Rathburn

Rathburn functions as an off-stage legislative contact whose recorded stance provides a fixed point in White House vote-counting. Referred to only by surname across episodes, Rathburn consistently refuses to change position on tight legislative questions — here, the ethanol tax-credit — forcing senior staff to confront the limits of persuasion and to rework tactical outreach. Politically discreet and absent from on-stage action, Rathburn’s immovability shapes executive decision-making by anchoring realistic expectations for narrow-margin outcomes.