Readers Write: A voice for liberalism in age of Trump

The Island Now

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, Donald J. Trump was elected as the 45th president of the United States.

The next day a great playwright and screenwriter penned a letter to his 15 year old daughter. He wrote:

“It’s hardly the first time my candidate didn’t win…but it is the first time a thoroughly incompetent pig with dangerous ideas, a serious psychiatric disorder, no knowledge of the world and no curiosity to learn, has.

He went on to point out that it was a victory not only for Donald Trump, but for the Klan, white nationalists, sexists, racists, buffoons,  haters and abject dumbness.

He closed on an apologetic note: “We’ve embarrassed ourselves in front of our children and the world.”

The author of these vitriolic, but appropriate, words was Aaron Sorkin, whose television scripts include “The West Wing,” and “The Newsroom” and films like “The American President” and “A Few Good Men.” Long a fan of Mr. Sorkin, I view him as a spokesperson for  liberalism in our country.

In an episode of “The West Wing,” a U.S. Congressman defines what it means to be a liberal.

Republicans have tried to turn liberal into a bad word. Well, liberals ended  slavery…Liberals got women the right  to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security.

Liberals ended segregation.

Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act.

Liberals created Medicare.

Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act.

What did  conservatives do?

They opposed them on every one of those things. Every one.

So when you hurl that label at my feet as if it were something to be ashamed of it won’t work…because I will pick it up and wear it as a badge of honor.

My favorite Sorkin film is “The American President,” a comedy-drama about a widowed U.S. president (Michael Douglas) who falls in love with an environmental lobbyist (Annette Benning.)

The foil in the film is Senator Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss)  who, in addition to being right-wing, has the annoying habit of ending each speech with “My name is Bob Rumson and I’m running for president.”

Here is  President Shepherd at a news conference.

Tomorrow morning the White House is sending a bill to Congress for consideration an energy bill requiring a 20 percent  reduction of the emission of fossil fuels over the next 10 years. It is by far the most aggressive stride ever taken in the fight to reverse global warming.

The other piece of legislation is the crime bill. I’m throwing it out.

You cannot address crime prevention without getting rid of assault weapons and handguns.

We’ve got serious problems and we need serious men, and if you want to talk about character, Bob, you’d better come at me with more than a burning flag and [an ACLU] membership card. If you want to talk about character and American values, fine…This  is a time for serious men, Bob, and your 15 minutes are up. My name’s Andrew  Shepherd and I am the president.

Sorkin may have been overly optimistic when writing about fuel efficiency and sensible gun legislation above, but he still articulates the liberal position as convincingly as anyone writing for the stage or cinema today.

The case for homosexual rights is convincingly made by President Bartlet in a West Wing episode.

A homophobic radio personality quotes the Bible which calls homosexuality “an abomination.” “Yes it does. Leviticus”  says the president.

He then proceeds to ask a series of  questions which indicate how the Bible is a product of a particular time and place.

I’m interested in selling my youngest  daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She’s a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleare the table when it was her turn. What would be a good price for her be?… My Chief of Staff Leo McGarry insists on working on the Sabbath.

Exodus 35:2 clearly says he  should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it O.K. to call the police?.

Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side?

Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads?

Sorkin pokes fun at the fundamentalist belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible which is certainly inappropriate  in the 21st century.

If I had to pick a favorite Sorkin monologue it would probably be one spoken by Will McAvoy, a news anchor on the TV show called “The Newsroom.”

As part of a panel, he is asked why America is the greatest country in the world. He states that there is no evidence to support the statement.

We’re 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd  in science, 49th in life expectancy…3rd in median household   income.

We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending, where we spend more than the next 26  countries combined.

I find this passage especially appealing because, as a student, I always resented being lied to by my social studies teachers.

America is not the greatest nation ever; we are not the most generous and compassionate people on earth and we have lost wars.

Why, I wonder, must we be lied to? And why the need to be No. 1?

For a clue, examine any Trump speech and count the number of times he uses the word “great,” or “big league.”

How insecure must one be to say “believe me” repeatedly? Does this not imply that the speaker himself anticipates the audience’s incredulity?

What should be the “takeway” from all this?

As a spokesperson for liberal causes, Sorkin can be counted upon to make the case convincingly.

He has been honored 78 times winning an Academy Award, as well as Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Awards. One of the most recent came in February 2017 at the Writers Guild.

Here, Sorkin’s words sum it all up. “The most powerful delivery system ever invented for an idea is a story, and we’re America’s storytellers…”

Finally, Howard Rodman president of the Writers Guild had this to say: “Aaron Sorkin has changed the language of television. His…deeply intelligent writing has raised the bar for all of us…and…reminded us…of the special responsibilities that accrue to our profession.”

Dr. Hal Sobel

Great Neck

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