Maxwell Highsmith says reality television is his ticket to becoming the next leader of the free world.
Highsmith, 39, of Columbia, has applied to appear on "American Candidate," Showtime's American Idol-style political reality show in which viewers vote on potential presidential candidates.
"The revolution will be televised," the show's Web site boasts.
Among the series' advisers is Henry Gates, a Harvard professor who will appear at USC April 13 to speak at the Robert Smalls Lecture.
Highsmith already has his own section on the "American Candidate" Web site.
The reality show got about 200 applications from across the country. The pool will be narrowed to 12 cast members, and Highsmith hopes to be among the finalists. According to the Web site, the winner receives $200,000 and a chance to address the nation at a televised media appearance.
Highsmith is confident he'll make the cut.
"I know that one day I will be president of this country. If not today, then when I'm 60," he said.
He has been tracking the show's development since September 2002, when he first read rumors about the concept on the Drake Report.
Anyone 18 or older can compete on the show.
Highsmith said it took him about a month to complete his application, which he mailed in November.
The application process is a lengthy one, including 27 pages of forms and a five-minute video tape.
"It's not an application for the faint-hearted," he said.
He expects a decision by April 11. The application deadline is April 9. The series' final episode will be aired July 4, when the two remaining candidates will square off for a debate in front of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
Highsmith calls himself an independent. He voted for Clinton twice and for Bush in the last election. He is, however, a card-carrying Democrat.
"I try to vote on what I think is good for the country and what is good for me," he said. "I'm not a party-liner at all."
If he becomes a candidate, Highsmith will campaign on two major issues: ending the U.S. military occupation of Iraq and opening up election-year dialogue with the American public, particularly with the black community. Highsmith supports the war on terror, but he said the United States overextended itself by attacking Iraq.
He said he sympathizes with the proponents of gay marriage.
"People think the concept of marriage would be destroyed. I don't see that," he said.
And Highsmith has a unique perspective on the Confederate flag. While he sees it as a divisive force in South Carolina, he said it makes him proud.
"I see it as a symbol of strength for me," said Highsmith, who is black. "There was a time when I was less than three-fifths of a man."
As president, Highsmith said he would also address what he sees as interdepartmental problems with the government. For example, Highsmith said communication problems left America unprepared for the September 11 attacks.
On economic matters, Highsmith agrees with much of what U.S. Sen. John Edwards campaigned on.
"I like his talk, I think he had some great ideas," Highsmith said. "I'd like to talk to him to see what's viable."
He invites USC students to challenge him on other important issues.
Born in Hempstead, N.Y., Highsmith joined the Navy after high school.
After a stint as a submarine electronics technician, he attended Broward Community College in Florida. There, he involved himself in student government while studying English and theater.
While in Florida, Highsmith worked as a mall security officer.
He married his wife, Cassandra, in 1989, and the two have a 1-year-old son.
Highsmith, a U.S. Army reservist, studied English and theater at USC as an undergraduate until his unit received word they were heading overseas in February 2003.
Although he wasn't deployed, Highsmith continues to serve in the Army Reserve as a systems information manager and a squad automatic weapon gunner.
Be the first to comment on this article!