C.J. Quietly Backs Posner — Toby's Opposition Looms
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Mandy confronts C.J. about her stance on Larry Posner's Hollywood fundraiser, seeking support against Toby's opposition.
Mandy strategizes, shoring up support by confirming C.J.'s alignment on the fundraiser issue.
C.J. confirms her support with a terse 'I'm in,' sealing the tactical alliance with Mandy.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Cool composure with a hint of amused detachment—she's on-message and not easily rattled, but not indifferent to internal politics.
C.J. walks out carrying papers, listens without breaking stride, answers tersely that Mandy needn't worry about her and then delivers a concise 'I'm in' to close the ask; she uses wry humor about Roberto Benigni to distance celebrity antics from political consequence.
- • Signal support for the fundraiser without making a public spectacle or alienating colleagues.
- • Preserve communications discipline and avoid letting celebrity theater dictate messaging priorities.
- • Celebrity stories are entertaining but not politically decisive—real concern is internal staff alignment (specifically Toby's stance).
- • Her endorsement can be given quietly and strategically, preserving institutional coherence while placating fundraisers.
Determined and slightly anxious—she's polite but driven, masking worry beneath practiced salesmanship.
Madeline (Mandy) approaches C.J. in the corridor, delivers a compact lobby pitch to secure a vote for Larry Posner's fundraiser, shows pictures, and follows C.J. into the bullpen to keep the pressure on.
- • Obtain C.J.'s explicit support for Larry Posner's California fundraiser.
- • Preempt and neutralize anticipated internal opposition (notably from Toby) by building a pro‑fundraiser bloc.
- • Hollywood fund-raisers are strategically valuable enough to override the President's mild discomfort.
- • Securing endorsements from senior communicators (like C.J.) will blunt dissent and make the vote manageable.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
A slim stack of papers is carried by C.J. as she exits the Press Room and placed while she moves through the hallway and into the bullpen. The papers function as a workforce prop — signaling duty, a press schedule, and C.J.'s role — and punctuate the briskness of the exchange.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The West Wing hallway is where Mandy intercepts C.J. and initiates the sell. The corridor compresses private political bargaining into public transit space, turning a casual crossing into a staged moment of alliance-building.
The press-room-adjacent corridor is the originating vector for C.J.'s exit; it frames the exchange as an offshoot of press operations, reminding that communications staffers must reconcile optics with internal politics.
The secretaries' bullpen becomes the continuation and partial containment of the conversation — C.J. moves into it, Mandy follows, and the bullpen's glass creates a small stage where the sell is visible to others while remaining semi-private.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"MANDY: "I know the President's not wild about Larry Posner's fund-raiser on the California trip, but I think we can't pass. And I want to know where you were on this.""
"C.J.: "You don't have to worry about me on Hollywood fund-raisers. You have to worry about Toby.""
"C.J.: "I'm in.""