Is Aaron Sorkin Writing This Race?
It happens now and then that one questions if these times are real or not. Perhaps I’ve seen too many movies and TV shows. Let’s say that Senators Barack Obama and John McCain capture their parties’ nominations. Let’s say they are the ones who will face each other in a general election. Won’t that campaign look like the one waged in the final season of Aaron Sorkin’s great drama series The West Wing? That was when a liberal, Hispanic Congressman played by Jimmy Smits became the Democratic nominee and a not-so-conservative Senator played by Alan Alda became the Republican nominee. Sounds familiar? A race between Obama and McCain is bound to look like the one on the TV show – a tough but reasonably civil race.
Remember how it ended? The Democrat won but he offered the Republican a seat in his cabinet as Secretary of State since their foreign policies differed very little. That would not be a realistic scenario should Senator Obama win the White House – his foreign policy is quite different from Senator McCain’s, at least regarding Iraq. Maybe I should try to remember that whenever I get confused.
By the way, the first presidential race on the show was Jed Bartlett’s (Martin Sheen) reelection. The Republican he faced then was played by James Brolin and was probably meant to remind viewers of George W. Bush. However, I have to say that in retrospect he looks more like Mitt Romney.
The clip is from an episode from the last West Wing season where Arnold Vinick’s (Alda) problems with the right are as obvious as McCain’s.
politik usa politics john mccain alan alda aaron sorkin barack obama jimmy smits
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