The 2020 Democratic primary has already devolved into a semi-comedic clown car of a contest. A veritable who’s-not-who of would-be contenders, also-rans, and, wait, who the fuck is that?s. Given the vast array of characters, it’s easy to get confused about who’s who. So I thought it would be an instructive (and fun) exercise to try to find each noteworthy candidate’s sitcom spirit animal. I mean, maybe if you can associate each candidate with a sitcom star from one of your favorite nostalgic TV shows from days of yore, you might be able to distinguish them and actually make a selection by primary season (my current political crush is Mayor Pete, but I’m still shopping around).
A note on the selection process before I begin: not all of the political ideologies will match up. I was going more for aura, spirit, and general temperament rather than adherence to a similar set of political beliefs. So some of these Democratic candidates will be matched up with fictional Republicans or even borderline racists. This is not meant to ascribe these political views to the candidates in question, merely to say that when I think of said candidate, the accompanying sitcom character was the overwhelming comparison despite the political paradox. Along these lines, I also tried to avoid necessarily matching people up with characters of the same race, gender, or sexual preference (well, except in one notable case). This might require a bit more mental flexibility, but you’re bright people, I feel confident that you can manage.
So without further ado, and with the caveat/tacit acknowledgement that I, and therefore my references, might be old or a tad outdated in places, we proceed…
Bernie Sanders = Archie Bunker
When I think of the curmudgeonly but affable Bernie, only one TV character comparison seems apt: Archie Bunker. Archie Bunker became iconic in the 1970s for his crass, don’t-give-a-shit, tell-it-like-it-is attitude along with his crusty personality. A Republican Al Bundy if you will. And yes, there was the unmistakable racism which was somehow more acceptable and even mainstream in the 70s. I’ll be honest, I didn’t watch All in Family; it was well before my time and probably well before yours as well, but I have seen old episodes in re-runs. I have also listened to interviews with its creator Norman Lear and one of its other stars, Rob Reiner, in recent years, both of whom, in reminiscing about the show, claimed that they were deliberately trying to advance the social and racial discourse. You might question how putting a racist at the heart of a sitcom would accomplish this, but the show did get people talking. All in the Familyeven spawned The Jeffersons, one of the first mostly black sitcoms of the late 70s/early 80s, though my personal favorites were always Good Timesand What’s Happening(What’s Happening Nownot so much—still, gotta love Re-run; Dee not so much).
Perhaps with the benefit of time and bit of generosity, we can consider the character of Archie Bunker like a well-meaning misstep. Not unlike Bernie’s own attempts to embrace the Black Lives Matter movement during his ill-fated 2016 presidential campaign. Bernie, like Archie, is prone to saying exactly what’s on his mind. He’s given to wild gesticulations and, occasionally, gross oversimplifications (“the 1% is the root of all social evil!”—actually, he may have a point there). He also seemingly can’t find a comb. After probably losing yet another contest for the Democratic nomination, I can totally see Bernie retiring to his mismatched, beat-up, second-hand arm chair in New Hampshire, screaming at the television, and never getting up again.
Elizabeth Warren = Steve Urkel
“Did I do thaaaaat?” Yes, I just compared a 1/64thNative American woman to an African-American teenager. Sue me. Urkel was the nerdy ne’er-do-well on Family Matters, part of the iconic TGIF ABC line-up that included Full House (you know, before Aunt Becky was a felon), Perfect Strangers(I could never get enough of Balki Bartakamous of Mypos), Boy Meets World (oh the lovely Topanga), and a rotating cast of other mediocre shows (Step by Stepcomes to mind). On the plus side, we’ve now made it all the way to the 1980s. On the negative side, the few millennials that actually read this blog are still wondering who the fuck I’m talking about. Insert cut-away to Urkel shrug here.
So how is Elizabeth Warren like Steve Urkel, you might ask. Well, for starters they’re both nerdy as hell. Warren was the Harvard professor whose brainchild, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, was brought to life on the sole condition that she not be able to head it up, so petrified of her were Congressional Republicans. Relatedly, they’re both the smartest people in the room. Urkel invented a fucking time machine so that he could make himself cool (some of you may remember his alter-ego Stephon) and win the heart of the fair Laura. And Warren has the smartest, best thought-out, most-detailed policies of any candidate in the Democratic field. On a policy level, she’s head and shoulders above the competition. But also nerdy. And thus the Urkel comp. Additionally, as Warren rises in the polls, she’s becoming an increasingly legit and viable candidate, just like Urkel became Stephon and was thus a viable romantic option for Laura. I can do this shit all day.
Joe Biden = Barney Stinson
Sure, Uncle Joe creeps you out a bit sometimes, and you can’t help but wonder if he’s borderline (or entirely, in Barney’s case) inappropriate. But you also can’t help but love him (he’s Uncle Joe! And look, he’s wearing aviators!). In much the same way, Neil Patrick Harris’ reliably funny caricature of a player was a loveable rogue, and Barney Stinson remains, to my mind, one of the all-time pantheon sitcom characters (despite the show’s disastrous finale). A true one-dimensional character in the early seasons who naturally, because this is sitcom land, gets a redemption arc in later seasons when plot lines begin to run dry. And as with Barney, you might laugh at Biden’s antics while simultaneously shaking your head, though you know you loved his buddy routine with Obama (or Ted “Theodore” Mosby, architect, in Barney’s case).
Much like Barney, Biden has been operating from the same playbook for years (check out “The Playbook”, Season 5, Episode 8—it remains an all-timer). You might have teared up when Barney had issues with his dad, just as Biden has known tragedy with his son. You see his humanity, and you want to forgive his worst tendencies. You realize that they’re relics of a bygone era, but they’re classics in their own right, somehow transcending their gaffes and bluster. Well, at least for me. Maybe not for all you. To each his own. I get why a lot of people are out on Biden as a political (and maybe personal) dinosaur. But I still love Barney. And even though I don’t necessarily want Biden to win the nomination, I’d still ultimately be OK with him as the nominee or even as president.
Kamala Harris = Claire Huxtable
OK, so I confess that in this instance I went for the more direct racial and gender comparison, but Claire Huxtable’s no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners (well, Kamala may have taken more than a few as the SF DA) seemed spot on for Kamala Harris. Because of the indelible stain of Bill Cosby’s horrible crimes, we forget what a massive hit The Cosby Showwas in the 1980s. We were all routinely watching that Thursday night NBC line-up that, for a time, also featured all-time greats like Family Ties, Cheers, and Night Court. Denise, Theo, and even Rudy (Vanessa and Sandra not so much) were all memorable characters in their own rights, but Claire was the strong matriarch, a good mom and a respected professional at the same time. This was the age of Working Girland women emerging in the workplace, and Claire Huxtable was a fictional standard bearer for the movement.
Kamala seems to also be a no-nonsense, principled person and candidate as well. I couldn’t help but respect the way that she broke Trump stooge William Barr into little pieces during his testimony as a part of his ongoing pale imitation of an attorney general. I would not have wanted to be on the other side of that podium, just as I would not have wanted to be Theo getting an earring or Denise starring in Angel Heart(wait, that was outside of the show). These are not women to cross. Though she’s probably currently sitting in third place in my personal power rankings (behind Mayor Pete and Cory Booker), I would be very happy to have her as the nominee and would love to see Trump’s tiny brain (to say nothing of those tiny hands) try to keep up with her on a debate stage. She would own him like we all owned ugly Cosby sweaters back in the day.
Pete Buttigieg = Alex P. Keaton
Here’s yet another cross-political comparison to chew on: Mayor Pete, the earnest, hard-working political prodigy from South Bend, Indiana always makes me think of the iconic, earnest, Reagan-loving Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties. Alex was also a prodigy from the Midwest (the Keatons lived in Ohio) who stood above his peers and his family intellectually but still cared and showed the common touch, never more so than when he gave up his dream of Princeton to console his sister Mallory (Justine Bateman, sister to the much more famous Jason Bateman who had his own sitcom run in the 80s with Silver Spoonsand the short-lived It’s Your Move). They also both have a love for crisply starched white-collared shirts with monochromatic ties. And they basically have the same haircut.
Mayor Pete is my guy at the moment for his combination of intelligence, eloquence, composure, and thoughtful positions on seemingly every issue. Whenever I watch him, I think to myself: this is a guy I want representing me. He’s a gay combat veteran who’s run a medium-sized midwestern town; he can seemingly relate to a wide swath of people and win over their hearts. Just as Alex P. Keaton was my favorite sitcom character of the 80s and won over all our hearts. And that was even before he was Marty McFly and Teen Wolf (Doc Hollywood not so much). I loved Alex P. Keaton during the show’s run and even after, and I would love to be able to say the same about a Pete Buttigieg presidency.
Cory Booker = John Dorian
If Alex P. Keaton was my favorite sitcom character of the 80s, then John Dorian (“King of the Nerds”) was my favorite of the 00s. And no one in this crowded field epitomizes the earnest, all up in his feelings, new-age man quite like Cory Booker. I respect and admire Booker’s seemingly genuine earnestness and belief in people and the system. He really does seem to believe that love trumps all and that you need to be willing to win people over and work with them. I’m not convinced that he can win this hyper-partisan, party-before-country, Republican caucus over with any of his progressive proposals, but I’d love to see him try.
Like J.D. screwing up any number of relationships or opportunities with the fairer sex, I don’t think Booker has much of a shot. Though, like J.D. with Elliott, Heather Graham, Mandy Moore, and several others, Booker has punched above his weight in dating Rosario Dawson. So props to both of them. Mad respect. And not a little bit of jealousy. Booker is, in his heart of hearts, an idealist like J.D. He wants to see the best in people, even if it gets him into trouble from time to time and makes him seem naïve. We could use a bit of refreshing naivete in our otherwise cynical political system these days. EAAAGGGGLE!!!
Beto O’Rourke = I couldn’t think of a good sitcom doppelganger so please, submit suggestions in the comments
As an end note, a special thanks to some of my brother’s co-workers for kicking me in the ass and providing the necessary motivation/encouragement/inspiration to crank this blog out. You know who you are.
Too Many Thoughts, So Little Time 