#GuiltyPleasureConfessional: The West Wing

Like many on the left, George W. Bush winning his second presidential term in 2004 against John Kerry was devastating to me. The 2000 election had been a travesty, we thought–the result of a cynical Supreme Court and a bunch of hanging chads in Florida. This time, though, he’d actually won. Despite the constant gaffes and two wars and Dick Cheney lurking menacingly in the background, American voters had chosen him. 9/11 had proven once again that in times of crisis, the American people will rally around the president no matter who that president is. The day after the 2004 election, my then-boyfriend and I wordlessly folded into a protest that marched past my apartment. The day after that, I got a hold of The West Wing’s first season from a friend and was immediately entranced.

I’d always heard how good the show was, but never got into it. When it first aired in 1999, I watched little television other than Buffy, so this other zeitgeist just passed me by. Now, on the eve of another four years with Bush in office, Aaron Sorkin’s masterpiece was a balm for my soul. The West Wing is not a perfect show, but it’s a damn good one. From the signature snappy dialog to the deeply developed characters, The West Wing excels. And in 2004, it was for me a political escapist fantasy when real politics felt horrifying. Martin Sheen’s President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet is the Commander-in-Chief we all wanted. (Or at least he was until we found out we could get them in other colors and maybe eve…