Politics Primer, "West Wing"-style Quiz

Answer: The Presidential line of succession

The title of the season finale, "Twenty Five", references this amendment, although the link is not apparent until near the end of the episode.

Section 3 of the 25th amendment sets out the process by which the President can transfer his/her powers and duties when unable to carry them out personally. Temporary disability or illness is the most commonly expected event that would lead to the amendment being invoked. However, in "The West Wing" President Bartlet chose to step down temporarily to avoid a conflict of interest between his role as Commander in Chief and his position as the father of a hostage victim.

Answer: Filibuster

A filibuster is a tactic in the US Senate (and some state Senates as well) based on the rule that a Senator can hold the floor for a theoretically unlimited period if they don't take any breaks. It can be used to forestall voting on a piece of legislation, to prevent your opponents from speaking, or to dominate the Senate's time with your own perspective. One of the most famous filibusters in history came at the hands of Senator Strom Thurmond, who in 1957 spoke for more than 24 hours in opposition to the Civil Rights Act.

In "The Stackhouse Filibuster" a Democratic Senator stages a 12-hour filibuster in an attempt to delay the vote on a bill funding children's healthcare. Most of the staff assume he's just being difficult because negotiations didn't go his way, but ultimately it's Donna who figures out the real story.

Answer: The leader of the second-largest group in the House or Senate

When the President's party also holds the majority of seats in the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader effectively fulfils the role of the Leader of the Opposition in a parliamentary democracy. However, whereas in parliamentary systems the Leader of the Opposition will often become Prime Minister after an election victory, Minority Leaders rarely go on to the Presidency. Gerald Ford (Minority Leader in the House from 1965 to 1973) is the notable exception.

In the universe of "The West Wing" the Democrats were in the minority throughout Bartlet's presidency. The House Minority Leader was Rep. Sheila Fields while Senator Wendell Triplehorn was the Senate Minority Leader. More often than not, however, we hear Josh refer simply to "the Minority Leader" so these characters are not well known, even to aficionados of the show (including your humble quiz author).

Answer: Tax

The United States House Committee on Ways and Means manages legislation relating to taxation as well as several major government programs such as Social Security and Medicare. It is therefore a highly influential committee and its chair hols a senior position within their party.

An episode in season 3 of "The West Wing" is named after this committee; in "Ways and Means" we learn that it will lead the Congressional investigation into President Bartlet. In a season 7 flash-forward we learn that Will Bailey has succeeded in his run for Congress and serves on Ways and Means as a backbencher.

Answer: If a two-thirds majority of each house of Congress votes to override the veto

A two-thirds majority is sometimes called a "supermajority". A veto override represents a considerable blow to a President's authority so, as Josh notes in this episode, vetoing a bill can be a big risk if the President isn't confident of having enough congressional support to sustain it. In practice, fewer than 10% of Presidential vetoes have been overridden.

According to www.senate.gov, there were almost 1500 regular vetoes recorded by US presidents up to the end of the 20th century, plus another 1000 so-called "pocket vetoes". Between them, Franklin Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland accounted for almost half.

In this episode of "The West Wing", President Bartlet vetoes a bill to repeal the estate tax (also known as the "death tax"). This mirrors the situation faced by Bill Clinton in 2000, whose veto of the Death Tax Elimination act was narrowly upheld.

Answer: New Hampshire

New Hampshire's role in kicking off the primary season every four years is enshrined in state law. The New Hampshire primary is required to be held at least one week before the primary of any other state, or the second Tuesday in March, whichever comes first.

In the season 3 episode of "The West Wing" called "Hartsfield's Landing", a tiny New Hampshire town of 42 electors is distinguished by returning the first results of the first primary in the nation. In reality, the town of Dixville Notch traditionally votes at midnight, with the results broadcast around the country minutes later.

Answer: Corn

Iowa typically holds the first presidential caucus (distinct from a primary election) each election season, and has done so since 1972. Although few delegates to each party's national convention come from Iowa, the timing of the caucus gives it a disproportionate impact on the nomination process. As a consequence, issues of particular concern to Iowans receive prominent airing.

Iowa being a state with a significant agricultural industry, and the nation's largest producer of corn (and ethanol derived from corn), the humble grain attracts considerable political attention. So much so that the governor of New Hampshire--the state that competes with Iowa for attention by hosting the first primary election--once quipped "The people of Iowa pick corn, the people of New Hampshire pick presidents".

Answer: Speaker of the House

The line of succession is set out in the Presidential Succession Act, although anyone in that line will also have to meet the requirements for office specified in the Constitution in order to qualify for the role if needed. The Act may be invoked on the incapacity, death, resignation or removal from office of a President (or president-elect).

The Speaker of the House is in line behind the Vice President, followed by the Senate pro tem, then the members of Cabinet in order of how long their department has existed. A person from the line of succession who is isolated from major events in case of major attack or disaster is known as the designated survivor.

While in reality the line of succession has not yet been called upon beyond Vice President, going further down the line is a popular topic in political fiction on film and page.

Answer: Censure

The President is not the only person who may fall foul of a motion of censure - judges and members of Congress are also vulnerable to censure. The censure option may be used to rebuke and cause political embarrassment to an elected official where there are insufficient votes or legal grounds to expel them from office.

As President Bartlet's staff point out, Andrew Jackson received a presidential censure in 1834. The censure was subsequently overturned when Jackson's supporters regained a majority in the Senate.

Answer: The Senate

Appointment to the Supreme Court is specified in Article Two of the US Constitution, which notes that the President shall nominate judges "by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate". In 1925 the Senate Judiciary Committee began the tradition of interviewing nominees in public hearings before reporting to the Senate on the suitability, or otherwise, of the President's choice for confirmation. Nominations are rarely rejected by the Senate--although it has happened on occasion.

In the episode "The Supremes", President Bartlet had the rare privilege of filling two vacancies simultaneously. While highly unusual, such a situation is not unheard of in the real world. For example, in 1971 Richard Nixon nominated both William Rehnquist and Lewis Powell Jr on the same day.