Leo Unleashes Fiery Rejection of Historic Censure
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Jordan confronts Leo about leaving her behind after the meeting, hinting at her persistence and Leo's dismissive attitude.
Leo interrupts Jordan to call Margaret, highlighting his frustration with the intrusion and lack of control over his office.
Jordan presses Leo with examples of trivial non-binding resolutions to downplay the censure's significance.
Leo delivers a passionate rebuttal, asserting the censure's historical gravity and refusing to be complicit in the President's public shaming.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Determined persistence laced with frustration at dismissal
Jordan bursts into Leo's office, confronting him sharply about abandoning her after the meeting, then relentlessly recites examples of inconsequential non-binding resolutions from Congress to argue the censure lacks real power, undeterred by his repeated interruptions.
- • Persuade Leo to accept the censure deal as harmless expediency
- • Counter his dismissal by proving non-binding resolutions are trivial
- • Censure is symbolically empty, like resolutions praising Little League or Ohio's motto
- • Political pragmatism outweighs symbolic defiance in scandal navigation
Exasperated amusement at unfolding disorder
Margaret responds promptly to Leo's call amid the intrusion, delivering a wry quip about the system's chaos before withdrawing, underscoring the office's frenetic atmosphere without further engaging the debate.
- • Support Leo's gatekeeping by acknowledging the intrusion
- • Lighten tension with humorous observation
- • White House operations are spiraling out of control amid scandal
- • Humor aids in managing chaotic interruptions
Seething frustration erupting into righteous indignation
Leo deflects Jordan's pursuit with sarcasm about her purse, repeatedly claims meetings to evade, then unleashes a passionate interruption elevating the censure to historic condemnation by all 535 in Congress, vowing personal prevention as he storms toward his budget meeting.
- • Shut down Jordan's pitch and reject the censure outright
- • Assert Congress's democratic weight to protect President's honor
- • Congressional censure, even non-binding, devastates as moral indictment from democracy's core
- • Personal loyalty to Bartlet demands blocking any shame on his presidency
significantly referenced as the target of the proposed historic congressional censure for lying and deserving shame
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Jordan's purse becomes the flashpoint for Leo's abrupt exit excuse—he justifies ditching her by quipping you 'can't wait for someone to get their purse together' during a strong exit—serving as a narrative prop that humanizes her pursuit while underscoring his impatience and the personal cost of his defiance.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Little League Baseball exemplifies Jordan's arsenal of 'toothless' congressional non-binding resolutions, cited to mock the censure's impotence alongside Ohio mottos and Mongolia ties, contrasting harmless youth sports praise with Leo's view of censure as profound condemnation.
United States Congress looms as the event's antagonistic force, invoked through Jordan's trivial resolution examples and Leo's scorching elevation of its censure power—535 members poised for history's first presidential rebuke—driving the core conflict over scandal resolution and testing White House loyalty against institutional judgment.
Narrative Connections
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Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"JORDAN: It's a non-binding resolution. Do you know what that means? LEO: No, could you tell me, 'cause I've really started to take an interest in government lately."
"JORDAN: A resolution in support of Little League baseball. LEO: Jordan... JORDAN: A resolution recogniz... LEO: This isn't that! This is 535 Congressmen and Senators standing up and saying the President lied and should be ashamed of himself. And this is us standing up and saying you're right. This would be the first time in history a President has been censured. Congress isn't talk radio. It's the seat of democracy, their opinion matters and their condemnation doesn't have to come with handcuffs to be devastating to this President. That is the force and effect and it's not going to happen because of me."