I feel bad I laughed

Alan Alda sees what you did there. And he likes it.

alan alda was a much better candidate on the west wing than mccain has been.

/for example, the speech alda's character gave about why he didn't pander to the religious right

So... time machine, or plagiarism by both major party campaigns?

Leo gets?

I love West Wing:

"We're going to raise the level of public debate in this country, and let that be our legacy!"

Bartlett 08

Honestly, the parallels have been really creepy - even when considering that Santos was modeled off of Obama.

melopene: Honestly, the parallels have been really creepy - even when considering that Santos was modeled off of Obama.

I just finished watching Season 6 and even the primary stuff was close.

Vast Liberal Media Conspiracy

Damn, now I feel bad that I stopped watching it in the middle of the second to last season.

THE AVATARS HAVE BEEN ACTUALIZED!

Under water grottos, caverns
Filled with apes
That eat figs,
Stepping on the figs
That the apes
Eat, they crunch.
The apes howl, bare
Their fangs, dance,
Tumble in the
Rushing water,
Musty, wet pelts
Glittering in the blue.

And until John Spencer died, they were planning for Santos to lose. If McCain had remained like Alda's character and not cowered to the right wing, he would be winning right now.

Such a damn good show, I should watch all the seasons all over again.

/Marlee Matlin and the chick that played Donna = hotties

namegoeshere: I love West Wing:

"We're going to raise the level of public debate in this country, and let that be our legacy!"

Bartlett 08

Only if. There's a special place in my heart for Jed Bartlett.

THE_WIZ: THE AVATARS HAVE BEEN ACTUALIZED!

Under water grottos, caverns
Filled with apes
That eat figs,
Stepping on the figs
That the apes
Eat, they crunch.
The apes howl, bare
Their fangs, dance,
Tumble in the
Rushing water,
Musty, wet pelts
Glittering in the blue.

So what you're saying is...Obama is a secret Vogon?

MmmCrime: Such a damn good show, I should watch all the seasons all over again.

/Marlee Matlin and the chick that played Donna = hotties

Those are perfectly valid points, but it is a crime to leave out mary louise parker.

Lumpmoose: And until John Spencer died, they were planning for Santos to lose.

Cool, I'd heard it was a huge secret and even the actors didn't know who was slated to win.

Josh: There's a Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee?
Leo: Yes.
Josh: Made up of members of the There-But-For-The-Grace-of-God-go-I Club?
Leo: You wanna mock people or let me talk to Toby?
Josh: I wanna mock people.

Fricknmaniac: Damn, now I feel bad that I stopped watching it in the middle of the second to last season.

It's worth a rental. The election stuff is just plain awesome.

Also, Rahm Emanual is being considered for Obama's Chief of Staff. Sorkin modeled the character of Josh Lyman on the young, Jewish Illinois congressman.

Yes, but Josh Lyman is nowhere near as badass as Rahm Emmanuel.

Lumpmoose: And until John Spencer died, they were planning for Santos to lose. If McCain had remained like Alda's character and not cowered to the right wing, he wouldn't be winningthe nominee right now.

FTFY.

CokeBear
Also, Rahm Emanual is being considered for Obama's Chief of Staff. Sorkin modeled the character of Josh Lyman on the young, Jewish Illinois congressman.

Josh: The president doesn't hold grudges, that's why he hired me.

It's actually not really like it at all.

Santos was behind by 9 points a week before election day. He won in a squeaker, thanks to about 20,000 votes in Nevada. Plus, the incumbent President was actually credible, despite being fictional.

melopene: Honestly, the parallels have been really creepy - even when considering that Santos was modeled off of Obama.


After the conventions I called my sister and said about the same thing...don't know why but the West Wing theme at the end of both conventions sent chills up my spine. Then McCain and Obama meeting and chatting amicably together on 9/11 brought it even more in focus. I have been slightly scared of a minor nuclear power plant accident that would completely derail McCain's campaign whose energy focus is nuclear plants but McCain was able to destroy his campaign all on his own.

Josh Lyman: "Hey, Senator. Why don't you take your legislative agenda and shove it up your ass?"


I loved that scene.

We've had very bad luck.

orrinbloquy: We've had very bad luck.

Toby: Because there's a little thing called what, Bonnie?

Bonnie: Tempting fate.

Toby: Tempting fate is what it's called. In the three months this man has been on my radar screen, I have aged 48 years. This is my Day of Jubilee and I will not have it screwed up by what, Bonnie?

Bonnie: By tempting fate.

Toby: By tempting fate. These things take patience. These things take skill. These things take luck. In the 15 months we've been in office, what kind of luck have we had, Ginger?

Ginger: Bad luck.

Toby: What kind of luck?

Ginger: Very bad luck.

THE_WIZ: THE AVATARS HAVE BEEN ACTUALIZED!

Under water grottos, caverns
Filled with apes
That eat figs,
Stepping on the figs
That the apes
Eat, they crunch.
The apes howl, bare
Their fangs, dance,
Tumble in the
Rushing water,
Musty, wet pelts
Glittering in the blue.

How can Barack Obama lead this nation when he can't spell 'grottoes'? How? Sad...

What, you want to tempt the wrath of whatever from high atop the thing??

/be sure to support his hindquarters
/the turkey's hindquarters

I was just telling my friend, who just recently started watching West Wing, to look for the parallels in the last couple seasons. It's at once, startlingly similar and also, ridiculously off the wall: when John McCain takes California and Obama, Texas, then I shall worship at the feet of the series' writers.

Also, let's not get caught up in the Obama victory based on the series, I mean, what, you wanna tempt the wrath from high atop the thing?

Santos was DEFINITELY not Obama
Vinick was DEFINITELY not McCain

and the original plan was for Vinick to win. He was a respectable conservative with a long consistent record. Santos was an un-nerved, conflicted game-player.

I was looking forward to the show illustrating how un-diferent a responsibly run Republican administration would look, compared to the Bartlet Era.

Cowboy Spencer: What, you want to tempt the wrath of whatever from high atop the thing??

dammit, beat by two minutes!

shidekigonomo: and Obama, Texas

They're taking their home states, Groucho

JaMorg: I have been slightly scared of a minor nuclear power plant accident that would completely derail McCain's campaign

He ran into some caribou and elk instead.

Lumpmoose: And until John Spencer died, they were planning for Santos to lose. If McCain had remained like Alda's character and not cowered to the right wing, he would be winning right now.

In other words, become a de facto Democrat?

Cowboy Spencer: What, you want to tempt the wrath of whatever from high atop the thing??

/be sure to support his hindquarters
/the turkey's hindquarters

You have to go outside turn around three times and curse.
Spit.
Spit and curse.
Do everything. Go!

Cowboy Spencer: It's actually not really like it at all.

Santos was behind by 9 points a week before election day. He won in a squeaker, thanks to about 20,000 votes in Nevada. Plus, the incumbent President was actually credible, despite being fictional.

Josiah Bartlett is the kind of President dreams are made of.

But yeah, as a regular watcher of The West Wing, even in its later days, I saw the parallels right away.

Ahhh what a great show The West Wing was. Too bad NBC likes to cancel shows that are actually written for people that are halfway intelligent.

PTW16: Ahhh what a great show The West Wing was. Too bad NBC likes to cancel shows that are actually written for people that are halfway intelligent.

You've got it backwards. The halfway intelligent are outnumbered by those who prefer Ow, My Balls! So advertisers move their money from WW to OMB. See, e.g., Arrested Development.

PTW16: Ahhh what a great show The West Wing was. Too bad NBC likes to cancel shows that are actually written for people that are halfway intelligent.

West Wing wasn't canceled by the network, the people involved just decided 7 years was enough.

I think a better real-world analogue for Leo would be Cheney himself. Opposite political views, of course, but they both personify the kind of political apparatchik that's been around forever, held pretty much every job in Washington (including Cabinet secretary, Chief of Staff, and VP although Leo didn't make it to the last one), and are generally considered gurus of their parties. Of course the character of Leo was created before Cheney was VP, so the whole puppet-master thing wasn't yet a factor.

MonkeyAngst: I think a better real-world analogue for Leo would be Cheney himself. Opposite political views, of course, but they both personify the kind of political apparatchik that's been around forever, held pretty much every job in Washington (including Cabinet secretary, Chief of Staff, and VP although Leo didn't make it to the last one), and are generally considered gurus of their parties. Of course the character of Leo was created before Cheney was VP, so the whole puppet-master thing wasn't yet a factor.

You forget a crucial difference: Leo had a soul and was not a robot.

Neeek: PTW16: Ahhh what a great show The West Wing was. Too bad NBC likes to cancel shows that are actually written for people that are halfway intelligent.

West Wing wasn't canceled by the network, the people involved just decided 7 years was enough.

Oh, it was MORE than enough.

I just bought the complete series on DVD, and the decline in quality after Sorkin left is HUGE. It's almost like a different show from season 5 until the end. It's much darker, much less witty, and the plot lines are boring.

Actually, bringing in Alda as the president for season 8 (which was the original plan until John Wells died, because the producers thought it would be too harsh to have Leo die *and* have Santos lose the election) would've been a real shot in the arm for that show. Vinick was a great character, and it would've been neat to see what happened. But oh well.

Okay, everyone is throwing in their favorite quotes. Oh, so many good ones from which to choose.

Josh Lyman: Victory is mine, victory is mine. Great day in the morning. Victory is mine.
Donna Moss: Good morning, Josh.
Josh Lyman: I drink from the keg of glory, Donna. Bring me the finest muffins and bagels in all the land.
Donna Moss: It's going to be an unbearable day.

Alright, here's mine:

President Josiah Bartlet: I was watching a television program before, with a kind of roving moderator who spoke to a seated panel of young women who were having some sort of problem with their boyfriends - apparently, because the boyfriends had all slept with the girlfriends' mothers. And they brought the boyfriends out, and they fought, right there on television. Toby, tell me: these people don't vote, do they?

/yes, I'm a liberal elitist. Deal with it, plebians.
//just kidding
///sort of

ispi:

Josh Lyman: Victory is mine, victory is mine. Great day in the morning. Victory is mine.
Donna Moss: Good morning, Josh.
Josh Lyman: I drink from the keg of glory, Donna. Bring me the finest muffins and bagels in all the land.
Donna Moss: It's going to be an unbearable day.

Yes.

Something_else: You forget a crucial difference: Leo had a soul and was not a robot.

I left out a lot of stuff, like presiding over black masses at midnight on Samhain and drinking the blood of virgins. I didn't say it was a PERFECT match...

I've been saying this for months. The regret McCain has about the people he's allied with this campaign is nearly identical to how Vinick felt.

Of course, Vinick had a far-more-qualified VP candidate.

Either way, I miss The West Wing, and fark all of you who didn't watch Studio 60.

culebra: THE_WIZ: THE AVATARS HAVE BEEN ACTUALIZED!

Under water grottos, caverns
Filled with apes
That eat figs,
Stepping on the figs
That the apes
Eat, they crunch.
The apes howl, bare
Their fangs, dance,
Tumble in the
Rushing water,
Musty, wet pelts
Glittering in the blue.

So what you're saying is...Obama is a secret Vogon?

Keyboard, meet beer.