Endorsement and staff loyalty tug-of-war: outside actors (Stackhouse and his aides) and White House operatives (Josh, Susan, Amy) spar over timing, optics, and whether to push or restrain the Senator — producing tactical pressure sessions, private conf...
Endorsement and staff loyalty tug-of-war: outside actors (Stackhouse and his aides) and White House operatives (Josh, Susan, Amy) spar over timing, optics, and whether to push or restrain the Senator — producing tactical pressure sessions, private confrontations, and a quiet resolution when Stackhouse signals endorsement.
Events in This Arc
Josh assembles prominent Democratic figures at Senator Howard Stackhouse's headquarters to secure an endorsement and force clarity on policy (notably needle exchange) and timing. Rather than capitulate, Stackhouse repeatedly deflects—claiming …
In a terse, emotionally charged exchange in Senator Stackhouse’s waiting room, Amy forces a personal reckoning with Josh: she accuses him of still being angry about her losing a job …
Susan engineers a late-night, private handoff between Senator Stackhouse and President Bartlet where Stackhouse quietly praises Bartlet's restraint and, using a new-pilot/ instruments metaphor, signals a morning endorsement. That tacit …