Phillips

Phillips anchors Democratic strategy sessions with unflinching defense of Vice President Hoynes amid Roosevelt Room panic over President Bartlet's MS diagnosis. He parries attacks from peers naming Wetland, Hutchinson, and Gillette, reframing successor talk as harmless 'what if' hypotheticals while wielding Hoynes' fundraising dominance as irrefutable shield. Tension spikes as Sam erupts in loyalty-fueled shutdown, yet Phillips persists—pleading, underscoring party pragmatism that clashes against personal fealty. His voice carves space for contingency without concession, embodying the strategist's tightrope between crisis calculus and alliance preservation.