The West Wing
S2E13
· Bartlet's Third State of the Union

Donna Defuses Josh's Pollster Accent Paranoia

As Josh's anxiety spirals post-gum confrontation, he escalates by loudly interrogating the pollsters' accents and speech capabilities, distrusting their Midwest origins despite Donna's defense that they are Joey Lucas' reliable team. Embarrassed, Donna firmly reassures him of their expertise, quelling his paranoia momentarily. Josh fixates on needing to be at the State of the Union, storming off with Donna trailing, amplifying the campaign team's frantic late-night tension and exposing Josh's unraveling control under high-stakes pressure—a setup for the night's cascading crises.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

3

Donna intervenes to defend the pollsters, emphasizing their experience, but Josh remains skeptical and paranoid.

defensiveness to irritation

Josh's paranoia escalates as he loudly questions if any pollsters have accents, showcasing his distrust and desperation.

irritation to embarrassment

Josh expresses his urgency to be elsewhere, while Donna reassures him, highlighting his distraction and her calming influence.

frustration to resignation

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

3
Female Pollster
primary

Defensive tension from prior gum rebuke, now stunned by public interrogation

As a key member of the polling team, stands silently amid the crowd staring at Josh after his gum confrontation escalates to yelling about accents, embodying the resented outsiders absorbing his paranoid scrutiny in the tense war room.

Goals in this moment
  • • Prepare for imminent polling calls without disruption
  • • Maintain composure despite White House operative's distrust
Active beliefs
  • • Midwest origins ensure clear, accent-free polling delivery
  • • Team expertise withstands external paranoia and scrutiny
Character traits
defiant professional resilient under pressure
Follow Female Pollster's journey
Joey Lucas
primary

Implied steadfast reliability unshaken by invoked skepticism

Referenced prominently by Donna as leader of the reliable Midwest polling team and by Josh who distrusts her judgment due to deafness, positioning her off-screen leadership as the anchor under fire in the confrontation.

Goals in this moment
  • • Ensure team's polling precision for White House needs
  • • Uphold organizational standards amid client pressures
Active beliefs
  • • Deafness does not impair leadership or team vetting
  • • Midwest pollsters deliver unbiased, accurate voter data
Character traits
battle-tested dependable
Follow Joey Lucas's journey
Donna Moss
primary

Embarrassed and exasperated yet professionally composed, masking irritation with firm reassurance

Donna intervenes smiling to defend the pollsters as experienced Joey Lucas' team from the Midwest, turns away embarrassed by Josh's yelling at the crowd, firmly reassures 'They're fine,' then trails after him while assuring the stunned group 'He's fine!'—steadying the chaos with poised damage control.

Goals in this moment
  • • Defuse Josh's outburst to protect polling operations
  • • Reassure and salvage the pollsters' morale and focus
Active beliefs
  • • Joey Lucas' Midwest team is highly reliable and professional
  • • Josh's paranoia stems from stress, not genuine flaws in the team
Character traits
loyal diplomatic resilient embarrassed composure
Follow Donna Moss's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Female Caller's Gum

The gum, recently chewed by the Female Pollster, serves as the lingering trigger for Josh's escalating paranoia, indirectly fueling his interrogation of the team's clarity and reliability—symbolizing casual Midwest habits clashing with presidential polling standards.

Before: Freshly placed in Female Pollster's mouth, chewed audibly
After: Presumably still chewed, but confrontation shifted to broader …
Before: Freshly placed in Female Pollster's mouth, chewed audibly
After: Presumably still chewed, but confrontation shifted to broader team flaws
Joey Lucas' Polling Phone Banks

Desks cluttered with phone banks and headsets frame the polling team's stations, silent witnesses to Josh's yelling outburst as pollsters stand amid them; functionally central to the impending calls, they underscore the high-stakes operations Josh distrusts, heightening narrative tension around deadline precision.

Before: Clustered on overrun desks, headsets ready, idle as …
After: Unchanged, poised for activation amid disrupted morale
Before: Clustered on overrun desks, headsets ready, idle as polling not yet started
After: Unchanged, poised for activation amid disrupted morale

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
National Strategies Group

The cramped, night-shrouded war room buzzes with latent energy as Josh paces and yells at the assembled pollsters, their stunned stares from amid computers amplifying the awkward confrontation; it embodies the chaotic nexus of White House demands and polling grind on SOTU night.

Atmosphere Awkwardly tense with nervous pacing, sudden yells, and embarrassed silences
Function Polling operations hub hosting late-night team under White House scrutiny
Symbolism Pressure-cooker of campaign frenzy where control unravels
Access Restricted to polling staff and authorized White House operatives like Josh and Donna
Computers and phones crammed on desks at 8:57 P.M. Crowd of pollsters frozen in collective stare Dim night lighting heightening frenetic isolation

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

2
National Strategies Group

Hosts the polling war room where its staff endures Josh's paranoid assault on their capabilities, with operations poised for presidential polls amid SOTU fallout—narrative pivot exposing vulnerabilities in external vendor reliability under White House heat.

Representation Through on-site pollsters at phone banks and computers
Power Dynamics Subordinate to White House demands, absorbing verbal challenges from client operative
Internal Dynamics Team cohesion tested by external outburst but defended externally
Launch accurate post-SOTU polling without delays Preserve operational morale despite disruptions Provision of voter data infrastructure and manpower Team presence enforcing disciplined polling protocols
Joey Lucas' Polling Team

Joey Lucas' Midwest team, defended by Donna, faces Josh's direct distrust over accents and leadership flaws, their silent professionalism under fire highlighting tensions in outsourced polling dependencies during crisis-timed data hunts.

Representation Via assembled pollsters invoked as 'Joey Lucas' people' working the banks
Power Dynamics Challenged and demeaned by White House skepticism despite proven expertise
Impact Underscores reliance on external contractors in high-stakes political ops
Deliver unbiased, accent-free polling for presidential metrics Weather client paranoia to meet razor-sharp deadlines Expertise in Midwest voter pulse translation Resilience via defended reputation and team grit

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

No narrative connections mapped yet

This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph

Key Dialogue

"DONNA: These people have done this before."
"JOSH: They're not our people. DONNA: They're Joey Lucas' people."
"JOSH: [yelling] Do any of you people have accents? ... Do any of you people have the power of speech? DONNA: They're fine."