Richard Schiff on "What's Next"
Nov 10, 2008

For fellow fans of The West Wing like myself, this election season seemed to draw a number of (intentional?) parallels with the show. From the unlikely successful candidacy of a young Congressman (Matt Santos or Barack Obama?) against a veteran Senator (Sen. Arnold Vinick or Sen. John McCain), to the optimism and loyalty that seem embodied by presidential figures (Pres. Jed Bartlett and Pres.-elect Barack Obama), the similarities abound.

But the show also has a perhaps less-well-known link to this election: the intelligent commentary and involvement of actor Richard Schiff, who played White House Communications Director Toby Zeigler on the show.

Schiff, a 2008 Drinan Award honoree from the Council, and current member of our National Advisory Board, regularly writes for the Huffington Post. On November 7, he put up a great commentary on "what's next" for the Obama administration.

President Bartlett on The West Wing often said this.  Usually at the end of an episode when a thing had been solved or resolved or lost or won and it was, whatever the case, time to move on.  We sometimes had spiraling crane shots from above pulling up and away as the mere mortals of government left below continued on their silly work.

The night was pretty nice: Election night in New York City.  On Eighth Avenue, from a block away, I heard a roar of a crowd the size and depth you hear in stadiums reserved for moments of historic relevance like World Cup overtime goals or World Series winning home runs or the fall of Max Schmelling from Joe Louis' fists.  I reached the digital screen in Times Square to see that California had fallen blue and the fat lady was singing.  Along with that lady about a million people joined in, it seemed, singing arias of celebration, crying and laughing and shouting and hugging.  Victory.

Full posting after the jump.