S3e12- The Two Bartlets ("This is like Dungeons and Dragons Camp all over again.")

In a very honest moment with all of you, dear readers- I have to say that I'm reticent to move into the topic of Affirmative Action, except to say that it was necessary, made an incredible and measurable impact for those who needed and deserved it, and at a certain point, I would hope it is no longer needed.  I'm not sure if that point has been reached yet, and I'd like to think we are closer than we were when JFK signed it into law- but it's safe to say that we've got a long way to go, and smarter people than me need to be sitting in a room somewhere continuing that conversation.

Instead, I'd like to focus on what really matters:

Are there really Dungeons and Dragons Camps?

Yes.  But be careful if you google them, because now my facebook feed is showing me some very interesting ads... I had no idea one could purchase mail-order chain-mail.  I would imagine their customer base is mainly male.  Sorry- I actually couldn't stop from typing that.

Seriously, though- for me, this episode is all about the last 5 minutes- Toby's confrontation with the President.  Not only because it's going to drive the next few episodes, but because it is an incredible confluence of events.  This has been brewing from the beginning- before "Let Bartlet be Bartlet," the President would have given this type of middle-of-the-road, don't-try-to-offend-anyone answer.  In "Two Cathedrals," we actually see young Jed Bartlet be hit by his father, a response to his clever turn of phrase regarding the Professor of Literature banning books from the library- "He banned Fahrenheit 451, which is about banning books."  In "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part I," the story of how Toby is hired by the campaign centers around him encouraging Bartlet to give the unpopular answer about raising the price of dairy products to dairy farmers.

Needless to say, the President is not amused, and his lack of amusement is not diminished by taking a drink:

In truth, Toby has served as the embodiment of President Bartlet's conscience since the very beginning of the show, but in these final five minutes, he moves from being an antagonist in the service of Bartlet's better angels to analyzing and challenging the demons.

Yes, that's right, Aaron Sorkin planted the seed for this scene in "The Crackpots and These Women":

Two quick points to relate this to our world today:

1- I think it's safe to assume that every President should have someone who can keep them grounded and honest with themselves.  Have any of us been led to believe that Trump has a person like that?

2- CJ describing her father's condition struck a definite chord with me, and in these dire times, when many of us are rightfully sending our donations to some incredibly important organizations, it's important to remember that there are some departments that will have their funding cut, but do need strong support for their funding to increase.  Alzheimer's has a huge impact on the economy; it costs the country an estimated $630 billion (yes, billion) dollars in lost productivity for family caregivers, professional caregiver, Medicare, and Medicaid costs.  This number could triple in the next 30 years, and the current level of funding is only $950 million.  The Hill had an terrific article dealing with this issue.  And in case you were thinking that everything isn't as connected in the real world as it is in an Aaron Sorkin story arc spanning three seasons, here's an example of who the current Immigration Ban is really affecting.  So, as is said so often these days- contact your legislative representatives!

What's Next- S3e13- Night Five

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