National Strategies Group

Description

National Strategies Group operates as a campaign-facing field operations unit that organizes and runs large-scale phone banks and short-window polling drives. In the scene they manage shift-based voter-contact operations, enforce tight polling deadlines (notably a 48-hour polling window), and balance floor-level morale with managerial control. Leadership is layered—shift leads coordinate callers while a central authority reasserts control as needed—handling partisan messaging, staff fatigue, and interpersonal friction under high-pressure timelines.

Affiliated Characters

Event Involvements

Events with structured involvement data

6 events
S2E13 · Bartlet's Third State of the Union
Josh's Pollster Outburst: Gum, Accents, and Paranoia

National Strategies Group manifests as the humming nerve center where its pollsters endure Josh's paranoid onslaught over gum and accents, highlighting the external contractor's role in delivering critical post-SOTU polling data under White House scrutiny and deadlines.

Active Representation

Through on-site pollsters at phone banks

Power Dynamics

Subordinate to White House demands, tested by operative outbursts

Institutional Impact

Reveals tensions between core staff and outsourced expertise in political ops

Internal Dynamics

United front against external criticism

Organizational Goals
Finalize prep for accurate presidential polling Weather White House pressure without morale collapse
Influence Mechanisms
Provision of voter data resources Team resilience via experienced personnel
S2E13 · Bartlet's Third State of the Union
Donna Defuses Josh's Pollster Accent Paranoia

Hosts the polling war room where its staff endures Josh's paranoid assault on their capabilities, with operations poised for presidential polls amid SOTU fallout—narrative pivot exposing vulnerabilities in external vendor reliability under White House heat.

Active Representation

Through on-site pollsters at phone banks and computers

Power Dynamics

Subordinate to White House demands, absorbing verbal challenges from client operative

Internal Dynamics

Team cohesion tested by external outburst but defended externally

Organizational Goals
Launch accurate post-SOTU polling without delays Preserve operational morale despite disruptions
Influence Mechanisms
Provision of voter data infrastructure and manpower Team presence enforcing disciplined polling protocols
S2E13 · Bartlet's Third State of the Union
Josh Drops Sloane's Excessive Force Bombshell

National Strategies Group orchestrates the polling blitz via Joey and Kenny's oversight, enduring Josh's onslaught for numbers at 17% response—its data pipeline tested as scandal intrudes on SOTU afterglow operations.

Active Representation

Through lead pollsters Joey Lucas and team members

Power Dynamics

Servicing White House demands under pressure

Institutional Impact

Underscores reliance on private firms for public pulse

Internal Dynamics

Team cohesion weathering client impatience

Organizational Goals
Tabulate viable post-SOTU voter data swiftly Sustain morale and response rates
Influence Mechanisms
Field polling operatives and real-time metrics Deadline-driven operational protocols
S2E13 · Bartlet's Third State of the Union
Josh's Polling Impatience Clashes with Donna's Matchmaking

National Strategies Group runs the feverish polling ops enveloping the scandal briefing and number hounding, with Joey directing callers through low 17% responses, embodying the data duel post-SOTU.

Active Representation

Via on-site pollsters Joey and Kenny managing calling banks

Power Dynamics

Exerting control over voter data flow, resisting White House impatience

Institutional Impact

Anchors campaign's public opinion tracking amid crisis

Internal Dynamics

Hierarchical patience vs. client demands

Organizational Goals
Achieve viable response rates for accurate post-SOTU polling Maintain operational tempo despite external pressures
Influence Mechanisms
Field coordination by team leads Data protocols enforcing poll freshness
S2E13 · Bartlet's Third State of the Union
Josh Hangs Up Assuredly as Sam Emerges Confused

As the high-octane polling outfit, it hosts Josh's decisive hang-up and pivot to Donna, with Sam's emergence underscoring its conduit role for White House directives amid SOTU polling frenzy and scandal bleed.

Active Representation

Via physical war room operations and staff presence

Power Dynamics

Serves as data nerve center yielding to White House urgency

Organizational Goals
Maintain polling momentum despite interruptions Facilitate real-time integration of external team members
Influence Mechanisms
Provision of operational space and resources Staff coordination under client pressure
S2E14 · The War At Home
Donna Tentatively Approaches Exhausted Josh

The National Strategies Group manifests as its shadowed office where key staff like Donna initiate fraught exchanges amid blackout, reflecting the organization's pivot from polling frenzy to personal endurance under the Colombia raid's savage political and emotional reverberations.

Active Representation

Via physical office space and embedded staff interactions

Power Dynamics

Constrained by blackout and crisis, fostering internal vulnerability

Institutional Impact

Highlights how external crises erode organizational morale into intimate tensions

Internal Dynamics

Exhaustion testing staff partnerships amid operational hush

Organizational Goals
Sustain operations through improvised lighting and staff grit Process raid implications for strategy and polling
Influence Mechanisms
Staff loyalty driving personal support Resource improvisation like lanterns maintaining functionality

Related Events

Events mentioning this organization

9 events
S2E13
Josh's Pollster Outburst: Gum, Accents, and Paranoia

In the frenetic National Strategies Group office at 8:57 P.M., Josh, unraveling under State of the Union pressure, paces and snaps at a female pollster …

S2E13
Josh and Donna's Jubilant Cheers for Bartlet's SOTU Triumph

In the National Strategies Group amid poll callers, Josh and Donna watch President Bartlet's State of the Union address peak with a unifying crescendo: 'Our …

S2E13
Josh Drops Sloane's Excessive Force Bombshell

In the chaotic National Strategies Group post-SOTU, Josh abruptly reveals to Donna that honored guest Jack Sloane, the off-duty hero cop, was reprimanded 17 years …

S2E13
Josh's Polling Impatience Clashes with Donna's Matchmaking

In the frenetic National Strategies Group polling room, Josh briefs Donna and Joey on hero cop Jack Sloane's 17-year-old excessive violence reprimand, amplifying pre-SOTU scandal …

S2E13
Ainsley Sharply Interrupts Congressman on Capitol Beat

In the frenetic National Strategies Group, Josh anxiously thumbs through Vogue while Capitol Beat plays on TV. Ainsley Hayes spars with a congressman on the …

S2E13
Josh's Blackout Fury: Polling Obsession Amid Power Chaos

In the darkened National Strategies Group, Donna relays a futile power outage update from the phone, spotlighting Josh's spiraling frustration over delayed West Coast polling …

S2E13
Josh Hangs Up Assuredly as Sam Emerges Confused

In the frenetic National Strategies Group at night, Josh decisively ends his phone call with Sam—assuring 'I'll be right there'—and pivots back to Donna, momentarily …

S2E14
Donna Tentatively Approaches Exhausted Josh

In the darkened National Strategies Group office, illuminated only by flickering kerosene lanterns on desks, Donna hesitantly calls out to Josh amid the night's crisis. …

S3E11
Dials Ignite on Bartlet's Fire; Sam's Bitter Regret Over Cancer Pledge

On State of the Union night at the National Strategies Group, Sam and Lisa watch focus group dials spike past 65 as President Bartlet delivers …