Congressional hearings

2001-2022 | 21 years

In this episode of The West Wing, it is Christmas Eve and the President deals with a series of church fire bombings. Meanwhile, White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry testifies in televised hearings held by a congressional committee about The President’s MS which he concealed during the election.

Currently, there are congressional hearings taking place to investigate the January 6th attack on the US capitol. These investigations are largely meant to expose former President Trump’s part in the conspiracy.

Similar to how Leo and the rest of President Bartlet's staff are testifying, many of former President Trump's staff and lawyers are testifying about the January 6th attack.

In The West Wing throughout the MS scandal arch, the President is unwavering in his insistence that nobody lie. And because the audience of The West Wing gets to see this, we still love President Bartlet as a character and President for this.

In reality, we don't get to see all the conversations with the President and his staff. We can only hope that people who testify about January 6th weren't told to lie and don't lie.

In The West Wing, President Bartlet waived executive privilege. Meanwhile, former President Trump tried greatly to shield himself with executive privilege when the January 6 Congressional Committee was formed.

President Bartlet did his best to never lie and made sure no one else was told to lie. Meanwhile, former President Trump is continuing his political career on what many call, “the big lie”.

The West Wing is a TV show, where oftentimes what happens is an ideal or even dream version of what could possibly happen today.

However, why should we lower the bar? As President Bartlet points out, “It's not our job to appeal to the lowest common denominator…It's our job to raise it.”

Most Teens can’t currently vote. However, by the time the 2024 election rolls around, many who are currently in High School will be able to vote.

When watching the West Wing, whether you agree with the politics of the show or not, you learn about the different viewpoints on problems and see different ways to approach them.

Teenagers can benefit from the show because it takes you deeper into issues that are still relevant today. This brings a new understanding of these processes, which can help a viewer of the show better understand what is currently happening in our government.

Although a Bartlet Administration in today’s world seems unattainable, when teens who are informed about American issues vote, we are closer to that ideal government we long for.

We teenagers, choosing the right people now, give ourselves much more power to shape the world we will one day be running.