Driveway Crisis — Colorado Breaks the Coalition
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Josh informs C.J. that they are a vote down due to Colorado, introducing the primary crisis of the scene.
C.J. confirms their immediate return to address the vote crisis, marking a shift from public interaction to crisis management.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Alarmed and frustrated — brisk, professional panic that prioritizes consequence over ceremony.
On the phone, Josh delivers the decisive, crisis-defining line: 'We're a vote down' and specifies 'Colorado happened,' reframing a public appearance into an emergency that compels staff to mobilize.
- • Inform senior staff of the critical vote loss immediately
- • Trigger administrative action to salvage the legislative effort
- • Every single Senate vote can decide the fate of the bill
- • Delay or misinformation at this moment will cost the administration politically
Urgent and concerned; focused on moving the President safely while honoring the constituent's plea.
Charlie collects items handed to the President — a book and a blue-envelope letter — then urgently tries to extract Bartlet from the crowd: 'Mr. President, you have to go, sir.' He balances constituent care and protective duty.
- • Get the President away from the crowd and back to secure transport
- • Ensure the constituent's letter is not lost and is acknowledged
- • The President's presence at a crisis scene is risky and must be managed
- • Constituent stories matter and need to be preserved for policy considerations
Cordial and engaged on the surface, potentially slightly insulated from the immediate political panic.
President Bartlet remains in the handshake rhythm, warmly engaging constituents and accepting a book, even as staff try to extract him — embodying public accessibility amid rising backstage alarm.
- • Maintain connection and accessibility with constituents
- • Preserve the optics of approachability and calm
- • Public contact is politically and morally important
- • Staff will manage urgent issues without need for abrupt personal intrusion
Anxious but resolute — driven by need and the desire to be heard by the highest office.
The Hispanic woman waves a blue envelope, insists the letter is not for an autograph, and presses Charlie to read it, representing an urgent personal stake in the administration's policy decisions.
- • Deliver her letter directly to the President
- • Ensure the real-world consequences of policy are recognized by decision-makers
- • Personal stories can influence policy decisions
- • Direct appeal to the President increases the chance of being heard
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
A spectator hands Bartlet a book during the walkabout; Bartlet immediately passes it to Charlie. The book functions as a benign gift and as a prop that underscores the normalcy of the event before the crisis intrudes.
The presidential limousines sit idling at the driveway, a visual cue of mobility and exit strategy; staff and the President move toward them when the crisis call comes, converting a staging prop into the immediate means of departure.
The blue-envelope servicewoman's letter is thrust into Charlie's hand by the Hispanic woman, signaling a human dimension to the foreign aid debate; it punctuates the scene by reminding staff and viewers what legislation will mean for real people.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Colorado is invoked verbally as the specific source of the defecting vote; as a referenced location it becomes the proximate cause of the emergency, collapsing geographic politics into immediate operational consequence.
The exterior driveway is the performative stage where Bartlet interacts with constituents and where the crisis intrudes; its openness enables accessibility but also complicates rapid extraction, making it a contested space between optics and operational urgency.
The political event building functions as the origin of the procession onto the driveway; its doors demarcate the transition from controlled interior briefing to public exposure where the vote loss is revealed and must be managed.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The crowd of spectators manifests as the physical constituency whose cheers, gifts, and letters create both the desired optics and the logistical friction in this moment; their presence personalizes policy while complicating immediate presidential movement.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The Hispanic woman handing Charlie the blue envelope is the same servicewoman whose letter Charlie later takes personal interest in, connecting the human element to the policy debate."
"The Hispanic woman handing Charlie the blue envelope is the same servicewoman whose letter Charlie later takes personal interest in, connecting the human element to the policy debate."
Key Dialogue
"JOSH: We're a vote down."
"C.J.: Okay, we're coming back."
"CHARLIE: Mr. President, you have to go, sir."