Ainsley: Now More Than EverWhatever happened to The West Wing's lone conservative?
Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2001, at 9:00 PM ET
Remember Ainsley Hayes? The brainy Republican bombshell, played by Emily Procter, who burst onto the scene of The West Wing last October in an episode called "In This White House"? By trouncing Sam in a televised talk-show showdown, Ainsley came to the attention of President Bartlet. Impressed with her smarts and her sense of civic duty, he immediately offered her a position as assistant White House counsel—to the extreme consternation of his entire, and entirely liberal, staff. In the next episode, she was assigned to an ugly basement office; a couple of irate underlings left a dead plant on her desk with a card that read, "BITCH."
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StumbleUponAinsley overcame. She brought a bracing presence that Aaron Sorkin's White House had been sorely missing. Her smart, conservative, principled voice articulated an ethic of respect for other people that did not depend on ideological agreement. These qualities stood in stark contrast to what Chris Lehmann, writing in the Atlantic Monthly, has called the show's "obsession with feeling," as well as its default disdain for right-leaning radio hosts and fundamentalist Christians. These tendencies have undermined The West Wing's credibility as a political drama, even though they have been key elements of its appeal to liberal viewers.
Ainsley's appearance seemed a brilliant way for the show to develop a more sophisticated political orientation. I thought Ainsley might become the show's go-to girl for those times when Martin Sheen's morality got too Manichean, his stances too knee-jerk liberal. Dressing down a fellow staffer, she said: "Your gun control policy doesn't have anything to do with public safety, and it's certainly not about personal freedom. It's about, you don't like the people who do like guns."
Then she disappeared—banished to her basement office, no doubt, so that she wouldn't get in the way of The West Wing's myopic, melodramatic self-righteousness, which seems to deepen with each passing week. To be fair, the current story line is about President Bartlet's announcement of his hitherto-secret case of multiple sclerosis, a situation that has him calling only on his most trusted advisers—i.e., not the ones who work in the basement. But he does need lawyers, now more than ever. I don't know whether Ainsley will be in Wednesday's season finale, but it seems unlikely since she's barely been seen for more than a month.
The West Wing needs more of Ainsley, to save the show from being swallowed by its own assumptions, and to restore the vigorous, surprising drama that it was in its first season. The nation needs more of Ainsley, too. When she appeared last fall, she offered satisfying fictional succor to those of us, of all political persuasions, who worried about the legacy of the recount's bitter name-calling. Republican or Democrat, you couldn't help but listen to Ainsley Hayes—because you couldn't help but like and respect her. That was true of everyone, apparently, except for the folks who created her.
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Reader Comments From The Fray:
Why does West Wing need more of a balance? Is it fair that Touched By An Angel makes God's side good, but portrays the Devil's point of view in a bad light? Should Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? show the perspective of people who don't want to be one and couldn't care less about quiz shows? Should Ben Stein be forced to say good things about liberals? Should NYPD Blue show a balance of sympathy for the criminals? Should M*A*S*H have given equal time and sympathy to military hawks who think war is a good thing?
I lean to the left, and therefore am always open to charges of political correctness, but this reminds me of the people who complain that Woody Allen's New York lacks diversity. That's his vision of New York, take it or leave it. Make your own movie or TV show if you're unhappy. I kind of enjoyed Ainsley's character, but West Wing was an excellent show about a Democratic president and his staff before her character turned up, and it's an excellent show with her character MIA. Not everything in life is balanced or needs to be. Nor need be the art that represents it.
I think all shows should show a disdain for fundamentalist anything and right-wing radio hosts. It shows how smart they are. But if you don't like it, watch Fox News. Or Touched by an Angel.
--LT
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Ainsley hasn't been written out. She's been off doing a TV movie, Submerged, about a submarine rescue
--Robin
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I love watching West Wing, but since you mention flaws, I also find it quite sexist. There is a pronounced lack of respect in the writing and portrayal of the Margaret character, and sometimes of Donna, too. On the other hand, having worked in politics, I know it is a sexist milieu, so I suppose this is just a reflection of reality. There are no male characters made to look so ditzy, even though many varieties of male-dominated foolishness exist and could be mocked.
--Ferdinanda
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(5/18)