His name is Josiah, but people call him Jed. Hence the source of the confusion.
Ahhh, I see ! Thanks.
Oh, goodie, Jeremy’s going to the White House!
It seems like Aaron is very loyal…Dana Whitaker was on, Donna had a bit part in Sports Night…I want Casey to show up.
Yes, Josh thought that Hoynes had made the calls, no one would suspect that Bartlett would do something like that. I never thought that was in doubt. Josh was trying to solve the Minority Leader problem and it lead to Hoynes. Who else would have made the calls? As it turns out, someone else did.
But when Hoynes said he was rafting instead of in Hawaii, ie out of phone contact, Josh quickly figured out that he didn’t make the calls. And his quick political mind figured out that the only other person who could have locked up the caucus leaders was Bartlett. Leo was the only one who could confront the Prez with that so he went to Leo.
Another point about loyalty. Sam was planning on running his campaign as a Bartlett loyalist, even though he didn’t endorse all of those policies himself. He was doing it out of loyalty to Bartlett, who is a mentor and a father figure. The Prez told him to be loyal to his own ideals, be true to himself if he really wants to make a difference.
Which is why Will Bailey will be such a good replacement for Sam. He’ll have to learn how to supress his ideals and play with a team if he wants to accomplish things.
This was the first episode of the series that Aaron Sorkin didn’t write, which explains why it was kind of dull and everyone seemed slightly out of character. According to Sorkin, it’s also gonna be the last episode written by someone else, at least until he leaves the show entirely. Which I think is a Good Thing.
So it looks like Will Bailey’s going to be the new Sam. I am completely opposed to this, and the thing is I have no idea why. I like the character and I love Josh Malina and I’d certainly like to keep him around in some capacity, but the idea of him as a member of the core senior staff just feels absolutely wrong somehow. I’m kind of surprised, too, that they wouldn’t want to use this as an opportunity to add some diversity to the show (Sorkin’s said before that an all-white, overwhelmingly male senior staff is not what he had in mind).
And here I thought it was just me.
I find myself watching WW with the mute on and the closed captioning because of all the mumbling. I’m a New Yorker, the fast talk doesn’t throw me, but mumbling does.
I had no idea what was up with that bounced check business, and I thought I’d missed something.
Q. for the group - the look on Bartlett’s face at the end makes me wonder. Do you think he knew his thank you phone calls to the local workers would be taken as an unspoken request for them to work for Hoynes come 2004, or do you think he was genuinely surprised they were taken that way?
Dr. R.
Based on what I’ve seen of Bartlett so far, I say he knew what the reaction would be. Hoynes bit the bullet for Bartlett, so he’s returning the favor. It follows the themes of the episode.
I was watching (on the exercise bike with a fan running on “high”) and I was going crazy from not making out one line in ten. Glad to know it was the show, not the conditions I was listening in. Normally there are many more hints as to various storylines–I had no clue while the show was developing what all the rafting/Hawaii references meant, and I was swearing to watch it in the future wiht no distractions, with the closed-captioning on, with a pad to take notes handy, etc. Too much like work.
I do not like the idea of Will Bailey being a senior staffer. I just don’t see him fitting in with the others. Is it normal to jump from campaign manager to senior White House staffer? (I think track records speak for themselves - TV commentators, maybe, not senior staffers.) seems like a stretch but maybe something the prez would do if pitched to him the right way.
Another “Me Too” for the whole check thing. What the hell was that all about?
Dr. R., I think POTUS knew exactly how those calls would be taken, I was getting that he doesn’t know how to not campaign and that was all about the fact that Bartlett’s last campaign ever just ended.
king of spain Where did you hear that about Sorkin?
I think the whole rafting/Hawaii thing was this. Josh thought Hoynes had gone to Hawaii, where he could have been in seclusion and made all those phone calls. It would have been setting up his politcal stategy for 2006 right after the election, not unwise, but it could cause a big problem for Bartlett’s attempts to get legislation passed. Witness the Minority Leader being pissed. He was accusing Hoynes of being, if not disloyal, then manipulative.
Hoynes has been very loyal, he bit the bullet on gun control down in Texas and didn’t run against Bartlett. He went rafting, where he physically couldn’t make the phone calls, not even be tempted to try. He’s been exceedingly loyal and now gets called on the carpet by Josh for something that Bartlett did! They don’t trust him after all he’s done and he’s pissed. He’s being treated like an afterthought, they only come to him when they think he’s been bad. He may be mad at Bartlett for not informing his staff of the phone calls, too.
At least that’s my interpretation. YMMV. Bartlett knew exactly what those phone calls would do, he’s paying off his debt to Hoynes.
Which thing about Sorkin? About him not writing this episode, or about wanting more diversity in the cast?
I’m also glad Hoynes called Josh out for his comment that Hoynes had a constitutional responsibility to serve the President. The VP does not. He can’t be fired.
king of spain Sorry. I meant the part about Sorkin saying it would be the last episode written by someone else.
Thanks.
The whole Bartlett/Hoynes/Josh deal plays off of several previous episodes. Josh was a senior staffer for Hoynes at the beginning of the 98 election, when Hoynes was the frontrunner and was assumed to be a lock for the nomination. But Josh wasn’t entirely satisfied with Hoynes–Josh is a liberal and Hoynes is a middle of the road compromising moderate. Josh jumped ship to join the much more liberal Bartlett (who has described himself as “the most liberal president” anyone in congress is likely to see in their careers). The line, “You would have been good at Leo’s job,” was a jab at that. Hoynes was commenting both that he could have been doing Leo’s job (and thus been the second most powerful man in the US), and that he’ll likely never have that chance now, 'cause Hoynes ain’t gonna be offering him anything else.
Bartlett feels an obligation to Hoynes for a lot of reasons. The primary that Bartlett won against Hoynes wasn’t pretty, and Bartlett knew he was too liberal to win in the general election without the moderates that voted for Hoynes. Bartlett offered Hoynes the VP slot, which just isn’t done (offering VP to the primary runner up), enticing him with the implication that he’d not run again (because of the MS) and would get behind Hoynes in 2002. With this promise in mind (either implied or explicit, it isn’t exactly clear) Hoynes actually started to campaign in 2000, which led to the press sniffing around about why it seemed the VP was seperating himself from the POTUS, and led to the MS story being broken.
Bartlett and company convinced Hoynes to step aside–he could have mounted a pretty good challenge–and support Bartlett’s second run. Hoynes, being politically savvy, knew that a challenge would be political suicide (he’d split the party) did what was best for him and for the party. He stepped aside because, in the words of this episode, it wasn’t his turn. This implies, of course, that his turn will come, and that he’d be getting a return on his investment of time and loyalty.
Josh, Leo, and Toby all want Bartlett to use the second term differently than the first. Bartlett, for the first time in his life, doesn’t have to be concerned with reelection, so he’s fee to take chances and really make a difference–hence the “screw the politics, just do the right thing” stance he took with the boy’s heart/lung transplant.
On another note: If I understand it correctly, the Orange County race is the only one undecided, and the House is currently tied, and the winner will control the House, so both parties, which usually ignore this district as a foregone conclusion (like Hawaii going Democratic and Alaska Republican), are sending in their big guns, which is why Will Bailey is out.
Bailey and Winnie Cooper are definitely going to be moving into the West Wing. Danica McKeller was doing the talk show/entertainment “news” circuit talking about her new role before the season started. I normally try to avoid such shows, because they tend to give away crucial plot lines, but then again this is NBC, which tends to put every major plot point for every major show into their promos anyway, and then run them to death. Anyway, my wife loves these celebrity gab fests, and I can’t help but overhear such things while I’m reading here or playing Diablo 2.
If I understand correctly (which after last night’s failure to explain anything is a big “if”) - it’s a Republican controlled house and senate. BUT, all the other elections are done right now - the Orange County thing is the only show in town, so the big guns can go there - their attention isn’t being dragged away by the other 435 congressional, 33 senatorial, and who knows how many gubanatorial races. (BTW, didn’t Amy say she’d help Sam? Why wasn’t she mentioned in Will’s speech?)
Also, I think it’s supposed to be a kind of springboard for the party - if they can win in a Republican stronghold it’ll do excellent things as far as getting the party faithful back in line, generating more money for more fights down the road, a very good pushoff position (even if they lose, they won’t look horrendously bad, who expects a Democrat to win in Orange County?)
What was it Sam was saying a couple of weeks ago, when it first became apparent that there was a possibility of the Democratic candidate winning and Sam had to decide if he really ought to put his name in? Something about running and losing would mean he would never again have a chance to run for public office on his own? What does that mean?
A special election so close to the presidential election would be a big deal. It would be an instant measuring stick about the president’s popularity.
None one expects the Democrats to win this seat, Orange Country is the most Rebuplican country in CA. The Dems are in a no lose situation, no one has any expectations. No one expected the dead guy to win, and now that there’s attention here, no one expects Sam to win.
As a future candidate, Sam is worried that his first campaign will be a loss. Even though there are very low expectations, it could taint his record. No one will nominate him again, or so is his concern. It seems pretty remote to me, after all no one expects him to win here so why would this taint his career as a politician?