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As someone who wrote and opined on the year's events, I think it's safe to say that 2012 has been an incredibly colorful year, and one in which few could have imagined turning out quite as extreme, quite as absurd or quite as theatrical as it was.
There were many times that Amato and I would exclaim that no one would believe the Republican primary race if it had been a screenplay. The suspension of belief required to accept Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich holding the frontrunner spot at various times is far too much to ask of the average viewer. For me, the Republican Primary, in all its tone-deaf glory--denying science, denying women the agency of their body, denying basic facts--was the ultimate in political theater. From "9-9-9" to the endless parade of Republican debates, they were the very worst of our political system.
What were the standout moments of political theater for you?
