Shutdown

"Shutdown" is episode 96 of The West Wing.

Plot

A disastrous fiscal crisis looms when the federal government is shut down after the President and the powerful Republican Speaker of the House (Steven Culp) disagree over an extra two percent in budget reductions that would trim many of Bartlet's key social programs. Opinion polls reveal that the public blames the Democrats for the impasse. As Leo, Josh and Toby send the staff home, the trio remains uneasy as the President refuses to compromise—until he hatches a bold plan to personally and publicly challenge the Republicans in the halls of the Capitol. By marching to the Capitol, the President humbles himself and thus re-gains public support by symbolically proving that he is the one who is willing to make the effort to overcome the impasse. Speaker Haffley's counter-measure -- snubbing the President by refusing to meet with him right away -- backfires when the President eventually leaves, indicating to the public that after the President had taken the first step to resolving the shutdown crisis, it was Congress who had chosen politics over negotiation.

Meanwhile, Abbey suddenly reappears from her self-imposed exile for a State dinner that she might have to cook herself.

This episode had significance in a larger story arc for a few characters, as it marks a comeback and redemption for Josh and the beginning of the decline of other characters. In the episode Constituency of One, Josh was blamed for Senator Carrick switching parties from Democrat to Republican, and over the course of the next several episodes, Josh's power and reputation declined, as Angela Blake appeared to be groomed as his potential replacement as deputy chief of staff. In "Shutdown," however, Josh is responsible for most of the successful ideas in the President's strategy to use public opinion against the Congressional Republicans, and as a result, he is returned to his former status, while the character of Angela Blake is phased out. Also, Haffley's severe political blunder of publicly snubbing the President after Bartlet's march to the Capitol proves politically costly for the Speaker, whose influence thereafter begins to decline.

This episode also had real-world consequences when Puerto Rico governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá was criticized for a public march to the Puerto Rican legislature, with some critics alleging that this was a publicity stunt inspired by The West Wing. Some observers felt the heated Oval Office meeting between President Bartlet and Speaker Haffley echoed a real-life meeting under similar circumstances between President Bill Clinton and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

External links

• "The West Wing: Shutdown (2003)" at the Internet Movie Database
• The West Wing Episode Guide
• Episode transcript