Tuesday, Rochester, New York

The intensity of the 2008 presidential election is a reminder to us of the stakes involved in this decision. And it also reminds us of why the modern classic television drama West Wing was so gripping. It satisfied the intense curiosity that ordinary citizens have about the most important individual in American society.

The President of the United States is commonly regarded as the most powerful person in the world. And in the new media age, the President is also a celebrity, like, and beyond a movie star. We experience the presence of the President on a screen, not in person, in flesh and blood. The program West Wing gave a glimpse into what becomes of the person when they ascend into the rarefied air of the White House.

Veteran actor Martin Sheen expertly depicted the balance between honorable devotion to service with the ordinary emotional struggles of someone in an intensely stressful position. It was easy for the viewers to imagine what life must be like on a day-to-day basis in the interpersonal cauldron that is this high office. Further, the producers did an amazing job of bringing to life the look and feel of the daily routines of the White House itself.

Why We Watch

Any fan of West Wing comes to feel, accurately or not, that they have a sense of what the life is really like for our president. And what comes across clearly is that the stress of unexpected crises can be emotionally overwhelming for the president personally. It reinforces the need to have someone of a particularly solid emotional makeup to endure year after year of unexpected, and frequently dangerous eventualities. We have all observed how rapidly the President ages physically during their term in office.

In addition, West Wing made clear the unimaginable rigors of working in the White House in any capacity. For every scene that showed the president, there were several more scenes that portrayed the debilitating schedule of the people working for the administration. They sacrificed a personal social life for the thrill and meaning of being useful in the heart of a nation’s power. Many people would jump at the chance to spend a few years of life immersed in such a worthy endeavor. Watching West Wing gives us a glimpse, with what seems uncanny realism into the life and work of the White House.