Leo Abruptly Rejects VP Running Mate Proposal
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Leo enters the room, shifting the conversation's focus to his potential as a running mate.
Josh proposes Leo as a potential running mate, sparking a debate about his suitability.
Leo dismisses the idea of being Vice-President, citing his past struggles with addiction.
Leo leaves the room, leaving Josh and others to ponder his candidacy and the implications of his past.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Pensive determination undercut by dawning realization
Josh initiates the bold pitch of Leo as Bartlet's running mate, persists against Leo's rejections, joins light banter on parking spaces, and ends pensive as Leo exits, his impulsive ambition hanging in the air.
- • Convince team Leo is viable running mate
- • Leverage historical precedents to justify risky pivot
- • Political necessity trumps personal flaws in leaders
- • Leo's indispensability makes him a logical replacement
N/A (historical reference)
Abraham Lincoln referenced via C.J.'s anecdote: defending Grant's drinking by sending whiskey to all generals, embodying pragmatic loyalty to effective leaders despite flaws.
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- • Genius outweighs personal failings
- • Support flawed victors unconditionally
N/A (historical reference)
Ulysses S. Grant is repeatedly invoked as flawed precedent—drunk general who voted against his party yet won the Civil War—anchoring the debate on tolerating personal demons for political victory.
- • N/A
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- • Personal flaws irrelevant to leadership efficacy
- • Electoral imperfections forgivable for triumph
Sardonic detachment veiling strategic calculation
Toby reinforces Grant precedent with Civil War win quip, banters sarcastically about coveting Leo's parking space, affirms C.J.'s point, his wry cynicism lightening the tension briefly.
- • Bolster historical argument for flawed leaders
- • Defuse tension with humor amid desperate debate
- • Victory excuses vices in great leaders
- • Parking space perks symbolize insider power
N/A (mentioned)
Josiah Bartlet named in Josh's pitch as head of the 'Bartlet-McGarry' ticket, his hypothetical pairing with Leo fueling the desperate electoral brainstorm.
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- • Loyalty prioritizes proven allies
Resolute steel masking underlying vulnerability
Leo enters abruptly, delivers curt rejections ('Done,' 'Yes, it is'), engages minimal banter on parking, sharply challenges hypocrisy on alcoholics as VP, stands, and exits decisively, slamming the door on the idea.
- • Shut down running mate speculation immediately
- • Defend AA anonymity and personal recovery boundaries
- • Sobriety is non-negotiable, even for political gain
- • Hypocrisy in judging addicts ignores historical truths
wry
Defends Grant as a viable historical example, references Leo's drinking and valium history, and recounts Lincoln's anecdote about Grant.
- • Use historical analogies to argue for overlooking personal flaws in VP candidates like Leo.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Roosevelt Room serves as the nocturnal crucible for senior staff's high-stakes debate on dumping VP Hoynes, where historical ghosts like Grant and Lincoln are summoned to justify pitching Leo amid Idaho crisis shadows, its polished confines amplifying fractured loyalties and abrupt shutdown.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Leo's dismissal of his Vice-Presidential candidacy due to his past addiction and Hoynes' sobriety revelation both explore the theme of personal vulnerability in the face of political scrutiny."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"JOSH: What about Leo? LEO: What'd I do? JOSH: As running mate. Bartlet-McGarry. LEO: Done."
"C.J.: You know, if it weren't for the drinking and the valium... And yet Grant..."
"LEO: You guys don't think an alcoholic can be Vice-President? You really think the 20th century didn't see an alcoholic in the West Wing? I'll be around."