Cantina

isolationist fiscally conservative obstructive predictably oppositional

Senator Cantina consistently opposes foreign spending as a U.S. Senator. Staff reference his record of never voting to send money anywhere, including no votes on U.N. dues and Kosovo peacekeeping. Josh dismisses outreach efforts, calling him unlikely to support bills involving aid or international funding. Will predicts he will burn time rather than switch, marking him as a reliable obstacle in tight legislative fights over deadlines.

3 appearances

U.S. Senate foreign aid legislation

Also known as: Cantina, CANTINA

Cantina's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

3 moments

S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Countdown Panic: Josh’s Resignation and the Hardin Gamble

Not present; characterized dismissively by staff as a non-viable option.

Cantina is invoked by Josh as a hopeless outreach target — a shorthand for an ideologue who never votes to send money abroad and therefore is written off as unwinnable.

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S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Start the Clock — Hardin Becomes the Swing Vote

Not present; implied oppositional and immovable.

Invoked by Josh as a reliably obstructionist senator who 'never votes to send any money anywhere' — used as a rhetorical foil in the vote calculus.

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S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Counting Votes, Buying Prayers

Not present; referenced as a political shorthand to explain expected obstruction.

Senator Cantina is invoked by Will as an example of a predictable no-vote (no on U.N. dues, no on Kosovo peacekeeping), framing the difficulties Josh faces in whipping votes; Cantina …

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Affiliation

Senate Leadership

Legislative appointment gatekeeping and partisan control over federal agency composition and confirmation processes