Hoynes Masters Flooding Crisis with Razor-Sharp Insight
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Vice President Hoynes engages with reporters and senior citizens about unexpected flooding, showcasing his public persona and political acumen.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Defensive under scrutiny yet professionally sharp
Reporters engage in photo-op frenzy, one explains high snowmelt as flood cause under Hoynes' grilling, their choral pressure underscoring predictive fumbles amid seniors and aqueduct stats.
- • Elicit admissions on flooding prediction errors
- • Probe VP's crisis handling for press angles
- • Administration unprepared for obvious environmental risks
- • Public deserves accountability on disaster foresight
Confident authority laced with defiant amusement
Hoynes poses affably with quilt-holding seniors for photos, probes reporters and guests on flood prediction failures with sharp wit and sun quip, recites precise aqueduct stats to Candy, then spars confidently with Toby over oil policy, shrugging off gouging claims and volunteering for a press counterpunch.
- • Demonstrate crisis expertise to burnish presidential stature
- • Seize oil rebuttal opportunity to assert independence from White House line
- • Oil industry faces legitimate regulatory pressures beyond gouging
- • His personal intervention trumps institutional responses like Trotter's speeches
Determined persistence veiling frustration at VP overreach
Toby enters purposefully as guests exit, greets Hoynes politely, sits to confront him on Sluman's FTC testimony blaming emissions for price hikes, insists on gouging narrative, proposes Trotter rebuttal then offers notes for Hoynes' presser, exits after barbed exchange on Family Wellness Act vote.
- • Counter Sluman's accusations to protect White House emissions policy
- • Secure Hoynes' alignment on oil rebuttal without yielding control
- • Oil companies exploit regulations for profiteering gouging
- • Bartlet administration's environmental standards outweigh industry complaints
Focused professionalism amid high-stakes optics
Candy absorbs Hoynes' precise flood stats on 25 million acre-feet, affirms 'Yes, sir' crisply, then escorts seniors including men out of the room.
- • Relay crisis data accurately for team prep
- • Manage guest exit smoothly post-photo-op
- • Hoynes' stats bolster command narrative
- • Operational precision sustains VP's edge
Bewildered honesty amid crisis optics
Man 1st stands clutching quilt in photo-op, bluntly admits 'We don't know why' on flooding cause amid Hoynes' probes and reporter barrage, exiting with group.
- • Participate in symbolic photo-op recovery
- • Convey genuine constituent confusion
- • Flood origins defy simple prediction
- • VP engagement validates senior voices
Earnest urgency masked by politeness
Man 2nd poses steadily with quilt, responds attentively to Hoynes' sun quip with 'Sir?', then requests to see Toby Ziegler twice before exiting with Candy.
- • Secure access to key advisor Toby Ziegler
- • Leverage photo-op for insider connection
- • White House channels can address personal stakes
- • VP's warmth signals approachability
Assertive off-screen provocation
Philip Sluman referenced repeatedly as FTC testifier blaming White House emissions for price spikes, sparking Toby-Hoynes debate without physical presence.
- • Pin economic pain on administration policies
- • Pressure regulators via public testimony
- • Emissions additives drive unavoidable cost surges
- • White House greens ignore market realities
Notes unseasonably warm temperatures last month contributed to flooding.
Referenced as scheduled to deliver speech on energy efficiency to Detroit Economic Counsel, proposed for rebutting Sluman but deemed ineffective by Hoynes.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Senior Citizens' Quilts serve as heartfelt photo-op props clutched by guests flanking Hoynes, symbolizing flood-stricken California's human toll under Mural Room flashes, humanizing policy optics before debate shifts to oil wars, their vibrant patches contrasting crisis stats and ambition.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Mural Room hosts Hoynes' photo-op charm offensive with seniors, transitioning seamlessly to Toby's high-stakes oil policy confrontation, its glaring murals and antique fireplace witnessing flood expertise flex and VP ambition flare amid reporter probes and filibuster echoes.
California Aqueduct invoked by Hoynes as crisis centerpiece—twice Pennsylvania's length, surging 25 million acre-feet (eight trillion gallons) from snowmelt—its colossal scale wielded to dismantle flood prediction critiques, elevating VP's gravitas before oil pivot.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Oil Companies defended by Hoynes against Toby's gouging charges, their additives costs, shutdown risks, and price volatility central to debate, framing them as regulatory victims in emissions crossfire.
The White House targeted by Sluman's FTC barbs on emissions causing spikes, with Toby defending its standards as Toby pushes rebuttals, revealing internal VP-staff frictions over response strategy.
Federal Trade Commission surfaces as battleground for Sluman's testimony blaming White House emissions for price hikes, fueling Toby's intrusion and Hoynes' policy defense, positioning it as regulatory flashpoint in oil gouging crossfire.
Detroit Economic Counsel cited for Trotter's upcoming energy efficiency speech, proposed by Toby as Sluman rebuttal venue but dismissed by Hoynes as stale, underscoring risks of institutional voices in volatile terrain.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Hoynes' unexpected public admonishment of the oil industry foreshadows Toby's discovery of Hoynes' strategic political ambitions through leaked polling data."
Key Dialogue
"HOYNES: Tell me something, how did they not anticipate the flooding? REPORTER: There was an unexpectedly high snowmelt. HOYNES: The snow fell three months ago. Did they not think it was going to melt this year?"
"WOMAN: The temperatures were unseasonably warms last month. HOYNES: Well it could have been something due to the sun, though, right?"
"HOYNES: 25 million acre-feet of water, Candy, that's eight trillion gallons."