Object

Government Spending Push Poll

This push poll reports grim public views: 68% of respondents think the government spends too much, 59% favor cuts. Josh quotes its numbers in his bullpen amid rising panic, sparking orders to target Senator Hardin as the swing vote. Donna, Larry, Ed, and Leo huddle close, the stark figures compressing policy debate into a midnight funding deadline countdown.

3 appearances

Purpose

Measure manipulated public opinion on government spending via leading questions

Significance

Ignites Josh's crisis mode, turning budget talks into a high-stakes race for Hardin's vote and testing the White House team's resolve under poll-driven pressure

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Countdown Panic: Josh’s Resignation and the Hardin Gamble

The Government Spending Push Poll is the proximal trigger of the event: staff read its figures aloud, use its biased question as evidence of public hostility, and let it reshape strategy and morale. It transforms abstract opposition into immediate operational priorities.

Before: Arrived and being read/processed by staff in the bullpen; treated as raw intelligence.

After: Elevated to the key evidentiary artifact driving outreach decisions and emotional responses across the team.

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S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Start the Clock — Hardin Becomes the Swing Vote

The Government Spending Push Poll is the causal trigger for the scramble: Josh reads its numbers aloud, the staff reacts to its 68%/59% findings, and it reframes the policy debate as an electoral emergency rather than a substantive foreign-policy discussion.

Before: Results have been received and are present in the bullpen as an actionable poll report.

After: Cited repeatedly as justification for urgent tactics; continues to shape the team's priorities.

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S4E12 · Guns Not Butter

Counting Down — Josh Stonewalls Will

The Government Spending Push Poll provides the concrete numbers Josh reads aloud; it functions narratively as the trigger for panic, reframing policy debate into survival math and collapsing the team into immediate vote-tracking.

Before: Completed push-poll results exist and are known to staff; the data has been communicated to Josh by phone.

After: Data is actively being used as tactical intelligence; its conclusions determine the team's prioritized outreach and emotional tenor.

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