The West Wing · Season 6
I read about that education plan you introduced in New Hampshire. That's pretty gutsy stuff.
Saw the ethanol speech.
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.
You're not an ethanol fan?
Not until today.
Mr Johnson, your platform would include paying the President, the Cabinet and all members of Congress a salary of one dollar a year?
Hell, yeah. Make 'em get a real job.
And you want to ban motorcycle helmets, color televisions, drop out of the UN, abolish Medicare and totally privatize Social Security?
You gotta get the government out of our damn pockets.
Sir, are you sure you're a Democrat?
Making a gallon of ethanol takes almost a gallon of oil. That's like saying using tonic water as an additive reduces our demand for gin.
Will you at least look at the ethanol report?
It's a classic study of a stupid policy rammed down our throats by special interests. Makes about as much sense as building patio furniture out of corn. But sure, I'll take a look.
All I have in this situation is influence. Influence and relationships. If you take that away from me, I am powerless!
What? Prime Minister Graty thinks you are an intellectual snob. A Yankee Doodle windbag. Likely as not you would have made things worse.
If an American dies and there is even the slightest suspicion of international intrigue, she's supposed to wake me.
Since when? If I had used that rule, you'd be dead by now of sleep deprivation.
[about the President's valentine date] You're taking her to the opera?
Verdi's Othello, romantic eh?
Isn't that the one where the guy kills his wife?
It's in Italian, I'm hoping she won't notice.
You're not planning on writing a constitution this week?
The document is just a beginning. A constitutional democracy succeeds only if the constitution reflects democratic values alive in the citizenry. Which is why our most important job is to instill those values in their leaders through discussion and debate.
I don't think a strong executive is such a good idea... Half the faculty at Yale Law describes the American Presidential system as one of this country's most dangerous exports... It is a recipe for constitutional breakdown!
Well, I can see this is going to be a vibrant discussion.
How about our exclusion from the debates. Let's try that.
So, what do we do? Film chicken coops and say they're too chicken to debate us?
I want two volunteers. I want them in giant chicken suits. I want them in my office first thing in the morning.
We can't afford a huge, glitzy ad buy, so we run something feisty, funny, out-of-the-box. Turns our one minute of prime time into a national sensation.
Santos on ice skates, wearing a goalie outfit, pledging to defend America?
[pause] Closer to the box than that.
[in a live TV ad] Good evening. I'm running for President and if you don't know who I am, I wouldn't be surprised. I've been shut out of tomorrow night's debate for suggesting that it actually be a debate and this is the only ad I can afford. I got in this to improve a broken school system, to fix entitlement because they're going bankrupt, to expand health coverage because it will save money if fewer people show up in emergency rooms. What I found is that Presidential campaigns aren't about these things. They're about clawing your opponents' eyes out as long as you don't get tagged for it. So how about this: I will never say anything about my opponents or anything about anything without saying it myself, right into the camera. You might not get to hear much of me but when you do, you'll know I stand by it. I'm Matt Santos and you better believe I approve this ad.
You want me to hire Cliff Calley? No. He's the wrong choice. And he's irritating. And he's obnoxious.
That's worked for us in the past.
[Josh yells angrily outside door]
[after seeing that Margaret is quite pregnant] Am I seeing things? or is she...
Very.
Wow. I didn't know she was pregnant.
She's pregnant.
I didn't even know she was married... [beat; Leo and CJ stare at him] Right. How is the President doing?
I turned you down.
Nobody turns us down. We're like the Mob, only less violent. Ultimately responsible for more death and destruction.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's The West Wing pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
