Parsons: The West Wing

In the pilot episode of The West Wing the president of United States faces many problems. The largest problem however seems to be protecting the image he and the White House staff project to the American People. Americans put very high standards on the government officials who affect our day to day lives, and this is apparent in the way the White House staff is constantly trying to appear flawless.

The president is not physically present in the pilot episode until the very end, yet from the very beginning the White House staff is scrambling to keep the President’s image clean. The episode is chock full of political, personal, and moral issues, but every single conversation about the president stems down to how it will make him look to the press and how they could ruin his reputation. Josh Lyman is a huge problem in this episode because he said controversial anti-religion statements on live television, and is now facing loosing his job. The only reason the president thinks about firing Josh is not because he has differing views from Josh, he actually agrees with Josh’s disdain for Mary Marsh, but because his faculty are afraid that the statement leaves a negative mark on the presidency. They are afraid that Josh’s opinion will tarnish the President‘s relationship with Conservative and Christian voters.

The funniest problem the President faces in this episode that also deals with his public image is his bicycle accident. C.J. spends a conversation phrasing and rephrasing her press statement trying to not make the President laughable because something as simple as a sprained ankle can shed negative light on him.

The pilot of The West Wing sets up the harsh reality of the presidency and the way even the tiniest mistake by the President or his staff can have negative, long-lasting affects. Image is everything in this episode, and every problem they come upon stems back to this issue.