Matt Santos quotes from The West Wing

Josh

[after Santos admits he only became a candidate to get a couple of months of media exposure for his education plan] I gave up everything for this! You aren't even in it to win?

Maybe we have a different definition of winning, Josh.

Josh

You're not making it easy.

Well, you know if we're going to do this, I'm not going to make it easy.... I'm going to push every limit. And that's the campaign you get to run.

Josh

What if I can't make that work?

Well, then no one can.

Josh

One idea is a big fund raising drive in the Latino community.

I don't feel comfortable with that right now.

Josh

Its a huge donor base you alone can tap.

Josh, I don't wanna just be the brown candidate, I want to be the American candidate.

Josh

How do you want to go broke? As the brown candidate or the American candidate?

Vinick

I read about that education plan you introduced in New Hampshire. That's pretty gutsy stuff.

Saw the ethanol speech.

Vinick

Well, that wasn't gutsy so much as suicidal. Or so my staff tells me... My staff is very proud.

Well, if they weren't, I was.

Vinick

You're not an ethanol fan?

Not until today.

The Governor has already endorsed Hoynes... Nothing I say tomorrow is going to make a difference. We need to focus on electing a Progressive candidate. Then we can take on all the tough causes.

Now all we need is a progessive candidate.

If the election were held today...

People would be surprised, because it's usually held on Election Day.

Will

[as Santos enters] Quick, hide the ouija board.

See, they can afford ouija boards. Josh still has us reading chicken entrails.

Leo

You have to quit, Congressman. We have to unite behind a candidate.... We need these last days to put our message before the American people.

You think either of them can beat Vinick in the Fall?

Leo

Who knows? But you step aside for the good of the party; people won't forget. The President and I won't let them.

Will I have a chance to address the convention again?

Leo

Of course.

Leo

Ok. Let's start by reframing the question. Forget about a four year term, the presidency is 18 months. That's your window. After that, there's midterms. No one on the Hill has time to do business with you, they're too busy getting re-elected.

Huh.

Leo

Then suddenly, you're running again.

So I'm basically throwing everything out but my first five pages.

Leo

In the garbage. Realistically, one page. But, we can do this in phases.

What did you think of the reverse town hall?

I didn't like your joke about being the first one unemployed.

That's just a funny line.

Shaving cream and seltzer are funny. Unemployment's not particularly funny.

I've got the Council Chair after this, we could go egg her house. Was there anything that you did like about the town hall?

Oh, sure, but I assume you have plenty of people around to tell you how great you are, and if you don't, you should hire some because they're wonderful.

Yeah. No, we pay a premium for that. Say, are you familiar with the Mommy Problem?

I am.

Do you think I have one?

That's something you're going to have to answer for yourself, because right now, Beltway Arnie is kicking you all around the electoral math, the White House is treating you like a fly on their governmental windshield. And I wonder if it's just Josh, or do you have what it takes to come out of the Candidate Protection Program and start kicking back.

You know, I introduced a guest worker program the first year I was in Congress. I couldn't even get a hearing on it. Vinick opens his mouth about it once, it's like he's parting the Red Sea.

If you agree with it you're going to look like a follower, not a leader.

He's the one that's following me on this.

It won't look like it; not now. We can't be chasing reporters around with a six-year old page from the Congressional Record to prove you got there first.

Yeah, well, I shouldn't have been hiding on these issues. I didn't want to be the brown candidate. I didn't want to be stereotyped. Josh was right; I should have gotten out in front of all this stuff during the primaries.

Clifford Reynolds. I teach English here at Leonard.

Nice to meet you, Clifford.

Thanks. May I ask you if you believe in the theory of evolution?

Well, I think it'd be very difficult to teach geology, anthropology, and zoology without evolution, so yes, I do. I don't believe it's contradictory to believe in science and believe in God.

Do you believe that the theory of Intelligent Design and the Theory of Evolution should be taught alongside each other in the public schools?

Absolutely not. One is based on science, the other is based on faith. Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory, it's a religious belief. And our Constitution does not allow for the teaching of religion in our public schools.

Many of us here would be more comfortable if our children were taught all points of view.

And I'm all for that. Evolution is not perfect. It doesn't answer every question but it is based on scientific facts; facts that can be predicted, tested, and proven. Intelligent Design asks theological questions. I'm sure that many of us would agree that at the beginning of all that begat-ing, something begun.

What was that something?

Congressman Santos, many of us want a version of science taught to our kids that's in accordance with our beliefs.

I understand. But can't we agree that the inclusion of non-scientific explanations into the science curriculum of our schools misrepresents the nature of science? And therefore compromises a central purpose in our public education which is the preparation of a scientifically literate workforce. If you have a problem with your child's education, get involved. If you have a problem with what the School Board wants to teach, run for School Board. We can never forget that the best way to preserve our democracy is to take part in it. Thanks for your question. Thank you all.

Next time you decide to smear me maybe you'll have the guts to do it yourself.

Vinick

I had nothing to do with that ad. You blew off the debates. It's clear what kind of campaign you want.

Oh, I forgot how eager you were for debates. And next time you send left-wing lobbyists to my office don't forget the gift card.

You want an ugly campaign you're going to get one.

Vinick

I didn't start this.

Nah, your henchmen did it for you. [pause] You're hitting me on partial-birth tonight, aren't you? [He shakes his head and chuckles]

Vinick

Here we are, a Presidential campaign, grand national debate, pounding each other on one of the few things we basically agree on.

Then let's negotiate now.

Vinick

Excuse me?

No backroom tactics. You and me, a real debate.

Vinick

Oh, please.

A real debate, really.

Vinick

No negative ads. No attacks in our speeches out there.

If we can have a real debate on the issues, just you and me.

Vinick

How's Sunday night?

Vinick

It's a hell of a way to end your campaign.

Oh, I'm just getting started.

Vinick

It is truly an honor to be here tonight. I would...You know, I've watched every televised Presidential debate that this country has ever had. And every time I heard them recite the rules, I always thought that meant they're not going to have a real debate. When the greatest hero of my party, Abraham Lincoln debated, he didn't need any rules. He wasn't afraid of a real debate. Now I could do a 2-minute version of my Sensible Solution stump speech and I'm sure Congressman Santos has a memorized opening statement ready to go. And then we could go on with this ritual and let the rules decide how much you're going to learn about the next President of the United States, or we could have a debate Lincoln would have been proud of. We could junk the rules. We could let our able and judicious moderator ask us questions. And we could forget about whether each of us has the exact same number of seconds to speak. We could have a real debate if that's all right with you, Matt.

Um, Senator, according to the rules, candidates may not direct...

No, please. [to Vinick] You mean like a Senate debate? What are you going to do, filibuster me? Are you going to grab the microphone for a whole hour?

Vinick

No, no, no. We tell the American people what they need to hear, no more, no less. I suspect the audience will reward brevity.

Okay, let's have a real debate.

Our whole school system has been slipping for years and our rankings with other countries in math and science achievement... we've got to find a way to turn that around. If we provide the school systems and teachers with everything they need and the flexibility to experiment with fresh new approaches, I think that American students can be number one in the world in math and science in ten years.

Vinick

That's a lie.

Vinick

It's a lie that every President, Democrat and Republican, has been telling for 20 years: we're going to be number 1 in ten years. Go ahead, Google it right now. I'm not saying that every President knew it was a lie when he said it or that Congressman Santos knows it's not true, but I do. So let me tell you what our goals should be, our realistic goals. First of all, let's stop pretending that everyone can or should go to college. Every airline needs high-paid mechanics and none of them have to go to college. There are plumbers in some parts of the country that make a better living than dentists. Now, I'm not talking about lowering our ambitions. I'm talking about targeting our ambitions correctly. Now, it's true: some other countries have raised their academic standards over and above what they were once. But we still have the best scientists in the world, the best doctors, and by far the most Nobel prizes. If a kid does well in one of those foreign high schools, guess where he or she wants to go to college. That's right; Harvard, Stanford, Cal-Tech, the University of Texas, and a hundred other American universities that are better than anything they have in their countries. So, if we're going to have a practical approach to education, we're going to have to admit that not every one can go to MIT. But most of the kids who do go to MIT come from American public schools.