Object

Senior Staff Clipboard

Multiple senior staff members clutch this clipboard during the frantic two-minute confidence drill in Toby's office. It secures scribbled notes for positive reinforcement prompts and pins a crumpled ten-dollar bill—the wager C.J. owes—under its clip. Toby grips it first, passing it amid Leo's barked orders as Josh, Sam, and C.J. crowd in, the prop anchoring their rushed rally to bolster Bartlet before the debate.

3 appearances

Purpose

Holds notes for the positive-only drill and secures the staff wager during the confidence intervention.

Significance

Anchors the high-stakes psychological test Leo runs on Bartlet, blending administrative notes with the ten-dollar bet to heighten tension and reveal staff loyalty when the President baits their honest fury.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S4E6 · Game On

Two‑Minute Confidence Drill — The President's Test

The Senior Staff Clipboard appears as a prop anchoring rehearsal discipline: it contains notes, a ten‑dollar wager and is referenced as the wager for 'ten words.' It symbolizes stakes and the ritualized nature of drills.

Before: On a staff member's clipboard in the communications area, holding scribbled prompts and a ten‑dollar bill under the clip.

After: Remains with staff as they leave the Oval; the ten‑dollar wager is claimed verbally and the prop continues to signal rehearsal rituals.

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S4E6 · Game On

Two‑Minute Drill — Sam's Plea and the President's Test

The Senior Staff Clipboard is referenced as carrying a ten‑dollar bill that symbolizes a lighthearted wager among staff; it appears during the Outer Oval/ Oval movement and punctuates the levity after the drill succeeds.

Before: On C.J.'s clipboard in the Outer Oval Office, containing a crumpled ten‑dollar bill under the clip.

After: Still on C.J.'s clipboard; the bet is verbally settled in the Oval after Bartlet reveals the drill's success.

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S4E6 · Game On

The Two‑Minute Confidence Test

The senior staff clipboard — with a ten‑dollar bill clipped under its clip — is mentioned as a running bet among staff, symbolizing small wagers on performance and functioning as a tactile prop anchoring the drill's ritual. It's referenced to lighten tension and mark the successful test with a bet payoff.

Before: On C.J.'s clipboard in the Outer Oval Office, ten‑dollar bill clipped and conspicuous as a lighthearted wager.

After: Remains clipped on the clipboard; the bet is acknowledged verbally after the reveal (ten bucks exchanged in jest).

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