Bartlet's Brusk Rejection of the South Carolina Pivot
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
C.J. critiques the campaign's media misstep by highlighting their failure to have the candidate ready for the live interview.
Toby proposes abandoning New Hampshire to focus on South Carolina, sparking a strategic debate among the team.
The team outlines a long-shot strategy to win the Illinois primary, leveraging South Carolina as a stepping stone.
Bartlet dismisses the detailed planning with his trademark 'What's next?', signaling his readiness to move forward.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
frustrated by error but strategically focused
C.J. clicks off the embarrassing tape, leads post-mortem by asking what went wrong—'We didn't have the candidate'—then joins pitch for South Carolina pivot, underscoring Wiley beat as key to momentum, her analytical poise steadying the room.
- • expose TV spot failure for improvement
- • bolster South Carolina strategy pitch
- • candidate presence is critical for media wins
- • pivoting to SC builds unstoppable delegate math
determined impatience masking steely confidence
Bartlet owns the TV blow-up, repeatedly interrupts pivot pitch with 'What's next?'—clarifying it signals readiness to move on—reaffirms NH win intent, confuses new faces like Toby and Josh, rises and exits decisively, ending debate.
- • reject pragmatic retreat from NH
- • imprint leadership resolve on staff
- • true wins come from contested battles
- • granular pivots undermine bold candidacy
calmly assessing amid controlled chaos
Leo prompts Toby's pitch, probes 'Why?', confirms Wiley dropout/endorsement/money potential via Josh, declares 'We're done' after Bartlet's exit, trades knowing sarcasm with Josh on candidate's likability.
- • evaluate pivot viability
- • reinforce hierarchy by closing meeting
- • Wiley's post-SC collapse yields Bartlet boost
- • Few truly grasp Bartlet's appeal
buoyed by mathematical path forward
Sam affirms Toby—'He's right'—cites Bartlet's 69% Democratic win rarity, details SC second-place steam, 3/7 losses for Hoynes, North/PNW splits, Illinois win sweeping table to California/NY.
- • bolster SC-Super Tuesday strategy with data
- • project Illinois as campaign climax
- • regional splits fracture Hoynes' lead
- • Illinois victory triggers national runaway
neutral and observational
TV Reporter delivers voice-over via played tape, clinically reporting straw poll results—Bartlet's third-place surge at 19%, Wiley's 22%, leader's 48%—before noting the absent live feed of Bartlet, setting up the critique of campaign missteps.
- • deliver accurate election updates
- • transition to live candidate interview
- • straw polls signal primary momentum
- • Bartlet's third-place is a surprising story
urgent pragmatism bordering on insistence
Toby self-introduces, boldly proposes ditching NH—'Nothing to win here'—outlines full path: solo SC vs. Hoynes-Wiley fight, endorsements/money, splits into Super Tuesday/Illinois 'High Noon', undeterred by Bartlet's cuts.
- • convince team to abandon unwinnable NH
- • map delegate path via SC momentum
- • NH third-place caps expectations at embarrassment
- • uncontested SC unlocks endorsements and cash
Referenced repeatedly as leading Democratic rival fighting for strong second in NH, unbeatable in SC South but vulnerable in later contests
Significantly referenced as rival who drew 22% in straw poll, expected to vie for second in NH and drop out after SC, with potential endorsement/money for Bartlet
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
South Carolina looms as the proposed uncontested haven in staff pitch—solo Bartlet run while rivals clash in NH—framed as momentum-builder with Wiley dropout, seeding endorsements/money toward later contests, its absence in NH calculus heightening pivot stakes.
Illinois Primary crystallizes as pitched 'High Noon' climax—a week post-Super Tuesday where SC-fueled steam could vault Bartlet to sweep California/NY, transforming NH setback into national charge, its decisive weight anchoring the entire strategy debate.
Manchester's Bartlet campaign HQ serves as the pressure-cooker strategy hub where staff confronts grim straw poll tape and pitches audacious pivot, Bartlet's defiance electrifying the air—symbolizing the gritty frontline of underdog presidential ambition amid primary brinkmanship.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Bartlet's 'What's next?' in the campaign flashback is mirrored in his repetition of it by Josh's hospital bed, linking past and present resolve."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"C.J.: "Okay, who can tell me what we did wrong there?""
"BARTLET: "I blew it. What's next?""
"TOBY: "Let's get out of New Hampshire.""
"BARTLET: "Well, that's it, then. And we saved people the trouble of voting. What's next?""