Josh Dispatches Reluctant Donna to Reclaim Flender Votes
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Josh calls for Donna urgently, revealing his frustration as she takes her time to respond.
Josh informs Donna that the Flenders, a family they know, are voting for Ritchie, which alarms him given the symbolic importance of Hartsfield's Landing.
Donna questions why Jennifer Flender emails Josh, leading to a brief, tense exchange about his past interactions with her.
Josh emphasizes the critical nature of the Flenders' votes in Hartsfield's Landing and pressures Donna to intervene.
Donna reluctantly agrees to contact the Flenders but points out the logistical and ethical constraints of using government resources for this purpose.
Donna insists on taking Josh's coat for her mission, ending the scene with a light-hearted yet determined exchange.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Determined intensity laced with frustrated urgency
Seated at his desk by the computer writing, Josh summons Donna twice, reveals the Flender email betrayal, hands her the contact paper, relentlessly insists she call them from a cell in Lafayette Park to flip their votes, corrects her on details with wry humor, and yields his coat as she exits.
- • Secure the Flenders' votes to win Hartsfield's Landing
- • Overcome Donna's resistance to execute the outreach
- • Every single vote in a symbolic primary can define the national narrative
- • Retail politics demands personal connection over ethics in tight races
Grievance-driven disloyalty (inferred)
Mack and Roberta Flender invoked as tackle shop owners whose defection to Ritchie—revealed via daughter's email—spurs the outreach mission; prior hospitality to Donna noted as leverage.
- • Vote against Bartlet due to personal issues
- • Administration policies harm local economy
Vulnerable to micro-defections (inferred)
The President referenced as target of Flenders' grievances, whose two votes Josh desperately seeks to reclaim for symbolic primary win.
- • Dominate Hartsfield's Landing for narrative momentum
- • Small victories portend national triumph
Jealous sharpness yielding to reluctant resolve
Bursts into Josh's office nearly hitting him with the door, probes jealously about Jennifer's crush and sleeping with her, raises ethical qualms on voter intimidation via government phone, reluctantly agrees after his pressure, grabs his coat, and heads out to make the cell call.
- • Avoid crossing ethical lines in voter contact
- • Support Josh's campaign imperative despite personal qualms
- • Government resources cannot be used for voter pressure
- • Personal connections from prior visits can sway the Flenders
Threatening momentum (inferred)
Referenced repeatedly as the rival gaining the Flenders' votes in Hartsfield's Landing, fueling Josh's urgency without physical presence.
- • Capture symbolic Hartsfield's Landing victory
- • Local defections signal broader primary weakness
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Josh mandates Donna use her personal cell phone for the Flender call to evade government logs, elevating it as the covert instrument of political salvage in this ethics-skirting gambit for Hartsfield's edge.
Josh hands Donna this creased paper bearing Mack and Roberta Flender's contact numbers, transforming it from desk prop to mission-critical tool for voter reconquest, symbolizing the granular stakes of retail politics in a high-wire primary.
Donna identifies Josh's government phone as unusable for voter pressure due to traceability rules, prompting the pivot to cell phone; it underscores ethical boundaries and institutional constraints amid frantic politicking.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Hartsfield's Landing looms as the prophetic polling ground where Flenders' two votes could tip 21 hours of national coverage; Josh obsesses over its 12:01 cast and 12:07 count, making it the event's symbolic battleground.
Josh directs Donna to Lafayette Park for the cell call, its public anonymity shielding the voter outreach from White House scrutiny; evokes exposure and improvisation, contrasting office intensity with street-level grit amid night chill.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Josh's initial alarm over the Flenders voting for Ritchie evolves into his acceptance of their democratic right, showing his character growth."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"JOSH: "The daughter just e-mailed me and told me her parents are voting for Ritchie.""
"DONNA: "You didn't sleep with the Flender girl, did you?" JOSH: "She's twenty years old.""
"JOSH: "Cell phone, Lafayette Park, and a warm coat.""