Being fictional was a huge advantage

Rewatching The West Wing in the run up to the U.S. presidential election is an interesting experience, the fourth season in particular where Bartlett is standing for re-election. It's not just the fact that he's standing against an obvious W analog (the folksy republican governor who's not exactly the sharpest tool in the box), but that showrunner Sorkin passionately advocates through his proxy characters on the show that the election should be about intellect, that the people we elect should be the smartest people in the room, and damn any claims of elitism.

It's not hard to see parallels with the current election where undue attention seem to be given to the topic of porcine beautification over subjects which ought to be more relevant to the electorate.

The West Wing may be fading in relevance now, but Sorkin revisits Bartlett's character in an op-ed piece in the New York Times, conjuring a meeting between his fictional president and the current democratic hopeful, brimming with his trademark dialog and some familiar pet themes.