Sunday Distractions

As the final hours of this long campaign approach, I’m drawn to the DVR. Long a fan of The West Wing, which I watched religiously during its original run and in reruns, this weeks Bravo reruns have filled my DVR. I identify with a friend who said, “I love The West Wing because for one hour each week I can pretend that is my government.”

Watching the Bravo reruns this week have been almost eerie. The Democratic candidate in the show, Matthew Santos (played brilliantly by Jimmy Smits), is similar to Barack Obama in many ways – both personal and political. As well, Arnold Vinick (played superbly, and off-type, by Alan Alda) reminds viewers of John McCain.

Well, of course, I’m not the only one to notice these similarities. This week, The New York Times tells of the connections to the Obama campaign in the script of the last two seasons of The West Wing. In Following the Script, Brian Stelter, reports that David Axelrod (chief strategist for Senator Barack Obama’s Senate and Presidential races) was tapped for ideas by The West Wing writer, Eli Attie.

Then this past week we saw Jimmy Smits on stage in Ft Lauderdale at the mega-rally prior to Senator Obama’s 30 minute prime time spot. In this interview with Politico, Smits gives more background into the comparisons.

We’ll save the Bartlett for America comparisons for later.

So, if you’ve got a few minutes today, check out the NYT and Politico pieces. If you’ve got a few hours and you were thinking ahead and set your DVR, do like I’m doing and watch the Bravo reruns. Check out the Bravo schedule for upcoming showings (hint – Monday and Tuesday during the day!) and set your DVR.

Whatever you do, if you haven’t already voted, be sure to schedule enough time to VOTE on Tuesday!