Santos v Vinick in the '05 Presidential Election
Anyone who hasn't been watching the West Wing wouldn't care, but kudos to John Zogby for putting a little reality into some make-believe.
It's Jimmy Smits' Santos at this point (though in the show he's been trailing in the polls).
One thing about the West Wing is how well men speak. Comparing Martin Sheen's Josiah Bartlet, or either Alda's Vinick or Smit's Santos to Shrub is a cruel joke. These men's lines are scripted for them and hashed and rehashed.
But so are stump speeches. Kerry and Bush both had handlers and speech writers and political advisors and every $$ under the sun to put their message out, and yet an almost-forgotten, once hugely-popular show (it took a huge hit after 9/11 made the machinations of make-believe Administrations a little less compelling to a politics-weary population) that has been pushed to Sunday nights can put together the message of each side in such succinct, compelling terms that an informed viewership can pass judgment on who they would vote for.
Santos' impromptu commentary on Intelligent Design is an excellent example. Campaigning in Pennsylvania, he was asked by a reporter about his thoughts on ID being taught in schools alongside evolution. He spoke 'off the cuff' in the world of the show. He laid out his belief in God, and a creator. But contrasted his belief with the realities of science and measurable, tracable, factual evidence in a way that would make anyone listening understand that keeping ID out of the classroom is not just science defending its turf, but an imperative dictated by the very foundations of our country's government.
Science is measurable, faith is not.
I nearly dropped my jaw at how plain, eloquent, and understandable the commentary was, without being accusatory or pejorative to any party. It was such a welcome contrast to Kerry (nuance requires many words) and Bush (ummm, errr, fool me twice...) that I almost felt ill about the state of our supposedly-polished political discourse. Hell, Bush took it upon himself to repeatedly, repeatedly impugn an entire state (Massachusetts) within the "United" States he was asking for permission to lead!
Vote Santos!
mcolley
I'm not liberal, I'm just paying attention
It's Jimmy Smits' Santos at this point (though in the show he's been trailing in the polls).
One thing about the West Wing is how well men speak. Comparing Martin Sheen's Josiah Bartlet, or either Alda's Vinick or Smit's Santos to Shrub is a cruel joke. These men's lines are scripted for them and hashed and rehashed.
But so are stump speeches. Kerry and Bush both had handlers and speech writers and political advisors and every $$ under the sun to put their message out, and yet an almost-forgotten, once hugely-popular show (it took a huge hit after 9/11 made the machinations of make-believe Administrations a little less compelling to a politics-weary population) that has been pushed to Sunday nights can put together the message of each side in such succinct, compelling terms that an informed viewership can pass judgment on who they would vote for.
Santos' impromptu commentary on Intelligent Design is an excellent example. Campaigning in Pennsylvania, he was asked by a reporter about his thoughts on ID being taught in schools alongside evolution. He spoke 'off the cuff' in the world of the show. He laid out his belief in God, and a creator. But contrasted his belief with the realities of science and measurable, tracable, factual evidence in a way that would make anyone listening understand that keeping ID out of the classroom is not just science defending its turf, but an imperative dictated by the very foundations of our country's government.
Science is measurable, faith is not.
I nearly dropped my jaw at how plain, eloquent, and understandable the commentary was, without being accusatory or pejorative to any party. It was such a welcome contrast to Kerry (nuance requires many words) and Bush (ummm, errr, fool me twice...) that I almost felt ill about the state of our supposedly-polished political discourse. Hell, Bush took it upon himself to repeatedly, repeatedly impugn an entire state (Massachusetts) within the "United" States he was asking for permission to lead!
Vote Santos!
mcolley
I'm not liberal, I'm just paying attention
posted by progprog | 12:41 PM
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