Like James, I enjoyed Mark Lawson’s column this morning. Then I would, wouldn’t I? I’ve written before about the fatuous desire to graft* American political arrangements onto our own political structure. Lawson is right to suggest that the political and media class’s obsession with The West Wing is all rather depressing.
Now, like plenty of other people, I liked the West Wing, even if, in my experience, the more one knew about how Washington actually works the more preposterous the show became. Our pols, however, don’t seem to have grasped that it’s a fantasy and not to be taken seriously.
In a sense, Aaron Sorkin offered a dangerous fantasy too: promoting the idea that politics is the answer and that good intentions and cleverness will prevail. The Best and the Brightest are enough. Not so.
A couple of minor cavils: the idea of a Presidential-style debate between the party leaders pre-dates the West Wing (which debuted in 1999).
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