Daylight Saving Time

2002-2023 | 21 years

In this episode, the President is campaigning in Indiana, and Josh, Toby, and Donna are accidentally left behind. Throughout the two-part episode, the trio tries to return to D.C. but hits their first roadblock when they miss a flight in Unionville. The reason they miss their flight is that when they cross from one county of Indiana into another, they change time zones without even knowing it. Today our phones can tell us what time it is anywhere because GPS knows exactly which time zone we are in. But in 2002 when this episode aired, the iPhone was still 5 years away.

The reason there was a change in time zones in the middle of the state was in 2002 not all counties in Indiana observed Day Light Saving Time. In addition to that, 12 of the 96 counties are in the Central Time zone while the rest observe Eastern Time. This has since changed. Although the state is still split into Eastern and Central Time, since 2006 all counties have been observing Daylight Saving Time.

This issue gets much bigger than Indiana. People still debate whether we should do away with Daylight Saving Time. While a majority of the country Sprang Forward this past weekend, both Hawaii and Arizona didn’t, as they do not observe Daylight Saving Time. Some experts want to follow in the steps of these states and get rid of Daylight Saving Time as they believe it is unnecessary and has adverse effects on Americans. However, most of the country, across party lines, wants to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. The Sunshine Protection Act would do just that, and the bill was reintroduced to the Senate this month by Senator Marco Rubio. It would end the practice of changing our clocks twice each year and let the sun shine an extra hour each afternoon. The measure would lower energy use, what Daylight Saving Time was originally intended for when started in World War I, reduce crime rates, and encourage people to spend more time outdoors. However, in addition to potential health problems, a permanent change to Daylight Saving Time could cause sleep disruptions and drops in worker productivity.

This two-part episode is one of my favorites and has some great guest actors, including John Gallagher Jr., who stars in one of my other favorite shows (also written by Aaron Sorkin), the Newsroom, which I highly recommend any lover of The West Wing watch.