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Allison Janney as C.J. Gregg
and Kristin Chenoweth as Annabeth Schott
NBC Universal Photo: Scott Greenfield
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Written by: Carol Flint, Directed by: Richard Schiff
- Takes Place: Before Super Tuesday.
- Broadcast: March 02, 2005
- Information: About one week after The West Wing discusses Japan dumping some of their investments in Treasure bonds The New Your Times reported "the Japanese prime minister made remarks that suggested the country's central bank could be shifting some of its huge reserves out of dollars and Treasury securities."
- Cliff is now working as a legislative affairs liaison for the White House. Today his assignment is to gather Democrats for a House vote on stem cell research. Santos flies in from the campaign trail for the vote. The VP also comes by just to talk to House members. Meeting outside Donna tells Josh, Cliff and Will,
- "We have the votes...."
But then Santos comes out really angry. "Son of a bitch."
"What happened?" Josh asks him.
"Nothing to do with democracy.... Speaker saw just how many Democrats were back in town, did the math, pulled the vote.... Game over. We've been had."
- Meanwhile, back in the Oval, Bartlet is given the news that the economist with whom he "split" his Nobel Prize is there for a dinner that evening. Bartlet is not please and after Abbey takes the other economist away, Bartlet murmurs to C.J.,
- "Smug son of a bitch...."
"All due respect, sir. You sit in this office. You're pretty much not allowed to harbor professional jealousies."
Even knowing how it sounds, Bartlet can't resist saying, "He started it."
- Kate is amazed to find herself dealing with a border skirmish between some U.S. hunters and authorities in Canada. Will tries to relay advice from the VP who hunts in that area himself and is concerned that we not appear weak in any way.
- "There is no 'we' in this. It's 15 drunks in camo vests," she tells him.
"The Vice President advocates a hard line."
"Permanent lockout in the NHL? Maple sirup embargo? Turn off Niagara Falls?
- Santos isn't ready to give up on this stem cell vote. The Speaker will call the vote again once all the Democrats are back on the campaign trail. So Santos arranges to meet Cliff at his new office (Josh's old office). Josh isn't pleased Santos is sticking around on this.
- "This is lose-lose. As long as you stay, Haffley won't call the vote. As soon as you leave he will. There's no way to change that."
"There is one way. If you'd just hear me out.... But I am going to need you to iron out some crucial details with Cliff."
- As Santos flies off in his private plane to a campaign event, Josh tells Cliff he will secretly return right afterwards and that Josh is going to arrange for the Santos supporters to also return to the Capital. Cliff arranges with an Arkansas Democrat who sleeps in his office (though he isn't too sure about the stem cell issue) to help get people back into the building. Cloak and dagger, sneaking around the building, intrique, misdirection follow. Cliff shows C.J. how he intends to push Haffley into calling the vote in the morning when all the Democrats are secretly still in town (camped out in the Vice President's office on the Hill).
- And while everything else is going on Toby has been dealing with some very young students who are making a case against adults making choices now without consulting the non-voting underaged people who will be most affected. Toby gets one of the students into the President's press conference which Bartlet has decided to make about the deficit. When the President calls on him, the student asks,
- "Do you think the budget deficit is especially unfair to younger Americans?"
"Absolutely. We're passing on a crushing debt to our children. That's not something a responsible parent would choose to do.... As adults we're not shouldering our responsibility and your generation has a vested interest."
- Later, after congratulating Kate on keeping peace with our Northern neighbor, C.J. stops in to tell Cliff,
- "Good work."
"Group effort. Santos was the brains, 216 Congressmen and women did the voting."
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#617 "A Good Day"
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