C.J. Scrambles — Aides Missing in the Soybeans
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
C.J. approaches Donna to inquire about the whereabouts of Josh and Toby, who are delayed in the soybean fields.
Donna informs C.J. that Josh and Toby are talking to Cathy, the farmer's daughter, and jokes about their location.
C.J. emphasizes the urgency of getting Josh and Toby back as the motorcade is about to depart.
Donna assures C.J. she will retrieve Josh and Toby from the soybean fields.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Off-stage engagement: likely focused on persuading or listening to a local voter, possibly irritated at the delay but invested in on-the-ground persuasion.
Josh is referenced as being in the soybean fields talking to Cathy; he does not appear onstage and is therefore mentioned but not physically present in the exchange.
- • Connect with local voters to shore up support.
- • Glean everyday concerns to inform messaging.
- • Fulfill the campaign's retail-politics obligations despite time pressures.
- • Personal contact with voters matters for persuasion.
- • Time spent listening to locals can outweigh strict adherence to timetable.
- • Operational hiccups are acceptable when they produce political capital.
Controlled urgency: outwardly composed but clearly anxious about time and the President's itinerary.
C.J. interrupts the applause and crosses the stage to Donna, asking pointedly about Josh and Toby while conveying schedule urgency and the motorcade's imminent departure.
- • Confirm the location of Josh and Toby to preserve the campaign schedule.
- • Prevent any public embarrassment or logistical delay that could harm the President's appearance.
- • Maintain control of on-site operations and ensure timely departure for Unionville.
- • The campaign's public moments require tight choreography and cannot tolerate avoidable delays.
- • Any stray field conversation risks cascading logistical and political costs.
- • Senior staff must intervene directly to keep the show running.
Offstage, probably irritable or defensive about time lost to local meetings, but also committed to messaging accuracy.
Toby is referenced as being with Josh in the soybean fields talking to Cathy; he is offstage and only present as a reported location, not participating in the onstage exchange.
- • Ensure accurate communication of policy to locals.
- • Protect the campaign's message coherence when staff are spread thin.
- • Balance grassroots conversations with schedule demands.
- • Messaging must be precise even during retail politics.
- • Taking time with voters is necessary but risky for schedule adherence.
- • Operational discipline matters to prevent political cost.
Energized and rhetorically driven, unaware of the immediate logistical hiccup's details but invested in maintaining the momentum of his message.
Bartlet is mid-speech on energy alternatives on the stage; he continues delivering rhetorical points while staff exchange happens out of his direct focus but within earshot of the event's public performance.
- • Deliver a powerful energy-policy speech that defines the campaign's contrast with opponents.
- • Sustain public enthusiasm and avoid letting operational issues detract from his message.
- • Use anecdote-driven rhetoric to position the administration as progressive on energy.
- • Public speech moments must advance the campaign's narrative about alternatives to big oil.
- • Americans can see through opportunistic obstruction and will reward bold policy talk.
- • Small logistical distractions should not derail the substance or tone of the address.
Mildly concerned but pragmatic; she absorbs C.J.'s urgency and immediately offers to solve the problem without theatrical anxiety.
Donna stands offstage, answers C.J. conversationally that Josh and Toby are in the soybean fields with Cathy, then volunteers to go fetch them—turning a conversational aside into immediate logistical action.
- • Retrieve Josh and Toby to prevent the motorcade from leaving without key staff.
- • Resolve the logistical snag quickly so the President's schedule is protected.
- • Minimize public attention to behind-the-scenes disorganization.
- • Operational problems are best addressed by stepping in and doing the work.
- • A small, on-the-ground fix can prevent larger political fallout.
- • The campaign depends on aides' rapid improvisation to preserve appearances.
Uplifted and roused by the speech; unaware of the operational tension unfolding near the stage.
The crowd chants and cheers, providing the aural backdrop that both conceals and amplifies the backstage exchange; their enthusiasm propels Bartlet's rhetoric and masks the logistical anxiety of staff.
- • Express support for the President and energize the rally.
- • Provide a positive atmosphere that legitimizes Bartlet's message.
- • Maintain visible enthusiasm to support campaign optics.
- • Cheering and collective approval strengthen the candidate's public standing.
- • Public displays of support are valuable regardless of backstage chaos.
- • Campaign rallies are celebratory spaces first, logistical ones second.
Engaged and explanatory offstage; likely earnest in describing local issues to campaign staff.
Cathy is referenced by Donna and C.J. as the local (farmer's daughter) speaking with Josh and Toby in the soybean fields; she is offstage and functions as the catalyst for the delay.
- • Communicate local agricultural concerns to campaign representatives.
- • Represent community interests in conversation with staff.
- • Potentially offer logistical help or context to the campaign team.
- • Local voices deserve time and attention from political representatives.
- • Practical, on-the-ground issues (like farm economics) matter more than abstract schedule constraints.
- • Direct dialogue is the best way to influence policy talk.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Soybean Fields are the offstage location where Josh and Toby are engaged with Cathy; they serve as the origin of the delay and a tangible reminder of retail politics' pull on the campaign's schedule.
Unionville is the next-scheduled stop referenced as the destination the motorcade must reach; it functions as the scheduling constraint that converts an amiable field conversation into an urgent operational problem.
The Campaign Rally Stage is the immediate physical locus where Bartlet delivers his energy speech and where C.J. crosses to reach Donna; it frames the public performance and the private logistical whisper that follows.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Texaco is invoked by Bartlet as an exemplar of big oil whose pricing and influence the administration is attacking; in this event the company functions as rhetorical antagonist and shorthand for entrenched fossil-fuel interests.
Shell is likewise referenced as emblematic of 'big oil'—Bartlet uses the company's name to crystallize his critique of opponents and to rally public support for energy alternatives.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Bartlet's call for American heroes and reaching for the stars in his speech is echoed in his later reflective speech about memorable experiences."
Key Dialogue
"C.J.: "Where are Josh and Toby?""
"Donna: "They're in the soybean fields, talking to Cathy.""
"C.J.: "He's wrapping up, and we're getting right in the car. We're already late for Unionville.""