‘West Wing’ stars to reunite for Clinton campaign in Ohio
If endorsements from fictional political figures carry as much weight as real ones, Hillary Clinton has picked up a big one for her campaign in Ohio this weekend
Stars from beloved political drama “The West Wing” will come together again in Sandusky, Toledo and Cleveland in support of the Democratic nominee in the swing state. Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Dule Hill, Joshua Malina and Mary McCormack will be on hand from the fictitious presidency of Democrat Josiah Bartlet (portrayed by Martin Sheen), whose rule lasted two terms and eight seasons on NBC from 1999 to 2006.
“The actors will discuss why they are supporting Clinton and urge Ohioans to register to vote ahead of the 11 October deadline,” read a statement from the Clinton campaign.
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For much of its run — particularly under creator Aaron Sorkin — the Bartlet White House functioned as a sort of wish fulfillment depiction of politics and government as a place where the best and the brightest fulfill their duties with unwavering commitment and a keen moral compass that could span both sides of the aisle. Contrast that series with some of the more recent depictions of politics on TV (the U.K.’s caustic “In the Thick of It,” the corrupt “House of Cards” and the comic incompetence of “Veep”) and you have some idea of how the current political climate has changed.
This isn’t the first time “The West Wing” cast has come back together in the real-world political scene. Last year some of the actors playfully reunited to promote a virtual “big block of cheese day” for the Obama administration, and in 2012 the much of cast walked-and-talked anew to reprise their roles for an informational clip about nonpartisan elections.
Both of those videos included Sheen, but he will not be on hand for this weekend’s campaign events. However, given that he appeared with Whitford and “lots of famous people” in Joss Whedon’s video for his Super PAC aiming to get out the vote against Donald Trump, we can be pretty sure where he stands.
Follow me over here @chrisbarton.
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