Council of Economic Advisers

Description

Leo flags a CEA meeting during West Wing hallway scheduling with Margaret and Toby, while Ginger pulls related lists. Staff treat the Council of Economic Advisers as a routine White House advisory stop, integrating economic inputs from agriculture, jobs data, environment, education, and intelligence into cohesive policy guidance for President Bartlet.

Event Involvements

Events with structured involvement data

4 events
S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I
Sam Is Made the President's 'Wide‑Angle Lens'

The Council of Economic Advisors is invoked as one of the briefings Sam must synthesize for the President; their work becomes one thread in a complex weave of policy areas Sam must connect.

Active Representation

Referenced via Josh's instruction — their input is abstracted as part of the President's briefing load.

Power Dynamics

Advisory body whose analyses feed executive decision-making; in this scene their influence is indirect but consequential.

Institutional Impact

Forces a synthesis of policy domains, showing how expert bodies create inputs that require integration by trusted staff.

Internal Dynamics

Not depicted directly; the need for synthesis implies potential silos between economics and other policy domains.

Organizational Goals
Ensure the President has accurate economic analysis Shape policy choices through briefing and data
Influence Mechanisms
Provision of economic briefings and memos Reputation as authoritative analysts shaping presidential priorities
S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I
Wide‑Angle Handoff on a Country Road

The Council of Economic Advisors is referenced by Josh as one of the inputs that Sam must relate to the President's other meetings; it functions as one strand of the complex informational weave Sam must synthesize.

Active Representation

Through the content of briefings and meetings Josh instructs Sam to reconcile.

Power Dynamics

A policy advisory body that exerts intellectual influence on presidential decisions, requiring translation by staff into actionable context.

Institutional Impact

Raises the stakes for Sam's role: failure to synthesize could create policy blind spots during a critical day.

Internal Dynamics

Operates as a technocratic input requiring coordination with other departments and staff synthesizers.

Organizational Goals
Ensure economic advice reaches the President in usable form Maintain continuity of policy input despite staff reshuffling
Influence Mechanisms
Technical briefings and reports Institutional authority and expertise
S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy
Policing the Word, Closing the Door

The Council of Economic Advisers is referenced through the 'CEA' shorthand and the injunction to avoid the word 'recession,' signaling how economic framing is centrally mediated by advisory bodies and messaging teams.

Active Representation

Mentioned as the meeting whose language must be controlled ('The CEA?').

Power Dynamics

Advisory influence on administration messaging; not coercive but shaping public framing through guidance.

Institutional Impact

Illustrates how technical advisory bodies indirectly shape political communications and internal discipline.

Internal Dynamics

Not dramatized; operates as background expertise guiding phrasing.

Organizational Goals
Shape economic messaging to avoid alarming language. Provide expert framing to support administration narratives.
Influence Mechanisms
Policy advice and briefings Control over economic terminology used by the administration
S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy
Kroft Nomination Dies; Toby Scrambles for Safe Slots

The Council of Economic Advisers is named in the hallway as the topic of Leo's next engagement ('The CEA?') and sets the immediate operational context for the exchange, adding weight to Leo's need for swift resolution.

Active Representation

Referenced as an upcoming meeting topic that must be balanced against personnel decisions.

Power Dynamics

Advisory body whose meetings command senior staff attention; its concerns can re-prioritize schedules and decisions.

Institutional Impact

Functions as a calibrator for public messaging and internal priorities, shaping how staff frame and justify personnel moves.

Internal Dynamics

Operates outside this appointment fight but exerts time and rhetorical constraints on staff behavior.

Organizational Goals
Advise on economic messaging and potential recession risks. Ensure policy coherence within the administration's public posture.
Influence Mechanisms
Agenda-setting through scheduled briefings Expertise that persuades senior staff to avoid certain language ('recession')