Fitzwallace Frenzy: Hoynes Independent Threat Fractures Staff
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The team discusses Fitzwallace's political reliability and regional appeal post-dumping Hoynes, strategizing the potential electoral realignment.
C.J. and Toby escalate concerns about Hoynes retaliating as an Independent, fracturing their base and creating a three-way race.
Josh dismisses the threat of Hoynes going rogue, invoking historical precedent (Aaron Burr), but Toby counters with the humiliation they're inflicting.
The meeting circles back to its chaotic start with Josh's exasperated admission they still don't know Fitzwallace's party affiliation.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Frustrated optimism curdling into exasperation at mounting pessimism
Josh leads the meeting with fervent pitches for Fitzwallace's game-changing appeal, dismisses Hoynes' independent bid as absurd by invoking Aaron Burr, pushes back against doomsayers while acknowledging the strategic void left by the debate.
- • Secure consensus on Fitzwallace as viable VP replacement
- • Discredit Hoynes independent run to maintain two-man race focus
- • Fitzwallace's heroism trumps party affiliation in crisis
- • Hoynes lacks the recklessness for a self-destructive independent campaign
N/A (discussed humiliation fueling rage)
Hoynes invoked as humiliated wildcard, his corporate ties, conservative Democrat base, and populist independents poised for 15-20% independent run, turning two-man race into three-way electoral hellscape.
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grim
Warning against assuming a two-man race, highlighting dangers of Hoynes' base creating a three-way split, shrugging at Josh's Burr reference, and noting it's Josh's meeting.
- • Caution the group on electoral risks of a three-way race with Hoynes
Grim concern laced with sardonic inevitability
Toby pierces the hype by questioning Fitzwallace's Democratic ties, escalates with stark prediction of Hoynes' independent revenge fueled by humiliation, quantifying the electoral doom at 15-20% start.
- • Expose risks in Fitzwallace's unproven loyalty
- • Force realism by highlighting Hoynes' viable third-party threat
- • Party affiliation gaps doom opportunistic VP picks
- • Public humiliation guarantees Hoynes' vengeful defection
N/A (discussed absence)
Fitzwallace looms as spectral centerpiece via his folder's photo and bio, dissected for Vietnam decorations, hawk credentials, and Northeast/Southern appeal, but loyalty doubts undermine his viability.
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optimistic
Highlighting potential astronomical black turnout in Georgia, North Carolina, and Louisiana under Fitzwallace.
- • Support Fitzwallace to put southern states on the table electorally
optimistic
Praising Fitzwallace's Vietnam decorations and defense hawk status, noting no Republican criticism, and defending the plausibility of Hoynes running independently.
- • Promote Fitzwallace's viability as VP replacement to realign southern states
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Scene opens with tight shot on Fitzwallace's Folder splayed open on the table, his photo and Vietnam/political data anchoring the debate as staff touts heroism and turnout surges while probing loyalty gaps, serving as narrative catalyst fueling optimism-to-doom pivot.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Roosevelt Room hosts high-stakes midnight strategy huddle where staff circles the table dissecting VP calculus, folder at center; late-night isolation amplifies raw panic as electoral maps fracture under Hoynes threat, embodying White House power's precarious knife-edge.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Conservative Democrats flagged as Hoynes' bedrock base rallying to his independent humiliation-fueled run, per C.J. and Toby, priming Southern surges that doom Bartlet in three-way split, weaponizing factional resentment.
Populist Independents cited alongside conservative Democrats as Hoynes' independent army, starting at 15-20% and making every state competitive, per Toby's math; their defection evokes three-way apocalypse, shattering staff illusions.
Democratic Party affiliation becomes flashpoint as Toby demands proof of Fitzwallace's loyalty, contrasting Josh's assumption he'd join now; specter of defection fractures unity amid VP scramble, underscoring ideological purity vs. pragmatic desperation.
Narrative Connections
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Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"TOBY: "Does anyone even know if he's a Democrat?""
"TOBY: "John Hoynes.""
"TOBY: "Some future he'll have after we publicly humiliate him by kicking him off the ticket.""