• Bernie Sanders praised the show “The West Wing” for its accurate portrayal of the White House, but it has since become an article of faith in the Berniesphere that the show is reflective of everything wrong with the Democratic Party.
• The show accurately conveys the idea that there are a lot of sincere people in politics who are committed to their ideas and to advancing public policy in better directions.
• It also illustrates that Americans like outsiders in presidential politics, but not radicals, and that presidents have a big impact on the national mood, even if they don’t accomplish much legislatively.
• The show also highlights some odd and neglected aspects of the American political system, such as the order of succession problem and the potential for debt ceiling mischief.
• However, the show has one major flaw in that it has a small cast of characters, which underrates the actual complexity of the American federal government.
Published January 9, 2023. Visit Slow Boring to read Matthew Yglesias’s original post.
