candidates with polarizing views of how to be the next liberal leader. And we have insults, and scandals — every Bernie Sanders fan seems to want Hillary Clinton in prison.
In the House of Cards world, the Democratic Party is nearly split between Francis Underwood, the show’s anti-hero, and Heather Dunbar, the country’s solicitor general who’s no-joke stature is akin to that of Clinton’s.
For the Republican side, conservatives are swooned by the young, energetic Will Conway. For real world Republicans, a candidate like Conway would be a dream come true.
But, we don’t live in the House of Cards world.
Our reality is far removed from the fictional political landscape; we can only dream, only hope, that our government could be as “effective” as the Underwood administration. That, as corrupt and murderous as Underwood is, he quite “Frank”ly, gets the job done.
Watching this season made me remember early in the race when we could joke about Trump’s candidacy. I’m still waiting for April First, hoping that someone will jump out and say, “April Fool’s! He’s not running for president.”
I know, with as much certainty as I can muster up, that that won’t happen. At least, as I binge-watch the show, I can pretend.
