In season one we learned that he did his graduate work at the London School of Economics
My politics are vastly different from Sorkin’s as well. However, if you thought the Charlie issue was gratuitous, I have to assume you’ve never been to Orange County. The shoes aren’t the only things that are white.
According to the 2000 Census, Orange County is 64.8% white, 1.7% black, 0.7% Native American, 13.6% Asian, 0.3 Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 14.8% “other”, 4.1 “two or more”, 30.8% Hispanic origin. (This will not add up to 100%)
Whites not of Hispanic origin make up 51.3% of the population of the County. The state of California as a whole is 46.7% in this category.
If you want to make a comparison to a far more liberal county, such as Marin, that county is 84% white overall, 78.6% whites not of Hispanic origin.
A lot of Orange County’s Republican leanings have been reinforced by a large influx of immigrants from Vietnam. However, the growing Latino population is starting to add more Democrats to the mix.
Orange County may be a lot more “white” than Los Angeles, but it is far less pronounced today.
However, I still think a Sam Seaborn type wouldn’t have a chance in a district that includes Newport Beach.
Also in Sorkin’s world, there is no gerrymandering. Almost none of California’s Congressional distrcits were drawn up to be competitive.
Hmm, could that be an homage to the Right Hon. James Hacker, I wonder?
Snort, gasp chuckle. Sure you can. Happens all the time, in fact selective universities have a certain % set aside for such entrants. Some of them are kids of alumnae. But, if your dad donates a million bucks to some college- you’ll get in, “merit” or no. Or, someone will pull strings. If you’re a Kennedy or Bush scion, you don’t have to get good grades- you’ll get in. Maybe not- if you flunked everything- but still. “Merit” is for the Upper Middle to “Rich”, not the “filthy stinking rich”. Note that still, being just “rich” will allow you to buy your kids the very best SAT prep course, and a private tutor, so money talks even there.
Car prices are mostly set by their cost of manufacture, note- not “supply & demand”. Heck, they’d would be giving away minivans for free if that law held 100%. Ok, you can get a good deal on one, sure, but still… Of course- supply & demand wil dictate what cars are made- to an extent.
I realize that you can, in practice, buy your way into a selective university, but, like I said, you cannot buy your way in “like you can buy an expensive car”, that is, you can’t buy your way in just by paying the sticker price. 
What?! That’s nuts! When’s the last time a Nobel Prize winner in Economics had any chance of being elected to anything?!
John Nash in 2004!
In a bizarre and unrelated coincidence, as I was reading the part of this thread about Robert Palmer and “Addicted to Love,” the video came on MTV2. Simultaneously. Weeeeeiiiird.
College tuition should be tax deductable. Too many of my friends are virtually indentured servants due to crushing student loans. Why shouldn’t poor people be able to attend Ivy League colleges? This country is enough of a plutocracy as it is. IMO.