Roman Senate
Description
Affiliated Characters
Event Involvements
Events with structured involvement data
The Roman Senate is invoked as an organizational ideal — a historical assembly whose practices Bartlet uses to argue for exhaustive, consequential debate; it supplies moral authority rather than practical leverage.
Referenced indirectly through Bartlet's historical vignette rather than present institutional action.
Operates as moral authority challenging the modern practice of televising debates as theater.
Shapes the President's argument about the nature of public discourse, elevating the stakes and reframing the team's tactical choices as matters of democratic seriousness.
Not applicable in this context; the Roman Senate functions purely as rhetorical precedent.
The Roman Senate appears as an invoked organization, serving as Bartlet's model of exhaustive deliberation and institutional gravity. It supplies rhetorical authority that the President uses to criticize modern debate formats.
Invoked rhetorically through Bartlet's historical recounting rather than through formal representation.
Functions as a normative authority rather than an active actor — a benchmark against which contemporary practice is judged.
The Roman Senate's invocation reframes the debate over format as not merely tactical but civic and moral, pressuring the White House team to argue from principles, not just politics.
The Roman Senate is evoked as a historical exemplar. Bartlet uses it to dramatize a standard of exhaustive debate and accountability—invoking Cicero, Lentulus, Caesar, and Cato—to morally justify demanding a stronger debate format.
Manifested through Bartlet's rhetoric and anecdote; it functions as an ethical and procedural ideal rather than an active participant.
Operates as normative authority in argumentation—its example pressures the President's team to demand higher standards from modern debate institutions.
Its invocation elevates the stakes of the format dispute, casting the conversation as a defense of democratic deliberation rather than mere campaign maneuvering.
Not applicable—used purely as illustrative precedent with no internal organizational processes active in the scene.
Related Events
Events mentioning this organization
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