In keeping with the network's self-proclaimed brand as the "voice of the resistance" to the duly elected government of the United States, Fusion, the English-language sister network to Univision, is debuting this week a new show laughably titled "Real America with Jorge Ramos."
In a promo for the show, Ramos is upfront in identifying the 'real America' with the anti-Trump resistance movement. He opens the promo by saying "In intense political times like this, who's taking the lead on the opposition? Who's doing the resistance? Who's saying 'you know, we don't want this, we want change'."
Writing in Variety, Matt Fernández also described the new series, which will occupy the customary Jorge Ramos Tuesday night timeslot on Fusion:
The five-episode series, titled “Real America with Jorge Ramos,” will see Ramos asking provocative questions of the disrupters, dreamers, dynamic-thinking Americans who are on the cutting edge and making a difference in this uncertain time. It will premiere Tuesday, November 21 at 10 p.m. ET on Fusion.
Ramos’ words from the promo should ring a bell to regular readers of this byline. That's because they sound a lot like what he said to Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui just a few short hours after Donald Trump was elected President:
I haven't the slightest doubt that I'll have to be an opposition journalist, and that's it. Done. And now, politically, I believe that we are...a leader is wanted. Politically, the Democratic Party is in search of leadership that can confront Donald Trump because it is now clear the old guard of the Democratic Party didn't work out. and there are no leaders. They all - where are the young leaders of the Democratic Party? Who is going to be that opposition? Who is going to be that opposition figure that will face Hillary Clinton (sic)? We don't have that right now over here.
There is an interesting bit of identity wrangling going on here. For the longest time, Fusion has been claiming to serve “the new America” and “the rising American mainstream.” Now they have dispensed with all pretense by trotting out Ramos, of all people, to host “Real America”. Set aside the laughable premise behind anyone, let alone Fusion, claiming the mantle of the Real America, and imagine the howling and garment-rending to emerge from the media if Fox, por example, were to attempt such a thing.
Well, at least they’ll have something with which to fill out the old pre-2016 election Twitter handle from “América with Jorge Ramos” the network's original English-language showcase for Ramos. Speaking of which, we’re only six and a half months removed from the last Jorge Ramos repackaging for Fusion, Show Me Something, which only ran for four episodes. Here’s hoping that they get around to airing the Dr. Q interview, which was announced in the Show Me Something release but never aired.
Based on everything we’ve seen and heard from Ramos over the last couple of years, viewers turning to Real America should expect the same old Jorge Ramos: a rehash of a reformat, now with extra #Resist sauce.
Update: Right on cue, among Ramos' first guests is a new favorite of his: leftist San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, along with an anti-border wall activist. Same old, indeed.
