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A return to ‘The West Wing’ urges people to vote—while evoking idealism from a more normal time

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This week saw a return of The West Wing to television, with the cast of the series reuniting as part of a get out the vote campaign in conjunction with the nonprofit organization When We All Vote, co-chaired by former First Lady Michelle Obama. Created by Aaron Sorkin in the late 1990s, a time when the American future seemed bright, limitless, and assured, The West Wing promoted an optimistic vision of government and the people who work within it. The series has been cited as inspiring many to serve in government, especially during the Obama era. It’s interesting to contrast Sorkin’s vision of the government we would hope for, and the Trumpian reality we exist in two decades later, since they are polar opposites in their values despite both being borne out of television fantasies—the image of Trump created from The Apprentice and believed by many MAGA voters is as fictional as Martin Sheen’s President Jed Bartlet. But, moreover, it’s fascinating to see how far the needle for “normal” in government has moved, and how bittersweet re-watching The West Wing feels today.

Much discussion has been devoted tocontemplating when American life might return to what it was after enduring the current pandemic and other social unrest, and whether the future which comes will be anything like the past that was before. Usually this is discussed in terms of small pleasures like seeing a movie in a theater, or sharing drinks in a bar, or just feeling safe when getting pulled over by a police officer at night. But it encompasses so much more that becomes tiring in its struggle. When will I get my job back? When will my kids return to a regular day in school? When will I be able to walk in a crowd without a mask? When will I be able to rest my head on a pillow at night and not worry? When can I be confident in my government again?

Central to all of these questions is a longing for things to be normal again.


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