Bartlet's Scriptural Smackdown of Jenna Jacobs
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
President Bartlet makes his entrance to applause and flashbulbs, delivering a sardonic election night joke about falsifying results before his attention locks onto conservative radio host Jenna Jacobs.
Bartlet methodically dismantles Dr. Jenna Jacobs' credentials, exposing her English Literature degree as she justifies using 'Doctor' title on her advice show while citing biblical authority for anti-gay rhetoric.
Bartlet unleashes a devastating rhetorical assault, citing obscure biblical injunctions about slavery, Sabbath work, dead pigs, and mixed fabrics to expose the hypocrisy of selective biblical literalism, reducing Jacobs to squirming discomfort.
Bartlet delivers the final humiliation, commanding Jacobs to stand as protocol demands when the President stands, then reveals to Toby that this exact tactic defeated his political rival Roush years earlier.
Sam Seaborn adds insult to injury by casually taking a crab puff from Jacobs' plate, completing her public humiliation as the White House staff exits leaving her isolated and embarrassed.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Boastful and jovially insistent
Gary banters boastfully with C.J. about his 'Gary with a G' persona on KADR AM before she excuses herself, standing aside as the room shifts focus to the President's entrance.
- • Promote his radio show and persona
- • Engage Press Secretary for visibility
- • Branded gimmicks build listener loyalty
- • Personal charm trumps substance in media
Calmly urgent
Secret Service Agent silently catches C.J.'s eye, prompting her to excuse herself from Gary and introduce the President, enforcing seamless security transition into the main event.
- • Cue Press Secretary for protocol
- • Ensure secure presidential entry
- • Non-verbal signals maintain discretion
- • Security overrides social pleasantries
Polite and professionally attentive
C.J. excuses herself from Gary, moves to the center of the room, and announces the President's entrance, prompting applause and flashbulbs as Bartlet enters, facilitating the charged confrontation.
- • Smoothly transition to President's remarks
- • Maintain event protocol amid media presence
- • Presidential appearances demand precise orchestration
- • Media interactions require gracious navigation
Casually amused and irreverent
Sam approaches Jenna holding her plate post-confrontation, casually announces 'I'm just... I'm gonna take that crab puff,' snatches it, and exits, punctuating the tension with levity.
- • Lighten the ideological heaviness
- • Claim the prop for comedic beat
- • Humor defuses political theater
- • Petty victories follow major ones
Quietly satisfied with the takedown
Toby stands ready as Bartlet calls his name post-confrontation, responds affirmatively 'Yes, Mr. President,' exchanges loaded glances with humiliated Jenna Jacobs before departing the reception.
- • Acknowledge President's victorious tactic
- • Gauge fallout from Jacobs' humiliation
- • Intellectual superiority dismantles hypocrisy
- • Past strategies recur effectively
Squirming defensiveness masking ideological rigidity
Jenna Jacobs sits defiantly during Bartlet's speech, tersely defends her Ph.D. in English Lit and cites Leviticus 18:22, fidgets uncomfortably under biblical barrage, stands after glare, exchanges glances with Toby as Sam swipes her crab puff.
- • Uphold biblical stance on homosexuality
- • Preserve personal and professional dignity
- • Scriptural authority supersedes credentials
- • Selective literalism aligns with conservatism
Intensely focused
Photographers relentlessly snap pictures of guests, with flashbulbs erupting as Bartlet enters amid applause, capturing the escalating confrontation and ideological takedown for public record.
- • Document key political moments
- • Capture viral imagery of presidential exchange
- • Flashbulbs amplify White House optics
- • Visuals shape national narratives
Neutrally professional
Unnamed Waiter glides through the reception with a platter of crab puffs early in the scene, providing atmospheric sustenance amid photographers and guests before the confrontation unfolds.
- • Circulate hors d'oeuvres smoothly
- • Support event logistics without disruption
- • Service enables high-stakes gatherings
- • Invisibility heightens staff effectiveness
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Platter of crab puffs circulates via waiter through the reception's early buzz, establishing festive yet tense atmosphere as backdrop to Bartlet's entrance and verbal assault, symbolizing superficial civility amid brewing conflict.
Jenna Jacobs' crab puff, toothpick-skewered on her plate, serves as comedic punctuation when Sam snatches it after the takedown, diffusing tension through petty theft and drawing awkward smiles, embodying lighthearted triumph over defeated foe.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Radio Hosts' Reception Area hosts the high-stakes political theater where flashbulbs, applause, and circulating hors d'oeuvres frame Bartlet's surgical ideological ambush on Jenna Jacobs, transforming social mixer into arena of presidential intellect and moral reckoning.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
KADR AM contextualizes the reception via Gary's pre-confrontation boast of 900,000 Rocky Mountain listeners, positioning talk radio as performative sideshow to White House gravity, indirectly fueling the ideological sparks Bartlet ignites against Jacobs.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Bartlet's personal history with Roush is recalled when he reveals the tactic he used to defeat Roush years earlier during the Jenna Jacobs confrontation."
"Bartlet's personal history with Roush is recalled when he reveals the tactic he used to defeat Roush years earlier during the Jenna Jacobs confrontation."
Key Dialogue
"BARTLET: "Forgive me, Dr. Jacobs. Are you an M.D.?" / JENNA JACOBS: "Ph.D." / BARTLET: "A Ph.D.?" / JENNA JACOBS: [nods] / BARTLET: "Psychology?" / JENNA JACOBS: "No sir." / BARTLET: "Theology?" / JENNA JACOBS: "No." / BARTLET: "Social work?" / JENNA JACOBS: "I have a Ph.D. in English Literature.""
"BARTLET: "I like how you call homosexuality an abomination." / JENNA JACOBS: "I don't say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does." / BARTLET: "Yes, it does. Leviticus." / JENNA JACOBS: "18:22.""
"BARTLET: "Think about those questions, would you? One last thing, while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tightass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits.""