A whole generation of political professionals are so enamored of “The West Wing,” Mr. Sorkin’s show about the travails of White House occupants, that they now suffer from what I think of as Terminal West Wing Brain.
It depicts America as a place that is divided but that yearns for consensus, for the good of the country.
Jed Bartlet, the fictional Democratic president, is often reaching across the aisle to a wrongheaded but often well-meaning Republican.
Voters say they want Americans to be unified, but Republicans mean they want everyone to be a Republican, and Democrats want everyone to be a Democrat.
Bipartisan cooperation requires a shared idea of reality that exists in “The West Wing” but not in the real world.
Persons:
Biden’s, Aaron Sorkin, Mr, powermongering, nihilists, Jed Bartlet, It’s
Organizations:
Democratic, Republican
Locations:
America