Back during the 2008 campaign when I read that both Barack Obama and John McCain said their favorite TV show was "The Wire" I thought, "Then why don't you campaign for the end of this insane drug war?" Within a year or two of Obama becoming President we saw that he was a very pragmatic progressive, tackling some of the essential issues such as funding clean energy but putting things like ending the drug war on the back burner.
We have seen some movement on this issue in the past couple of years as Attorney General Eric Holder working to end mandatory minimums and civil forfeitures. But this is far from enough. Much more needs to be done. The creator of "The Wire" certainly believes that. So he sat down this week to talk about the show and subtlety make the case for the end of the drug war. Watch A Conversation with President Obama and The Wire Creator David Simon and go below the fold for more.
The consensus among fans and critics of this new "Golden Age of TV Drama" is that "The Wire" is the greatest show in television history. David Simon's chronicle of the drug trade, police force, the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial society, the school system, and journalism is the single greatest text documenting America at the beginning of the 21st Century. Much has been written. I published a chapter on "'The Wire' and Urban Life: Baltimore Responds to its Image" last year in the book "Parasocial Politics." But no one makes the case for how the show reflects life in this time than Simon himself. If you ever get a chance to hear him speak do it.
I give Simon lots of credit for not using his opportunity to speak (on video) with President Obama about "The Wire" as a soapbox, but instead as time to discuss the drug war, what has been done to start to bring it to an end and what more needs to be done. As someone who has studied and written about the television production system for many years I have a great deal of respect for David Simon. He has navigated a very difficult system to create meaningful work. After watching this video I have even more respect for the man.