"The West Wing" cast comes to Washington to lobby Card Check

[a kennedy]

By GottaLaff

If Congress won't listen to the real president push for the pro-union Employee Free Choice Act, maybe the popular fake president from TV's West Wing can win passage of the bill. Cast members of The West Wing, including Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, and Richard Schiff, will hit Capitol Hill Tuesday to debut a new grass-roots campaign to boost support for the controversial "card check" labor legislation. It was dealt a blow last week when Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, most likely the deciding Senate vote, said he wouldn't vote for the bill. "I think it couldn't be a more appropriate time for them to be coming to town to help draw focus to this issue and draw focus to the workers," says Josh Goldstein, a spokesperson for American Rights at Work, which is hosting the event.

Allison Janney, who played Press Secretary C. J. Cregg, now does work for EMILY's List, while Whitford is on the board of directors of American Rights at Work and was instrumental in bringing part of the cast back to Washington to fight for this bill. "He has been highly involved in activist work for fighting for the rights of America's workers," Goldstein says.

http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2009/03/west-wing-cast-comes-to-washington-to.html

[a kennedy]

1. another's take on The West Wing actors getting involved.....

By Betsy Rothstein and Kris Kitto

The Tuesday briefing on the Employee Free Choice Act navigated swiftly from real-life politicians to fake ones who have just played them on TV.

A trio from NBC’s hit political series “The West Wing” lobbied for workers' rights alongside regular Americans fighting for a bill that promises easier unionization in the workplace.

Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff all shared personal stories of how unions have benefited them.

But first, a joke from Whitford, who played White House deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman on the show: “On behalf of the acting president of the United States, thank you all for being here,” Whitford said, referring to Sheen, his former TV boss, President Josiah Bartlet.

“I was Rahm,” he said, comparing his character to Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s chief of staff. “Should I tell my Rahm joke?” he asked. “How do you ask Rahm what time it is? What time is it, or should I just go to hell?”

Sheen spoke of being a golf caddy from the time he was 9 to age 18. He said he formed the first caddies' union.

He also spoke about what it’s like to be a fake president.


http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/west-wing-actors-steal-spotlight-at-efca-briefing-2009-03-31.html