Tag Archive for 'West Wing'

The BBC just posted an article about the comparisons between the candidates in the final season of The West Wing and our real life 2008 election.

Though the writers got their inspiration for Congressman Santos from Barack Obama’s explosion onto the scene via the 2004 Democratic convention, nobody could have guessed that McCain would also closely match the fictional election depiction.

For Democratic candidate Santos:

Similarities between the fictional Matt Santos and Barack Obama are striking; Santos was a charismatic newcomer, promising hope and raising the possibility of the first non-white Commander in Chief. In both style and content, he’s a reflection of Obama.

For Republican candidate

Played by Alan Alda, Vinick is a veteran Republican from out west, wise in the ways of Washington. A maverick on some issues, he is attractive to those in the centre ground. . . ‘And that is actually one of their problems, within their own party, of Republicans not believing that they were Republican enough’ . . .

In The West Wing, Arnold Vinick chose a very conservative Republican as his running mate in an attempt to appeal to his own political base. It’s a move that McCain seems to have mimicked in his choice of Sarah Palin.

In the 7th season, Santos and Vinick engaged in a neck and neck race to the finish.   We’ll see in November if the echo continues.