By james art Actor Bradley Whitford visited Madison Sunday morning for more than a hometown stop. Star of “The West Wing”. agitated on behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign with colleagues gathering at the Barrymore Theater for a rally.
Whitford spoke with The Daily Cardinal about the stakes in this election for college students, how the Biden-Harris administration is handling Israel’s war in Gaza and the changes in the political landscape since The West Wing first aired in 1999.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
What would you say to UW-Madison students who are either undecided or voting for the first time this election?
Donald Trump wants to get rid of [Affordable Care Act]meaning people under 26 will lose access to their parents’ health care. Democrats want to make it easier for you to afford an education, to make ends meet when you get out of college, to buy a house, and for women to have freedom, health care, and access to contraception. The grand, unfulfilled promise of this country is that you have a voice in building the future you want, and you do so when you vote. It’s very easy to be cynical about politics, but cynicism is a luxury your future cannot afford.
Many young voters in the Democratic primary in Madison in April they voted uninstructed because of the Biden-Harris administration’s attitude toward Gaza. What would you say to young voters here who are hesitant about the foreign policy aspect of Kamala Harris’ campaign?
[Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu wants Trump in power because Trump wants to finish off Gaza. Kamala called for a ceasefire relatively early on, but I don’t think it’s enough. I am active in the French National Committee on Legislation and Financing [United Nations Relief and Works Agency]which is very important to the Palestinians. We want a ceasefire and must fight for a two-state solution. But if you think the Trump administration or meeting [this election] out will help the people of Gaza, I think you are crazy.
Everyone should be outraged! I find it obscene that we can’t all agree that we should be on the side of civilians and children. [But] it would be a disaster for the people of Gaza if we allow Trump to return to the White House. Argue with the administration all the time, but you have to choose the arena where you will be able to present your case. Our ability to advocate on behalf of the people of Gaza depends on these elections.
Up on stage, you talked about The West Wing being from an era where Republicans were “normal.” Why has your perception of the Republican Party changed so dramatically since then?
I think the party has been taken over by white Christian nationalists and that Republicans are so afraid of losing power that they have sold their souls to a strange, morally bankrupt candidate who has brought them some electoral success but abandoned everything they pretended to be. they believe. As a man raised as a Quaker, Jesus didn’t walk through Bethlehem and say “don’t help those lepers, you’ll make them lazy.” Trump is desecrating the values of Jesus.
When The West Wing first came out, the general consensus was that it was an idealization of politics, but that view has changed over time. How have you noticed the political landscape change since the show first aired?
This has been seen as an idealization of public service, but I don’t think it’s true. As much as I disagreed with Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, I think they were genuinely devastated that they couldn’t unite the country. What is unprecedented is for a major political force in our country to be led by someone who is not well, who does not want to unite us, who is fueled by hate and division, racism and homophobia. I have transgender people in my family, I know a lot of people in the transgender community. It’s the oldest trick in the fascist book that sexuality and gender scare people.
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When you see the documentaries about Nazis burning books, they are in Magnus Hirschfeld’s sex clinic in Berlin. Homophobia was what Republicans would use to stir up outrage in the early 2000s, and now cowards like Eric Hovde are using a newly vulnerable community to score political points. I grew up in the theater, didn’t I? I’m a cis, straight man who has spent my entire life showering with gay men. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. What do Republicans not understand about this? They are going after our most basic values and it makes me angry. As Tim Waltz says, “mind your own business.”
How does it feel to canvass and speak on stage with former cast members you’ve known for decades?
We really are a very close group. It was a very intense situation that doesn’t happen in show business anymore, doing 22 episodes a year – which is crazy – together for seven years. It’s mind-blowing the level of intimacy we have. We always keep in touch and exchange funny text messages except for Martin [Sheen]who communicates only with a pigeon.
We all realize that we get too much attention because unfortunately we live in the age of entertainment. And if you’re not an idiot, you use the attention you get on issues that interest you. I was so excited to be able to bring these people I love to my hometown.
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Brina Goeking is the arts editor for The Daily Cardinal. She also reports on campus news. Follow her on Twitter @BrynaGoeking.
Sreejita Patra is a senior staff writer and former summer advertising sales manager for The Daily Cardinal. She has written about breaking news, campus news and the arts, and has done extensive reporting on the 2024 presidential race. She also covers the Oregon Rural Council for the Oregon Observer.