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Column: On election day eve, the optimism of ‘The West Wing’ will break your heart

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Column: On election day eve, the optimism of 'The West Wing' will break your heart

As a movie critic who has seen the evolution of political dramas over the decades, I must confess that revisiting “The West Wing” after 25 years was both a joyous and heart-wrenching journey. In my younger days, I was as devoted to the Bartlet administration as a cat is to its favorite sunbeam. Yet, as I navigated through the latter seasons, it felt like I was witnessing these episodes for the first time – a testament to how life can sometimes blur our memories.

Over the past two months, I’ve found myself drawn back to the captivating world of “The West Wing” as it celebrated a significant milestone – its 25th anniversary. Amidst the turbulence of current political times, revisiting this TV series has offered me a much-needed respite and a glimmer of hope.

Initially, I believed I was re-watching “The West Wing,” a series I was an avid fan of during Josiah Bartlet’s administration. However, as I progressed through seasons six and seven, I started getting the feeling that I was watching these episodes for the first time. Strangely enough, I can’t recall quitting “The West Wing,” but with my first child when it began, and three by the end, something had to yield, and apparently that was my viewing of the show.

Indeed, it brought great delight to uncover fresh narrative threads, a significant portion of which centered on the closing months of President Bartlet’s term (portrayed by Martin Sheen) and the electoral bids of Congressman Matt Santos from Texas (played by Jimmy Smits) and Senator Arnold Vinick from California (depicted by Alan Alda).

But there was much bitterness and sorrow too.

In this hypothetical scenario, we envision a presidential race where both contenders steadfastly abstain from negative campaign tactics. Instead, they focus on constructively discussing their contrasting views on tax policies and global leadership during their debates. Furthermore, as the nail-biting election approaches its crucial Nevada phase and its electoral college votes, they vow to avoid legal disputes.

In a somewhat devious manner, Bruno Gianelli, the political consultant, advises Vinick that he’ll either emerge victorious or face defeat. However, he assures him that he won’t act like a poor sport if things don’t go his way and lose the election.

In the opposing faction, the campaign manager, Josh Lyman (portrayed by Bradley Whitford), advises Santos: “If you challenge it in court, you’re like the spectator shouting at the referee because you dislike the decision at home plate. People don’t vote for such an angry individual again.

In 2006, when this episode was first aired, these reactions could have been interpreted as a nod to the prolonged, lawyer-heavy Florida recount of 2000. Alternatively, they may have just served as a useful plot element on a popular television series that had been running for a while.

In my viewpoint, during his term as President, Trump pursued numerous lawsuits in a desperate attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election against Vice President Joe Biden. He also incited an armed group towards the Capitol, aiming to hinder Congress from validating Biden’s victory. Furthermore, he continued to fuel unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud, causing concerns about potential repeat or even more severe violence leading up to the 2024 election. All these events only reinforce the inspiring ideals and nobility of purpose portrayed in “The West Wing.

Even more copiously than when Barlet’s beloved assistant Mrs. Landingham (Kathryn Joosten) died.

The West Wing,” created by Aaron Sorkin, was consistently an idealized, sometimes moralistic, intensely personal, and primarily progressive portrayal of presidential politics. However, after 25 years, its at times paternalistic and self-praising depiction of some female characters can feel outdated. The competition to succeed Bartlet, initiated over a year following Sorkin’s departure from the series, follows suit. Santos seems to be an almost flawless representative of the people, boasting a steadfast voting record and an unblemished past. Vinick supports tax cuts, minimal government intervention, and school vouchers, yet enjoys support from both political parties due to his liberal Republican stance on choice issues like abortion rights.

In simpler terms, both the Santos and Vinick political campaigns emphasize “attack ads” centered around voting history, military background, and Vinick’s stance on nuclear power, steering clear of false statements, conspiracy theories, or personal attacks. The most questionable tactics used during their campaign include a revelation about Santos’ running mate, Leo McGarry, having difficulties with debate preparation (which was later discovered to be leaked by McGarry himself), and an advertisement that distorts Santos’ views on abortion, which Vinick persistently requests to be removed.

Though the storylines echo voters’ spoken (if not actual) desire for elections to be about policy rather than mud-slinging, the civility of the Santos/Vinick campaign is so clearly aspirational it borders at times on the ridiculous: Only TV writers could believe that a single speech is capable of lifting a primary candidate from the brink of dropping out to winning the nomination.

Instead of seeming foolish, his past aspirations now feel sadly tragic. For about a decade, Donald Trump, a man known for sexual misconduct and now a convicted felon, has repeatedly disregarded civility to such an extent that it’s almost unrecognizable. He prefers insults over uplifting messages, focusing primarily on grievances, and often says or does things that would have ended the campaign of any other candidate in American history prior to him.

One could argue that his actions have uniquely separated the nation, unlike any other contemporary political candidate who has dared to attempt such division.

If the creators of “The West Wing” had introduced a character like this Republican candidate who frequently insulted, demeaned, and even threatened various segments of the electorate, built his campaign on the claim that unless he won, the election was invalid, both TV viewers (including myself) would not merely have stopped tuning in. Instead, we would have taken a stand against the network by boycotting it.

Instead, we chose a different path. The election was tense, undeniably, but it never felt like democracy itself hung in the balance. My young children, who weren’t even born when Barack Obama took office, watch “The West Wing” and see the Santos/Vinick campaign not as a beacon of progressive ideals, but as an outlandish fairy tale. Trump has transformed every one of their first voting experiences into a battle not for the future of our nation, but for its very existence.

Among the poignant scenes in the last episodes of “The West Wing,” it’s not just Bartlet’s presidency ending or Leo McGarry’s death (mandated by Spencer’s tragic passing) that stirs deep sorrow within viewers. Instead, it’s the moments where President-elect Santos extends an offer to Vinick, asking him to serve as Secretary of State, that truly chokes us up. This gesture isn’t about filling a token bipartisan role, but rather a genuine respect and appreciation for his former adversary. Santos believes that, despite their differences, they both share a desire to better the country for all Americans.

In 2006, it appeared somewhat unrealistic; however, by 2024, it seems downright implausible. In the not-so-distant past, political differences between presidential candidates and their backers were significant, but never to this extent. Their ideological and existential disagreements are unprecedentedly deep.

You don’t have to be a “West Wing” fan to feel despair, to wonder how it came to this. And, more importantly, to worry — no matter who becomes the 47th president — about how on earth we’re going to fix it.

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2024-11-05 01:31

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