Bartlet Brokers Contracts and Accountability for Kimball's Crisis
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bartlet enters Leo's office and nostalgically reminisces about Pong, establishing a light-hearted tone before shifting to serious matters.
Bartlet reads a note from Leo, abruptly shifting the conversation to the financial crisis facing Jake Kimball, revealing Leo's initial proposal for a loan guarantee.
Bartlet proposes an alternative to the loan guarantee: maintaining government contracts, showcasing his strategic economic thinking and political savvy.
Jake Kimball pledges to cut executive salaries instead of laying off workers, demonstrating corporate responsibility and shared sacrifice.
Bartlet conditions his assistance on Jake Kimball ceasing all campaign contributions, asserting ethical governance over political gain.
Bartlet lightens the mood with a jest about computers before abruptly excusing himself for a photo op, contrasting gravity with abrupt transition.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Overwhelmed gratitude mingled with profound relief and exhaustion
Seated in stunned desperation, Kimball responds haltingly to Pong query, disavows knowledge of loan request, gratefully accepts contract lifeline, commits to forgoing two years' salary and 50% manager pay cuts before layoffs, absorbing Bartlet's conditions with overwhelmed silence and appreciation.
- • Salvage Antares from chip recall collapse
- • Minimize layoffs of 75,000 workers through personal concessions
- • Leadership demands personal sacrifice in crisis
- • Presidential aid, even indirect, can avert catastrophe without entitlement
Amused confidence overlaying steely resolve and paternal concern
Bartlet enters Leo's office, eases despair with playful Pong nostalgia, reads loan note, rejects guarantee outright, pivots to pledge White House as premier customer via contracts, probes worker protections, imposes donation ban on Democrats, delivers self-deprecating quip, and abruptly exits for photo op, commanding the room with charisma.
- • Secure Antares' viability without direct financial bailout
- • Uphold ethical boundaries by severing political contributions
- • Protect 75,000 jobs through indirect government support
- • Corporate bailouts must include moral accountability to avoid corruption
- • Personal sacrifices by leaders legitimize public aid
- • Humor disarms crisis, fostering productive negotiation
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Leo hands Bartlet the note detailing loan guarantee proposal; Bartlet reads it aloud, immediately rejecting it as unfeasible, using it as springboard to propose superior contract-based aid. It symbolizes Kimball's unspoken desperation, catalyzing the negotiation's pivot from bailout to ethical partnership.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Bartlet leverages the White House's procurement power, pledging it as Antares' largest customer through ongoing government contracts coordinated via Congress, transforming institutional purchasing into a lifeline amid recall crisis without direct loans, underscoring executive economic muscle.
Bartlet explicitly bans Kimball from further campaign contributions to Democrats (including himself), severing potential quid pro quo in bailout deal, highlighting ethical firewalls between corporate rescue and partisan gain amid electoral pressures.
Narrative Connections
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Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"BARTLET: "We'll stay his biggest customer. When you announce your recall, you can announce you're keeping your government contracts. Leo will work it out with Congress.""
"JAKE: "I won't be taking any salary for two years and my managers will cut their salaries by 50 percent before we even consider laying anyone off.""
"BARTLET: "One more thing: you can't make any more campaign contributions to me, or any Democrat. You can vote, but that's it.""