The Tie He Won't Cast
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Hoynes probes about vote whipping efforts, revealing his reluctance to break with long-held Senate positions.
Leo delivers the President's formal request for Hoynes to break the tie, couched in political pragmatism.
Hoynes passionately defends his Senate record and predicts political fallout, refusing to be maneuvered.
Hoynes cuts through policy arguments to expose the raw political calculus behind Leo's request.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Defensive and resolute; a mix of moral certainty and political self-preservation, with an edge of exasperation toward being asked to compromise his past positions.
Hoynes enters, listens, and replies with a blunt, principled refusal. He invokes his Senate record, enumerates policy objections to the ethanol credit, and warns of partisan retribution, closing off Leo's request.
- • Avoid being forced to flip his long-held Senate position for short-term political gain
- • Protect his political legacy and future standing by refusing to provide ammunition to opponents
- • His prior votes against the ethanol credit were correct and must be honored
- • If he votes for the credit now, Republican adversaries will punish him severely later
- • Personal political survival and consistency outweigh the administration's immediate legislative needs
Calmly urgent with an undercurrent of disappointment and quiet resignation; masking frustration while attempting to manage damage.
Leo delivers the President's request directly and practically, cites the policy's benefits (jobs, investment), and attempts to translate a political problem into a constitutional ask — he is authoritative but privately unsettled.
- • Secure Hoynes' tie-breaking vote to pass the ethanol tax credit
- • Limit political fallout for the President by resolving the deadlock
- • Convince Hoynes by appealing to practical outcomes (jobs, investment)
- • The ethanol tax credit yields tangible economic benefits worth the political cost
- • The Vice President has a constitutional duty to cast tie-breaking votes when required
- • Personal appeals and practical arguments can still move political actors
Professional, attentive, and unobtrusive — stabilizing the moment without intruding on the senior conversation.
Margaret briefly appears to announce Hoynes' arrival and then recedes; her presence frames the scene's formal entry and underscores the office's operational routines.
- • Ensure the meeting begins smoothly by announcing visitors
- • Maintain the procedural rhythm of the Chief of Staff's office
- • The Chief of Staff's office must be run with order and protocol
- • Her role is to enable senior staff interactions through quiet logistics
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The ethanol tax credit functions as the tangible stake around which the argument turns: Leo cites its economic case (16,000 jobs; $4 billion invested) to persuade Hoynes, while Hoynes counters with technical and strategic critiques. The policy paper is the reason for the request and the metric of what the administration risks losing.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Leo's office is the intimate site of a private, consequential negotiation. The room functions as a pressure chamber where institutional obligations collide with personal reputation; small gestures and factual citations carry outsized weight as Leo attempts to convert protocol into persuasion.
The United States Senate functions as the absent but omnipresent arena where the tie-break would occur; it is referenced as the destination and procedure that would enact the policy if the Vice President consents to travel and vote.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Hoynes's passionate defense of his Senate record and integrity is later acknowledged by Bartlet, transforming a political defeat into a moment of respect."
Key Dialogue
"LEO: "The President needs you to go down there and fulfill one of your two constitutional responsibilities and vote for the ethanol tax credit. We need you to break the tie. He also wanted me to tell you that he regrets putting you in this position.""
"HOYNES: "You got to get me off the hook, Leo. You can't ask me to do this.""
"HOYNES: "I spent 8 years in the Senate voting against this exact tax credit. I was right, by the way, and I'm still right, but the point is... The Republicans will make me eat it for dinner when my time comes.""