Let’s face it, our current political climate is absolutely horrendous. I used to find myself watching Colbert at midnight to try to laugh at our impending doom and destruction because anything is better than accepting the reality of Trump as president. However, lately I have come up with a new, and slightly more hopeful, way of coping with my need to be a politically-active citizen without wanting to pull out all of my hair. “The West Wing” aired on television from 1999 to 2006 and won a handful of Emmys over its seven seasons. It explores the everyday life of the senior staffers in the White House under the Bartlet Administration. Through many different aspects of the show, it gives its viewers a sense of hope that at one point in the past, and maybe at some point again in the future, the government works tirelessly to make this country a better place.
Bad A** Women: Most Notably, CJ Cregg
CJ Cregg begins the show as the Press Secretary for President Bartlet, and is a force to be reckoned with. She is able to finesse her briefing room with dozens of hungry reporters, while still being classy, tasteful, charming, and witty. Maybe Spicer or Sanders could have taken a page out of her book. Along with her talent of charming reporters, she is an incredibly brilliant character who is totally quotable. When describing Congress she says, “We need someone perceived by the American people as irresponsible, untrustworthy, partisan, ambitious, and thirsty for the limelight. Am I crazy, or is this not a job for the US House of Representatives?”. And when she was accused of being a homosexual in the papers, she was met with colleagues who were now questioning her ability to do her job. When asked about her sexuality by a reporter she responded by saying, “You know what? I’ve been spent the last fourteen hours being snickered at by US Senators, being ostracized on the world wide web, and having my own colleagues question my ability to do my job. So I don’t think it really matters whether I’m gay or straight, or just the best damn basketball player in Ohio Valley history. No one should be treated this way.” By the end of the show, CJ had been promoted to Chief of Staff to President Bartlet, and upon him leaving office, she was approached by a number of well-known institutions with job offers, even a billionaire tried to hire her to help him save the world through philanthropic measures.
Bartlet 2020??
Though Jed Bartlet wasn’t the perfect President, he was a really good one. His Ph.D in economics helped him to boost the American economy, and his kind heart and logical thinking skills helped keep America in more peace negotiations than military battles. He even was able to broker a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine. Some of his other notable achievements included appointing a very liberal woman to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and appointing the first Latino to the Supreme Court. He was also able to reform Social Security through a bipartisan effort that positively affected the lives of all seniors living with Social Security as their main source of income.
Crash Course into American Politics
The first time I ever watched an episode of the West Wing, I was in my 11th grade AP Government class. My teacher would use the show as a teaching guide to show how various government processes work. There are plenty of episodes that are not only entertaining, but also educational. Some deal with foreign relations, some deal with federalism, but almost all teach the viewers a little something about how our governments works. Recently when the government shutdown, some of my friends began asking me what a shutdown is and how it works. I gave them a brief answer and told them to watch the West Wing episode about government shutdowns. They did and left with a much better understanding of what was going on in Washington. In my opinion, this is the best part of the West Wing. Unlike most television dramas, it is able to educate as well as entertain the audience as they watch the episode.
When Trump was elected in November of 2016, I cried for about two days straight. Now that he is president, I find myself more scared than ever. I used to be incredibly proud to be an American, and now whenever I meet anyone who is from another country, I make sure to inform them that I am not a supporter of this president and that I did not vote for him. Trump is the epitome of everything that is wrong about this country and seeing him in a position of power seems like a nightmare I never woke up from. Watching The West Wing over the past few weeks has become somewhat of a mental vacation to what the country could be like if someone with morals were running it. It gives me hope that someday in the future I can live in a country that I am proud of again. But until that day, President Josiah Bartlet will be my president.