Jimmy Smits defeats Alan Alda in West Wing pres. election

[killerbush]

The producers were going to give the win to Alda's character, but with the the real life death of John Spencer, Lawrence O'Donnell decided to award Smits character, Matt Santos the winner.


http:// www.drudgereport.com/flash2ww.htm

[kaygore]

1. Vinick modeled on McCain, McCain the whore???

"Alan Alda's Arnold Vinick, a maverick Republican (modeled a bit on Sen. John McCain), whom many Democrats (including the Democrats who write the show) could learn to love"...Vinick is no saint, but he is not a whore. McCain is! McCain has sold out and I am glad that, for whatever reason, the writers decided to let Santos win.

We only have the fantasy of a fair and just America for a few more episodes and then we will be mired in reality.

Let us have our fantasy that American politics has not sold out to the highest bidder!

[NYCGirl]

23. It was modelled on McCain BEFORE he became a whore. NT

[Salviati]

2. you might want to not put that in the title for benifit of those

who havent seen the episode....

[Greyhound]

4. lol.

[Greyhound]

3. A suggestion, don't put the spoiler in the subject line.

Some people might be recording it to watch later. :shrug:

[paul_fromatlanta]

5. Yep that would have bothered me except I already watched it off the Tivo

[aquart]

6. I HAVEN'T SEEN IT! YOU SPOILED THE SURPRISE!!@$%#@*

No effing words.

[freeplessinseattle]

7. I sense it was intentional. just an intuition

and common sense, why would anyone post such a spoiler if not to take pleasure in spoiling. it is just a matter of fact post, too, no real interest or emotion attached to the statement. I'm sorry some people are so juvenile.

[FormerDittoHead]

13. I'm gonna be kinda pissed if, when I watch it, this is true... n/t

[FormerDittoHead]

29. You're right to be pissed (spoilers)

After watching all of the prior episodes, I was so much looking forward to the cumination of this whole season of The West Wing.

And what a show it was as they prepared one nail biting cliffhanger after the next - who would win? Who could possibly guess?

WELL, WE COULD...

[Mojambo]

8. Really uncool dude. n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

9. It was pretty much inevitable

The people watching the show, myself included, wanted Santos to win. The last few episodes would have been terrible showing a transition of power from Bartlet to Vinnick.

Now that the spoiler has been revealed I'll engage in some discussion. First of all, it's a bit ridiculous that Bartlet's landslide doesn't take back the house for the dems but Santos' razor thin win does. I guess they really are going with the coattails don't matter phiosophy. However, I definately loved the part where Vinnick's staffers were talking about losing the House. The line where one staffer says that she got off the phone with The Speaker and the other asks how did he sound and she replies "Unemployed". It's so great because Haffley is an asshole in the mold of Gingrich.

Also, that electoral map was absolutely absurd. How the hell did Vermont go for Vinnick? How the hell did Santos win South Carolina but lose Florida and every other southern state except Texas. I guess West Wing electoral politics aren't all that realistic considering Bartlet somehow managed to win Nebraska and the Dakotas.

Finally, I have to say that Alan Alda played his role very well as the gracious loser.

[Yupster]

10. I bought an election computer game

and the first week I'm campaigning and it shows me the map.

I'm ahead in Alabama and New York and Massachusetts and Wyoming ands that's about it for that election game. How hard would it be to throw some realistic bias into each state's vote.

I had a game called "President Elect" back in the 80's that let you run some realistic campaigns. This newer one sucked.

[Radio_Guy]

17. Alda was a gracious loser

If Bush had bowed out graciously in 2000 like Vinnick did, this country and the whole world would be a better place.

[Zynx]

21. Coattails are a very overstated phenomenon.

For example, Nixon and Reagan in '72 and '84 respectively didn't pick up any seats at all in enormous wins, but Bush in 2004 with a very narrow win did.

[beaconess]

26. It's a fictional tv show!

:-)

[skeeters2525]

11. I Actually Liked the Alda Candidate

I doubt in real life I would vote for a Republican. But I did like the Alda character. When he was hounded by the fanatical religious nuts he gave a great speech to the whore media.

If a politician brags about religion. He is lying. If he actually goes to church. He is doing it for political reasons. It was after a talk with Bartlett about religion. And he was about to give the ususal political bs answer and then he saw one of the Washington monuments, forget which one.

West Wing will be missed.

[tkmorris]

12. Thanks a fucking lot

Seriously. It takes a lot to rile me but for chrissake the show has been leading up to this for a year or more and I haven't seen it yet. Did you give this post any thought at all or were you just in a hurry to be first? Do you enjoy it when people tell you the surprise ending of a book you're 3/4 of the way through. DAMNIT!

[erpowers]

14. Great Show

It was a great show. I liked the suspense. You were not sure who would win the election until the end. I think Santos will ask wither Vinick or Bartlet the VP nod. My reason for this is that before the election was over C. J. Craig asked Bartlet if he could run for a fourth term would he do it again? Bartlet used the 24th or the 25th amendment as why he could not. Also, in his victory speech Santos said he could not claim a mandate. So I think he will either pick Bartlet or Vinick for the VP.

[Radio_Guy]

15. Bartlett can't get the VP nod

For the same reason Bill Clinton can not be VP IRL.

[erpowers]

25. Not Sure

I am not sure what IRL is, but I think the President can be Vice President. The president cannot have more than two consecutive terms, but I do not think there is any rule about the president being VP and then following the President in the event he cannot do the job.

[Radio_Guy]

27. Upon further review of the 12th & 22nd amendments

The 12th amendment requires vice presidents to meet the same requirements as presidents, and the 22nd amendment limits presidents to being elected to only two terms. But if a two-term president were to be elected VP, and he became president by death, resignation, etc. of the president, the VP will not have been elected. I think the spirit of the amendments is that no one should serve more than two terms. I would hate for Rice be elected president with W as VP and Rice immediately resign just so W can get a third term.

[More Than A Feeling]

16. Dude, not cool.

Make your headline a spoiler warning next time.

[Bushy Being Born]

18. Oh, SHIT! Just how thoughtless are you??

Here's a hint. Your topic should've said "SPOLIER ALERT: West Wing winner announced", and nothing more.

I've recorded this to watch later in the day, and you're making my ignore list for this post alone. Not that it'll do me any good now! :grr:

[killerbush]

19. I saw the results on at least 6 websites

Including Drudge, and E online. I thought it was common knowledge. Maybe I should have put a spoiler alert up, but if it was on the internet already, my posting would not have spoiled anything. I apologize to all the good folk who were breathlessly awaiting the results. Now, I will go smack myself in the head 1000 times, and sit in the corner for the rest of the day.:spank:

[Totally Committed]

20. Anyone think Vinnick will be Santos' VP?

It's a possibility, no? Especially now.

After John Spencer died and the series was cancelled, I knew Santos would win. I think the election last night after Leo died was an exact representation of that. That crew (The Producers) would never leave the American consciousness with a Republican in the White House. If the series were to continue, maybe, but when it was cancelled and Spencer died? --- No spoiler alert in the world would have been needed for me.

Maybe they'll make a bi-partisan nod at the end, and Vinnick will be the Santos choice, but I hope he won't be. I'm in no mood for even make-believe bi-partisan cumbaya bullshit at this point.

Still I will miss this series. The Bartlet White House was a little too middle-of-the-road, but it had its moments.

TC

[Robbins]

22. Spoiler

Spoilers say Vinck will be offered Secretary of State. I will say this Vinck Is likable the rest of his advisers were not. And he unlike Mccain Is a true moderate.

[bdamomma]

24. GREAT EPISODE

I will be sad to see the show go.

[GalleryGod]

28. HorseShite!

It was about future DVD sales.