Fake White House closes shop

TV

Marc D. Allan

For years, I’ve worn a “Bartlet for America” button on my winter coat, mostly to say that I preferred the fake government of The West Wing to the surreal politics that actually drives our country.

At its best, you could always count on The West Wing to provide a big, wet kiss to public service and public servants. The superbly acted series typically portrayed the people who run the White House, from the president on down, as committed to the ideals of good government. And for an hour a week for the past seven years, it’s been wonderful to live in that fantasy world.

But what with the 22nd Amendment limiting presidents to two terms — and the cost of producing the show, and its sagging ratings — The West Wing vacates the fake White House and NBC this week (8 p.m. Sunday, WTHR-13). I haven’t seen the finale, but this season generally has been excellent.

For its first three seasons, viewers grew to expect two things from The West Wing — peopletalkingreallyfast as they walked through the halls of the White House and a civics lesson. Aaron Sorkin, who created the show, did a masterful job of explaining issues by having his characters argue their points of view through his crackling dialogue.

I remember one discussion about hate crimes that occurred sometime after Matthew Shepard was beaten to death in Wyoming by homophobic morons. When the Democratic Bartlet Administration faced a similar situation, the White House staff discussed whether hate-crimes legislation should be passed, which led to a terrific debate between Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer) and Press Secretary C.J. Craig (Allison Janney) about whether you can and should hold someone accountable for his thoughts. It was just the kind of thoughtful give and take you rarely hear in the real world, where politics always overtakes policy.

The middle years of the series will be remembered for dramatic stupidity, including but not limited to the kidnapping of the president’s daughter, which led to the president (played by Martin Sheen) briefly resigning, leaving the government in the hands of the right-wing speaker of the House. The administration lost both Sorkin — who left the show after the fourth season because of a dispute with the network — and its way. Even the debates were oversimplified. In one memorably absurd episode, Toby (Richard Schiff) crafted a compromise to save Social Security. Fixing Social Security in under an hour — that’s well beyond fantasy.

But this season returned The West Wing to something approaching its glory years as Democrat Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and moderate Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) vied to succeed Bartlet. Although the campaign focused heavily on the Santos campaign — and, in fact, he won a squeaker election — the candidates debated the issues and left viewers with the impression that government, not political gamesmanship, truly mattered.
Isn’t it pretty to think so.