Oria West Wing

In this episode there are multiple political issues pressing the president. I do not believe that one is more pressing then the other because they all should be seen as separate issues and are dealt with differently. Yet they still are connected in some ways making them all equally pressing. One of the issues was the boatload of Cuban immigrants who were making their way to Florida. President Bartlett must decide what to do with these refugees in search of a better life. He almost must determine whether or not he should base his choices on the publics’ opinion. This brings up another issue that the president is faced with throughout this episode, upholding his reputation. It seemed like the whole episode the entire crew was scrambling around trying to keep everything under control. Whether it was trying to resolve the controversy brought upon by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Josh Lyman, or just making sure that he is not portrayed as “clumsy” for crashing into a tree. The controversy caused by Josh was where yet another issue that Bartlett had to deal with. Josh went to speak on a morning show to Mary Marsh, a Christian activist, and insulted her and her god. Josh has now tarnished his reputation and the presidents and is now in danger of loosing his job. This is where the issue of pleasing the public comes into play. If he chooses to keep Josh then he may loose many supporters but if he fires him, then he will be loosing out on a key factor as to why he won the presidency in the first place.

Whitlock The West Wing

I believe that the most controversial issue that this president must deal with in the West Wing episode is how far he should go to please the public.

The government's relationship with the public is a very important factor in any country, and with the United States it is even more stressed because of the principles that this country was founded on. The government is supposed to give the people what the want, within reason. So when Josh made a controversial comment about religion on national television, his future employment was suddenly questioned. Now the president must decide what the next step is. To please the public he should probably fire Josh and not look back, but Josh had worked hard for him for years and one mistake shouldn't cost him his job. So the president decided to allow him to keep his job with a warning to never do it again.

These kinds of issues must come up every day in government. They are constantly being watched to see what their next move will be, and sometimes what they do will not be approved by the people they govern. Through the West Wing, the audience is able to see that everyone in the government are real people and it allows the audience to see a more sympathetic view into their lives. I know I did not want Josh to be fired, he was likable and clearly hard working. There is just a fine line that the government has to watch and they may be criticized for their actions, but they are still doing what they think is right. Pleasing the public is a huge part of the goverments job that often creates controversy.