In the early 1980s, then-President Ronald Reagan often made time to have drinks with an unlikely friend. According to The Reagan Foundation, “Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, a former Democratic politician from Massachusetts, said all kinds of mean things about President Reagan. But instead of getting angry or holding a grudge, the President made a Rule that Tip could say whatever he wanted during the day, but at 6 p.m. the politics stopped and they would be friends.
Reagan even honored O’Neill in a speech in March 1986, saying, “You (are) a leader of the nation, and for that we honor you. (You) also embody so much of what this nation is about, the hope that is America, so you make us proud too, my friend;
A similar scene was depicted years later in the television series “The West Wing,” which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2006. In the season six episode “In God We Trust”, fictional President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen, shares an ice cream cone with Senator Arnold Vinick, played by Alan Alda. Although they are from opposite parties, they chat and discuss their positions on politics and life, respectfully questioning each other. It was a scene beautifully written by showrunner Aaron Sorkin, who also wrote the films ‘The American President’ and ‘A Few Good Men’. The smart answer is underscored by a seriousness that would be useful in today’s divided political climate.
“The West Wing” could also give us a timely mini-citizenship lesson in constitutional principles, including the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances. Although the show is fictional, it is mostly based on solid research and facts are conveyed in an entertaining way.
Venerable conservative thinker George Will wrote in The Washington Post on November 17, 2024: “Congress, proud of its power and jealous of its prerogatives, should not shy away from regularly rivaling rather than cooperating with the President, whose primary task is secondary. : It is the faithful execution of the laws that Congress initiates.
In other words, the three branches of government are equal and share a duty to uphold the Constitution, which is greater than any of them.
Pulitzer Prize-winning conservative writer Peggy Noonan stated in a recent PBS News interview, “Part of the job of adults is to show the kids how to do it, how to act, what dignity looks like, what it’s like to be a to be a real adult. resembles.”
We are fortunate to have eloquent writers like Aaron Sorkin, George Will, and Peggy Noonan who remind Americans that character counts.
And character transcends political party or personal background. It has to do with being aware of one’s constitutional responsibilities and limits. Accepting limits and losses while putting others first is part of being an adult. Mr. Reagan and Mr. O’Neill exemplified this maturity.
While fiction is certainly a different genre than hard news, TV shows can provide Americans with a relaxing and safe shared space to explore ideas. Facts about James Madison and Federalist 51 can easily be inserted into walk-and-talk conversations or Oval Office monologues.
So listen to the stirring instrumental theme music. We are ready to be inspired again.
Jordan Barkin is a columnist published by USA Today and Hearst. He can be reached at jordanbarkin@gmail.com.
Jordan Barkin
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: If only politicians looked to ‘The West Wing’ for how to behave
