Dear Aaron:  Please excuse my long silence. I am (finally) reaching out to you (all right, once more reaching out to you) to ask you to kindly share how you plan to wrap up all the storylines for this most recent of your writing – “Election 2024: Democracy Dies”?

As you know, I have been following you since your first show – and believe you me, we could use a revival of “Removing All Doubt” right now!  Seriously, in spite of the restraining order(s), I remain (at a safe distance) your biggest fan!

We Need A Few Good Men!

And oh, how we need you now!  Talk about “A Few Good Men!” – you pegged it all those years ago — it is the women who find a way to clean up the messes you men have made. I mean who can forget Joanne Galloway digging deep and calling out the duplicity and need for someone to take a principled stand against blindly following orders and just going along!

But you have always given women prominent roles. I guess you must understand that we can be leaders with both a heart and a mind!  No one better than Donna Moss to give voice to those of us from the Midwest who just want to be able to go to work, come home, have a nice meal with the family, go to church on Sunday, and occasionally wear odd clothing to football games.

And who could forget C. J.?  Talk about someone who understands the nuances of putting the message out there!  When you gave her the promotion to Chief of Staff, I just about had kittens!  That you get the challenge of being a powerful woman in a world where powerful women are considered a threat just gets my juices flowing.

And, thank you (I don’t say that enough!) for showing her vulnerabilities also! That is why I dote on your every word. You just get us!

West Wing Lessons

Of course, I can’t overlook your greatest gift — you gave West Wing a message that lasted through elections, re-elections, frustrations with opposing party leaders (and hacks). And you taught us how bi-partisanship can work, even in the face of a power hungry Speaker of the House Haffey! Now that was a seminar and a half in political gamesmanship!

I learned more about the importance of decency and values-based decision making in watching all those episodes than I ever did in school.

And understanding history, which is apparently no longer taught in school! (Maybe Governor Walz has something say about that)! You taught us about Andrew Jackson (that block of cheese was genius), and how important it is to listen to everybody; the challenges of accepting and cataloging items in the White House that turned out to have been stolen by Nazis (the Courbet painting made me look him up!); the protocols that need to be followed for state dinners and when guests perform in the East Room (Yo Yo Ma and James Taylor come to mind!) 

All these things gave me an understanding of the human side of what it means to fill the role of President – to be the leader of a nation – to do more than sign laws and decrees before photographers and shake hands in front of the cameras.

Separation of Church and State

And, perhaps even more important these days, I give you credit for bringing Jesus into the White House! Showing us a Catholic President who has strong faith not just in our democracy, but in his own life – and maybe, most importantly, (there I go again with hyperbole) showing that these two ideas can be held by one person without a whole lot of jibber-jabber!

Oh, Aaron. I am swooning!

So, anyway. Here we are again. It is just 10 days from the election that is going to determine whether we all dissolve into the worst nightmare of our lives since before most of us were born, or whether we are able to rescue the last vestiges of the idealism our Founding Fathers left as a legacy!  Can’t argue that there isn’t that great tension you writers always talk about!  And you are the master at that! Surely you have already written the last act?

What is it going to be? Did you plan a cliff hanger (a la Shonda Rhimes?) where we won’t know the fate of the characters until next season? (BTW, how are contract negotiations going with those folks who you are anticipating will be playing the new Supreme Court Justices?) Have you already plotted a twist in who will be Speaker of the House? Did you develop a sub-plot around foreign influence of the press?

The Newsroom

That brings me to The Newsroom. Here again, you have just opened my eyes to how things really work behind the scenes!  How did you know that social media was going to rule the day and completely destroy print journalism?  Talk about conspiracies and fake news!

I suspect (and this is just me) that there is a newsroom in Heaven where Murrow, and Cronkite, and all the other great journalists gather, that is right now filled not just with smoke, but with righteous indignation over what is going on! You would find a way to teach us the meaning of what true journalism is while giving us just the right amount of humor and satire to make it human.

I don’t mean to go on here. I really had my mind set on just sending you a brief request that you at least drop a hint at what you have in store for us after the November 5^th episode airs. I am not sure I will be able to wait for it, but that is also part of your genius – keeping the audience on the edge of their seats until just the right moment!

To Kill a Mocking Bird

And you did that in your revival of To Kill a Mocking Bird – you said it somewhere, it’s not about Atticus – it’s about Scout losing her innocence – and all of us are losing our innocence in this election. We are having to grow up and come to terms with things we don’t like and the fact that someone else isn’t going to clean up our messes for us.

You hit the nail on the head there – it isn’t about blaming, although we have gotten really good at that as a nation; and it isn’t about blindly accepting what somebody tells us is true, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. No, it’s about coming to terms with our own limitations, accepting that we have faults of our own, that we carry hate within us, along with the fear that nobody gives a damn and we will find that we are not up to the challenge after all.

For One Brief Shining Moment . . .

You have a way of reminding us that there is something better we can all reach for – just like in Camelot – we are living in changing and challenging times that demand that we change along with them. And also demand that we not let it be forgot/ that once there was a spot/ For one brief shining moment/ that was known as Camelot. Waiting for that last episode to drop!

With eternal doting love,

Mary

PS – I am sending this to you this way because you  have been successful in keeping your actual address and contact information hidden from me.  I understand, but am hurt.  Hoping this finds you, I remain your rabid fan . . . .