Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is backtracking after his “pitch” for Democrats to replace President Joe Biden on the 2024 presidential ticket with a Republican drew ire from prominent liberals across the internet on Sunday.
But now that Biden has officially dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic front-runner, Sorkin borrowed The West Wing cast member Joshua Malina’s X account to declare, “I take it all back. Harris for America!”
In an op-ed published by The New York Times, Sorkin said the Democratic Party could put their money “where our mouth is” by nominating a GOP moderate like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT).
A Romney nomination would be a “clear and powerful demonstration” that this year’s presidential election “isn’t about what our elections are usually about it, but about stopping a deranged man from taking power,” according to Sorkin. “Surely Mr. Romney, who doesn’t have to be introduced to voters, would peel off enough Republican votes to win, probably by a lot.”
More than a few Democrats weren’t convinced by Sorkin’s suggestion, which he said was a play on how he would write for his award-winning show The West Wing.
“We need a complete and total shutdown of op-eds entering the United States until we can figure out what the hell is going on,” tweeted former Obama staffer turned podcaster Tommy Vietor.
To political consultant Christine Pelosi, daughter of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sorkin’s plan sounded like bad reality TV.
“No Aaron Sorkin, we’re NOT nominating Mitt Romney. Hey Palin-picker Steve Schmidt with replacement fever game show dreams, wake up!” she tweeted. “Republicans are the party of reality TV; Democrats are the party of reality. And here in reality, 4,000+ Biden DNC delegates get certified today.”
Democratic communications consultant Tim Hogan was in disbelief that the essay was authored by Sorkin, tweeting, “I had to go to the NYT op-ed page to make sure the Aaron Sorkin piece wasn’t fake.”
However, activist Monica Lewinsky was among the few Democrats who applauded Sorkin for adding to the discourse about how the party could move forward without Biden.
“Whether you agree with this Hail Mary or not, it’s brave to put it into the mix for discussion,” Lewinsky tweeted. “All options should be on the table. the stakes are too high. via @NYTOpinion.”
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