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Can the hit NBC show keep bashing conservatives with Bush on top?
By
CHUCK McFADDEN
of TheColumnists.com
So
it's Bush. So, what lies ahead for the nation?
Never mind Social Security, foreign policy, the economy and Supreme
Court appointments. Forget about what it means for the stock
market.
The Columnists, ever alert to what truly matters, are concerned,
deeply concerned, about "The West Wing." How will it
fare in the Bush Restoration?
There have been reports that the cast of NBC's acclaimed drama
of Washington politics and people has been worried about a Bush
presidency. The show has had excellent relations with the Clinton
White House, and there have been lots of fluffy photos and interviews
about "Wing's" actors and their real-life counterparts.
The actors are said to be enthralled by the real White House
and the White House troops are excited about meeting the actors.
A good time had by all.
But how thrilled can a White House headed by a Texas Republican
be about giving access to a fictional administration headed by
a liberal Democrat? One that goes to millions and millions of
homes each Wednesday night with a new episode of "Wrestling
With Those Damned Conservatives"?
Fictional President Josiah Bartlet is a former governor, but
that's about where the resemblance between Bartlet and Bush ends.
Bartlet is an internationally renowned economist who figures
out the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius in his head.
His merry cast of White House helpmeets are mostly young and
work 18-hour days. One has an affair with a hooker that is portrayed
sympathetically. Scarcely the kind of thing that would go on
in a Bush White House staffed by the likes of Colin Powell and
Dick Cheney.
Nonetheless, now that we are about to have a GOP administration
in the real West Wing, will Martin Sheen's President Bartlet
suddenly become a Republican? Might there be dramas about liberal
plots to tighten gun control? Is a turquoise bolo tie ahead for
President Bartlet?
"Wing" recently introduced a beautiful, blonde Republican
into the cast. She's constantly described as "leggy,"
but she's also smart and thoughtful. By bringing in a house Republican,
was "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin being prescient?
Will "West Wing" adapt?
Not a chance. "Wing's" White House will remain safely
in Democratic hands as long as the ratings hold up.
But there is more resemblance between the imminent Bush White
House and West Wing than you might think. "Wing's"
fictional chief of staff, Leo McGarry, magnificently played by
John Spencer, had a drinking problem that he has managed to beat.
The show portrays the alcoholic-but-not-drinking McGarry with
a good deal of intelligence, insight and sympathy. Bush has had
his own troubles with alcohol and is now a teetotaler. If the
Texas governor ever caught any of the episodes dealing with McGarry's
alcoholism, he has to have had some empathy.
Beyond that, "West Wing" each week portrays a White
House staff that earnestly seeks to do the right thing, has trouble
with Congress, finds its beliefs challenged, and suffers unreasonable
defeats and illogical victories. Once they become immersed in
their new jobs, can real Bush White House staffers become anything
but fans?
Moreover, "Wing" conjures up a band of White House
heroes every Wednesday, and that's a big political plus for any
real-life occupant. You feel sympathy for the struggling, idealistic
folks in the fictional "West Wing." Some of it is bound
to carry over when you read the headlines about some White House
struggle with Congress, or someone.
You don't think fiction rubs off on the populace? Think again.
The line between reality and fiction has steadily grown more
blurry over the past decade and by now, half the nation probably
assumes that John Wayne won World War II. Overstatement? Ha.
A replica of the prop pistol John Wayne, actor, used in his World
War II movies has been advertised in Sunday supplements as an
authentic war-related memento. Yes, it has.
So you have to believe that a certain portion of the population
thinks that "West Wing" isn't a weekly work of marvelous
fiction brought to us by a band of accomplished actors and writers.
No, they probably think it's reality TV. And as the West Wing's
characters, and we, go through the Wednesday night struggles
and loves, there's undoubtedly a number of viewers out there
who will be intensely sympathetic and think that it's awful the
way the media treat poor President Bush/Bartlet.
One thing's for sure. No matter what The Official Attitude, there
will be sneaky office viewing on Wednesday nights all over the
Bush West Wing. Maybe in the Oval Office. It's too much to resist.
© 2000 by Charles M. McFadden. "West Wing" photo
© 2000 by NBC. Bush photo from the Bush presidential campaign
committee.
Editor's
Note: McFadden, who thinks John Wayne was swell, has never acted.
You can comment
on this column or contact Chuck McFadden with an email to: talkback@thecolumnists.com
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