The West Wing and 'The West Wing'

Unless you have been under a rock for the past two weeks there was a little election that happened last week and what a monumental night it was. Decked in my Obama T-Shirt and having multiple conversations with people all around the country at 3am in the morning grasping at my cup of coffee mixed with the adrenaline of the night it was an historic event. America voted and they voted for an African American in an extraordinary feat. My friends and I put this into perspective when we dwelled upon the fact that when our parents were born America was still under the sickening vice of segregation. Whilst advances were clearly made in the 1950s with Brown v Board of Education, Rosa Parks, the Greensboro Sit In and other monumental events that paved the way for civil rights the Civil Rights Act after multiple failed attempts to pass it through Congress was not passed until 1964, after our parents were born. Forty Four years later America voted and the voted for a black man. It is hard not be be moved.

Just under a week later and the President-Elect has promised to reverse the decisions Bush made when he became President. Federal funding for stem cell research will now be passed.
(It has to be remembered that stem cell research bills have been passed but President Bush exercised his right of veto and Congress could not get the two thirds it needed to overturn the veto). US aid workers in the poorest nations on earth can now counsel citizens on abortion availability. And there is the little matter of drafting a timetable for troop withdrawal in Iraq. We have some wonderful times to look forward too under the Obama Administration.

But the future of Obama is not the point of this blog for now but the announcement of Rahm Emmanuel as Chief of Staff has certainly been an interesting choice. Not interesting for the fact that he once headbutted a Junior Senator for not agreeing with him (allegedly), sending a rotting fish (allegedly), or telling Tony Blair in the height of the Monica Lewinsky scandal 'Don't fuck this up' (allegedly) but the startling revelation that Emmanuel was in fact the inspiration for the character Josh Lyman in 'The West Wing'. Like Emmanuel, Lyman also send an opponent a rotting fish. They both ran into trouble with the First Lady to the extent that she wanted them fired. Both can cause more trouble than it is worth. But even after the election the Obama/West Wing comparisons are not ended. Josh Lyman became the Chief of Staff for Matthew Santos like Emmanuel is the new Chief of Staff for Obama. It is an interesting story so lets run through all the Obama/West Wing comparisons again:



-In The West Wing a young minority candidate is chosen as a contender for the Democratic nomination in the name of Matthew Santos. After a very slow start and minimal funding soon becomes THE candidate to watch. Funding increases and quickly becomes a front runner. IRL (In Real Life) a young minority candidate is chosen as a contender for the Democratic party. After a slow start and minimal funding soon becomes THE candidate to watch. Funding increases and quickly becomes a front runner.
-In TWW the Republicans choose an older moderate conservative in the name of Arnie Vinick as their nomination for the party in a race that is sown up early in the primary season. IRL the Republicans choose an older moderate conservative in the name of John McCain as the nomination for the party in a race that is sown up early in the primary season.
-In TWW Santos' campaign was a tight race with the experienced Democrat Bob Russell. IRL Obama's campaign was a tight race with the experienced Democrat Hillary Clinton.
-In TWW Santos chooses a Washington insider Leo McGarry as his VP. IRL Obama chooses a Washington insider Joe Biden as his running mate.
-In TWW Vinick chooses a conservative running mate from a small Republican state. IRL McCain chooses a conservative running mate from a small Republican state.
-In TWW Vinick was ahead in the polls until a nuclear accident at the plant he supported near the end of the campaign. IRL McCain was ahead in the polls until the Global Financial Crisis near the end of the campaign.
-In TWW the Phillies played in the World Series. IRL the Phillies played in the World Series.


Some extraordinary comparisons. Hey at least now we get to see what season eight of The West Wing would have been like!