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Alan Alda as Senator Arnold Vinick,
Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman,
Jimmy Smits as Matt Santos
NBC Universal Photo: Mitch Haddad
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Written by: John Wells, Directed by: Alex Graves
- Broadcast: January 26, 2005 (9 pm ET on NBC)
- Query: Could a Turkish court sentence a woman to be executed for adultery?
- Query: What was that song at the end of the episode?
- Query: What were the background songs at the beginning?
- Although focusing on New Hampshire, Josh and Santos go to Iowa where Josh and Donna (there with the Russell campaign) end up with hotel rooms across from each other. The next morning each has a 5:45 wake up call and each immediately turns on the TV to see the same news story, etc. The rest of each of their days has a similarity although the details are different. Each of three candidates that day (we follow Vinick through the same kinds of things after he has a 5:45 wake up call as well) deals with ethanol and what to tell the Iowa Corn Grower's Expo about this product as each addresses the group at different times this day. Even Russell, whose speech is first, tells Will,
- "It takes more oil to transport it and fertilize it than we save using it"
"Sir, you're not considering changing the speech?"
"...Don't worry, I'm not suicidal. I'm going to take the pledge."
- Josh has more trouble with Santos and his wife both of whom have serious concerns about the ethanol subsidy. Mrs. Santos, mentions,
 Teri Polo as Helen Santos
NBC Universal Photo: Mitch Haddad
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- "Ethanol is subsidized to the tune of what a billion dollars a year, Josh?" Later she turns to her husband and says, "...Honey, a billion dollars a year to make a gasoline additive?"
Still later Santos tells Josh, "You know, Helen's not wrong about ethanol.... It's bad for the environment, its expensive. Mother of all panders.... Transportation is difficult. Storage is a nightmare.... It's corporate welfare.... Seventy-five percent of the money goes to the richest 10% of American farmers...."
"Yeah, well explain it to them after someone's actually elected us to something, okay?"
"...You're trying to steer me to middle of the road positions.... and supporting ethanol's a mistake." Santos fights against this support right up to when he goes to the stage and at the last minute he allows himself to be persuaded by Josh.
- Then we start the day again, this time with Arnold Vinick who is on record as being opposed to ethanol. His people are trying to get him to change his position.
- "A Republican can't win the White House without the farm belt...."
"Making a gallon of ethanol takes almost a gallon of oil.... You have that Profiles in Spinelessness speech of yours." But by the time of his speech, his people have convinced him that he has to do it, but up on the stage, he finds he can't go through with it.
- Later as snow starts to fall, Santos and Vinick find themselves together and they discuss their various positions, public and private as Vinick tells Santos,
- "I read about that education plan you introduced in New Hampshire. That's pretty gutsy stuff...."
"Saw the ethanol speech."
"Well, that wasn't gutsy so much as suicidal. Or so my staff tells me.... My staff is very proud."
"Well, if they weren't, I was."
"You're not an ethanol fan?"
"Not until today."
- Josh finally gets to bed, only to start it all over with a wake up call at 5:45 the next morning.
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#613 "King Corn"
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