Fabula
S3E10 · H. Con-172
S3E10
· H. Con-172

Bartlet Presses Leo on Censure Offer, Met with Deflecting Loyalty

In the Oval Office, President Bartlet eagerly shifts from admiring Charlie's gifted map to probing Chief of Staff Leo about the previous night's congressional meeting, zeroing in on the censure offer to halt damaging hearings. Leo evasively downplays it as 'nothing' and a 'non-starter,' swiftly diverting to budget battles over child poverty funding before formally terminating the exchange. This clipped confrontation reveals Leo's fierce protective loyalty—shielding Bartlet from scandal's weight—while exposing Bartlet's insistent hunger for transparency, escalating tension and foreshadowing the President's drive toward public accountability amid political peril.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

6

Bartlet probes Leo about the previous night's meeting, sensing evasion.

curiosity to suspicion

Leo deflects Bartlet's questions, dismissing the meeting's significance.

defensiveness to frustration

Bartlet persists, cutting through Leo's deflection to confront the censure offer directly.

persistence to confrontation

Leo confirms the censure offer but quickly shifts focus to budget concerns, attempting to divert attention.

reluctance to diversion

Bartlet acknowledges the budget issue but remains focused on Leo's evasion, signaling unresolved tension.

acknowledgment to tension

Leo formally concludes the conversation, maintaining his protective stance despite Bartlet's probing.

formality to unresolved tension

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Abigail Bartlet
primary

persistent

Presses Leo for details on the previous night's congressional meeting and the censure offer, acknowledges budget concerns but urges action to retain child poverty funding, then ends the exchange to attend a security briefing

Goals in this moment
  • • Obtain transparency on the censure offer from the congressional meeting
  • • Direct Leo to fight for child poverty fund in budget negotiations
Character traits
supportive poised strategically vital
Follow Abigail Bartlet's journey
Leo McGarry
primary

Feigned nonchalance veiling fierce protective resolve

Leo stands firm in the Oval Office, evasively downplaying the congressional meeting as 'nothing' and the censure offer as a 'non-starter,' swiftly diverting to budget pressures from OMB and Treasury while formally closing the exchange with deferential respect.

Goals in this moment
  • • Shield Bartlet from emotional weight of censure details
  • • Redirect focus to actionable budget crisis
Active beliefs
  • • Censure proposal unworthy of presidential concern
  • • Loyalty demands absorbing scandal's brunt alone
Character traits
evasive protective loyal stoic decisive
Follow Leo McGarry's journey

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

2
Department of the Treasury

Treasury joins OMB in Leo's warning as co-architects of the budget assault on the child poverty initiative, their combined pressure serving Leo's pivot to dilute censure talk—illustrating executive branch fractures where finance trumps scandal in immediate threats.

Representation Cited alongside OMB in strategic dialogue
Power Dynamics Collaborative fiscal powerhouses constraining policy ambitions
Impact Highlights interagency leverage eroding campaign promises
Advocate dropping poverty fund amid State of the Union revisions Prioritize macroeconomic stability over targeted aid Joint budgetary advisories High-level meeting protocols
Office of Travel and Tourism

OMB is invoked by Leo as a key adversary in the imminent budget meeting, pushing to excise the child poverty fund from the State of the Union—symbolizing bureaucratic fiscal hawks clashing with Bartlet's social vision, heightening the diversion from scandal.

Representation Referenced institutionally via Leo's briefing dialogue
Power Dynamics Advisory enforcers wielding veto-like influence over presidential priorities
Impact Exposes tension between Oval idealism and federal pragmatism
Recommend slashing child poverty fund for budgetary restraint Impose realistic fiscal limits on ambitious social programs Formal budget recommendations Interagency collaboration with Treasury

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"BARTLET: "Censure?""
"LEO: "Yeah. Anyway, I'm going to go to a budget meeting where the OMB and treasury are going to recommend we drop the child poverty fund from the State of the Union.""
"LEO: "Thank you, Mr. President.""