The West Wing Theory

Okay so Mathew Santos is now our President Elect and he has just selected Josh Lyman to be his Chief-of-Staff!

Art imitates life imitates art imitating life...or something like that!

As someone who was glued for one hour a week to NBC's The West Wing, I initially thought it was funny to see the reality of McCain-Obama predicted during the show's last season.

I was truly surprised when Obama selected Rahm Emanuel given that West Wing fans know the character of Josh Lyman was based on Emanuel. Weird.

Now I am beginning to realize that Washington must be a truly predictable beast. That a solid three, even four years ago those in the know already knew. The specific names might not have been available but the archetypes were set. The traditional versus the new. The boomer versus the post-boomer. (insert archetype here)

Long before November 4, 2008 -- there was a hint that we were destined to head in a new direction, to turn the page, to leap forward...(insert cliche here).

It appears, at least in theory, that the stage has been set for progressive politics to emerge. I for one could not be more thrilled.

But because I have not been focused on such things, I did not realize just long this change was in the making. It has been brewing for years and apparently those in the know, knew the time was ripe. That if there ever was a time -- the time was NOW to make this thing happen.

All the pieces were in place: A battered economy, an wildly unpopular administration, a huge swath of the country who decided they were ready to be counted.

As historians know, shifts like this are always indicated years prior.

For the rest of us, we will endure those for whom change is frightening and rest assured that it was bound to happen.

Thank God!