Political Idol?
This reporter's notebook was written by CBS News' Beth Knobel.
It's one part talent show, one part political convention. It's called "Political Factory," and there's never been anything quite like it before.
In the Russian city of Lipetsk, 300 miles south of Moscow, 14 young Russians have been competing to go into politics. The prize? Actual seats in the regional legislature.
It's one of nine such contests going on around Russia, designed to get young people pumped about politics — young people like 23-year-old Irina Filonova, who works as an organizer for the youth wing of the country's dominant political party, United Russia.
"I found out about the contest almost by accident, and my friends convinced me to enter," she says. "It's so democratic!"
The hopefuls were excited about the contest, but hardly knew how to campaign. The level of political discourse was a lot lower than you'd find at in a race for student body president at a typical American high school.
One woman invited her friends on stage to do a little play. They pretended to be bad kids drinking beer and holding weapons — but she disarmed them.
In her presentation, Filonova told the audience to vote for her because she's been a leader of others since kindergarten. Sergei Pozdnyakov tried winning votes with a slick power point presentation. "I'm a patriot," he said, as his baby pictures flashed on a screen, "and want to serve my country." The presentation then showed him in his army uniform.
Contestant Roman Ivannikov didn't have to say much — his four army buddies made the point about Russia staying strong with a demonstration of their martial arts skills
Their slogans may be different, but all the contestants actually have a lot in common. They're young, they're ambitious — and they all wholeheartedly support Russian president Vladimir Putin.
That's not surprising, because Political Factory was created by the Kremlin to bring fresh faces to United Russia.
"We're looking for very beautiful, very active, very smart young people who are eager to change our life here in Russia," says Nikolai Tabashnikov, a television producer from Moscow who is one of the contest organizers.
In Lipetsk, an industrial city of a half-million people, some young people do seem to be anxious to get into politics.
And the United Russia party is trying to attract them and other Russians in their teens and 20s with a group of youth organizations, with names like "Ours," "Moving Together" and "Young Guard."
They're trying to replace the Communist-era youth organization — the Komsomol — which both educated and entertained young Soviets.
United Russia has dominated politics under Putin, but its leaders know that they need to attract more young people if the party is to keep its grip on the country. The party has pledged to make a fifth of its candidates for office aged 28 or younger from now on, so it needs games like Political Factory to identify new talent.
"It's a factory to make new political elite in Russia — to create a new generation of people involved in politics," says Tabashnikov.
In the end, seven of the 14 contestants got their names on the ballot for the next election to the Lipetsk regional parliament. At least one — and probably several — will be elected.
The show was a gimmick, not a real debate about issues. That means Political Factory may bring in fresh blood, but isn't likely to start cranking out any new ideas.