There is not a second in this speech where he gives an explicit reason to vote for HIM, but the entire speech lets us know he’s the person to vote for.
Exactly. Its proof that he believes in the sacred idea of government for the people, by the people. Its never solely about the person who is president but rather what they can do to further the ideals of democracy and the wishes of the voting population. The person who holds The Office of The Presidency is but a caretaker and a living representative of a system greater than just one person.
I like to imagine that Vinnick was watching this speech, and at the end was like "It might be harder to run against him, but that's the kind of man I wanna run against."
MikeJames6 I agree with you up until your insult. As the others said, the writers agreed with you, vinick winning would have been great. But they didn’t think it would be in good taste to have Leo die, and then also have them lose the election. They didn’t drop the ball at all.
@MikeJames6 Iirc the performance was based on Obama's stoic composure (they thought he happened to be the best match for the story they wanted to tell; they didn't expect he was going to run)
One of the best and most beautiful moments of the show. Even as a Pakistani citizen, I am truly inspired by this speech. It may be fiction, but it is not a delusion. We should set this as the standard for our leaders, and ourselves.
“See if you can get Josh on the phone.”-President Bartlett I love how Bartlett looks at Zoey and sees her smile. He knew her hope for the future told him Santos was the best option. Great scene!
Bartlett concealed his illness because he didn't think he could win the nomination or the election if people had known. The actor's proper name is Estevez, but thought his career would be hurt with a Latin sounding name. Now an actor and character who are Latin might get the nomination for president.
If John Spencer hadn't died, it was very possible the show would have been picked up for an 8th Season. But with him gone and so many other actors leaving (only Whitford would have remained as a credit character from the first season, as Maloney didn't get into the main credits until Season 2), and only Smits and POSSIBLY Alda from the main credits for later seasons, without John Spencer, the execs didn't see any chance of the show continuing to be a success. I think it could have been, but... ah well. We did get five and a half good seasons (let's forget most of season 5 and a good chunk of season 6) out of it, which is more than you can usually ask for. Five seasons, as a rule, is the maximum number of seasons for which any show that isn't a crime procedural can be expected to be good. (It's the rule of 5.)
+chubbychuckle Aaron Sorkin left. It's possible the reasons seasons 5 (and chunks of 6) are seen as so bad because we'd been spoiled by earlier seasons that were so good. But I think the reason I felt it was bad was two things. For one, they changed the camera work so that it was much jerkier and shakier than it had been. Instead of smooth pans and sharp cuts, we had jerky movement. Like they'd moved from a steady-cam to shoulder-mounted camera. The other reason, and the main reason was the writing and the way the characters changed. The witty back-and-forth of the characters morphed into angry tirades more often than not, and the yelling (that happened only occasionally in the first four seasons, and was extremely uncomfortable) became commonplace, particularly in Season 5. There are other, specific things (Joshua Malina/Will Bailey moving to the VP's office when he was supposed to replace Sam, for example) that are disappointing. It just wasn't a good show in season 5 and most of season 6. Watching it now, you can press through to the good stuff (rare though it may be in Season 5 in particular) if you marathon the show, but we couldn't back in the day. And week after week of mediocrity starts to wear on you.
Nah, Spencer had nothing to do with the show ending. The show was still really good but the overall cost of the show was elevated to a level that the ratings no longer could sustain to make a profit for the show.
And, I think it was as good as any theatrical movie I have ever seen. The Brothers in Arms scene at the end always blows me away. As Leo said, Watch This.
There are only a handful of our current politicians who would consider giving such a speech. But even if they did, none of them can deliver words like Jimmy Smits, so none of them will ever have the slightest chance of getting the nomination from a major party. Too bad for us.
I love the whole feel of this episode. Its shot in such a different way then the show normally is, it gives you the impression of a real event going on.
Sometimes, In the current political climate, I need to see scenes from WW. Yes, they are imaginary. But, I don't think that they are fake. I would like to believe in something better. Something we can all embrace.
Sorkin and crew wrote the ideal. These were how our leaders should be. Beholden to the ideals of their political side, but working for the betterment of all the people. That's not what we have today. Hell, that's not even what we had then.
You know. there was a time when our leaders inspired imagination. Life is shitty enough on it's own, leaders are meant to take us out of the dirt and show us if we work together, tomorrow will be better. I know it's funny to some, but leaders through history were those that lead us through the dark to a brighter tomorrow.
@@smk3390 The last time there was a "ideal president", it was Kennedy, and even he was flawed. I mean, he appeared so great that the mafia had to kill him. The same thing happened to RFK.
I think you've nailed the core message of the entire show right there. Yes, it is fictional, and yes, real-world politics doesn't live up to the ideals of the show, but the show encourages us to believe that such ideals are possible in our government and motivates us to work towards improving it.
Such clever camera angles and framing to make what are probably a couple dozen extras on a mostly empty soundstage, look and feel like a packed convention center with thousands of people
Actually it was shot in the arena in Anaheim California where the hockey team plays. At the time it was called the Arrowhead Pond I believe. And there were a lot more than a couple dozen extras. It was was actually a couple thousand. I was one of them. I was on a Disneyland vacation and leading up to the park there were flyers posted everywhere for the open call for extras. I still have my Santos, Bob Russell and Baker signs.
I love the look Santos and his wife exchange before he steps out. You can practically hear them thinking to each other: Matt: Okay, I'm going to do it now. Helen: Go win this thing.
I don't see that from her. I think her look was complete loyalty and love and trust. She looked like she was telling him I love you no matter what happens.
While definitely a rhetorical device, the "it has been suggested to me" and "it has been asked of me" set-ups are also a nice way for Sorkin to give Santos the role of next generation leader for the DNC. The old ways are gone, and perhaps with them, some of the flaws of the party as well.
Small mistake at 4:04 when victory balloons can be seen dropping from the rafters on the TV. If TOBY were running that convention, he'd have a meltdown like he had during the Justice Mendoza confirmation. That whole Tempting Fate speech/rant he gave to the staffers including Ginger and Bonnie was hilarious. He even had another moment like that when Ed (or Larry) walked into his line of sight on Election Night: "Hey. I see one victory balloon before this thing is called and... *YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN!!!"*
The most ironic part of this episode? Santos' speech is all about the delegates' "Democratic right to vote"...but he gets the nomination when President Bartlet twists the arm of the New York delegation chairman.
I wouldn't say it's ironic, at least not totally. Hoynes and Russell are in it for power. Baker is in it for whatever reason. Santos is in it for progress much like Bartlet wanted. Hoynes and Russell just do a better job of fooling the voters into thinking that they care about them.
Has anyone noticed just how EERILY accurate this was? Aside from the close election, they got everything else right. A young, minority candidate against an old, "moderate" candidate. (Okay, let's pretend McCain wasn't a total sell out and pretend he was actually moderate.) The Vinick Campaign had a young handsome (but unlike real life, not moronic) VP candidate. The Santos campaign went with an older, established statesman. Maybe they watched the 2004 Convention speech. Anyone who saw that knew that 2008 was either gonna be Clinton or Obama.
The West Wing definitely helped influence the real life 2008 election, and this entire political campaign was definitely based off of the actual candidates. Still really cool, though!
+Three00Jews Considering how it was two years before the 2008 election, and Obama wasn't a real candidate until he won Iowa. (granted, I was working for him [in what my relatives called a "hopeless, pointless cause"]in Oregon for months before he won Iowa.) Unless the writers were seers, they couldn't have seen the 2008 election coming. I was an Obama campaign person, and even I didn't see it coming. I just thought it would be cool to be involved.
Looking at your comment three years later but just wanted to say that you're exactly right. After 2004, Obama became more notable and people who worked on the West Wing said that Santos was in part inspired by Obama. You hit the nail on the head.
If you notice this is one of the scenes shot later - they started to have budget issues, so you never see full wide shots to see that they didn't have very many extras. A lot of close-in shots creating the illusion of a full convention floor.
Whatever the criticisms of the latter seasons, this felt very much like the West Wing. The steadfast looks of belief from Helen before to the heavy but playful pride immediately afterward. This was Matt Santos standing tall on the biggest stage with his own message, un-curated by literary luminaries and lighting his own way. Josh sees he didn't need to drive the car, just start the engine.
Hillary had also clinched the nomination before the convention. Here, the convention is deadlocked, plus there was Baker's floor campaign to worry about.
Bartlett made Santos the nominee with the backroom deal he made with the teachers union. And a nuclear disaster made Santos president by damaging Vinnick. President Lucky Boi
The best thing the Dems could do is show this speech, then show a Drumpty rally speech back to back. I know it’s a fictional moment in time, but it’s what every American, democrat or republican wants from our leaders. Someone truly for the people, not someone trying to stay out of prison. Not someone looking for the next sucker to come along. Not someone trying to take our rights away. Someone truly for the betterment of our democracy. Vote blue for American 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸🤍🇺🇸💙🇺🇸
@@michaelashtonjr.ashohara1414 it's most likely an error but it's possible to go to another service academy say air force and go Navy. It's possible to do that it involves conditional release from your service component. It's not easy it has been done. You still because your still commissioning in the miltiary it's just your joining a different service branch.
I never liked what they did to Josh's character in this storyline. At every turn he fumbled and Santos picked up the ball and ran with it (this speech, the TV commercial change, etc.). He was never allowed to become a version of Leo demonstrating a real contribution to Santos' success. At one point he even apologized to Santos for not doing much, or the right thing, and Santos reminded him that Josh got him to run. But that was it. Josh got him to run then wasn't shown to be a leader in his own right. The character we spent all these years with failed to grow in those final seasons. He even needed Sam to come in and rescue him after the election. Too bad.
I always wonder why Obama never thought about hiring Sorkin or Wells as his speech writer, or even as his senior advisor. Has he never watched the show?
@@flyboy152 While it is a continuity error, the reality is that there is a mechanism by which graduates of the federal service academies can join a different service.
Looking forward to seeing this speech being given some attention with it's superdelegates/ordinary delegates focus if there really is a conflict between them with Bernie at this year's convention. . .
i never noticed that the person introducing santos said he went to the air force acadmey when he went to anapolis, naval acadmey, never noticed it before
I wish the show could of continued one more season with the Santos Admin. It was foretelling of what we would have in 2008 with Obama. Hoping for a better 2021
Sending kind thoughts to Americans. I would claim they lost their way. I have nothing against Republicans except everything but what do they stand for? Ask them and they look over their shoulders at a rather obese former POTUS who was defeated over a year and a month ago and wait for his incoherence to guide them. I hope to be back again in a years time. Nothing has changed Texas. Neither have you.
It's not impossible, but highly unlikely. It's almost as if they took that clip from an outtake? Can't believe it would get past the writers. . .but of course, it did.
joel1239871 I meant wrong in the context of the character's biography, Santos himself stated he graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis, not the AIr Force Academy at Colorado Springs.
I always thought the decision to make Josh weak and incompetent over the final season or two was a horrible decision. He didn’t mature and grow into the role, he just went along for the ride.
The show always swung from showing Josh's hyper-competence to his hubris to his anxious frenzies. Think of it as focusing on the painful moments while there's plenty of off screen triumphs
@@wasserperson I agree with you. Like all of us, Josh had many sides to his character, and he certainly wasn't perfect. But he DID grow. He also backslid at times (like after the election). Toby was my favorite character in the first 5 years of the show. But it was all Josh in the last 2 years.
it's a pity in the clip there is not the part when President Bartlet says something like "Find me Josh". that's how the story changed :-) Long Live The West Wing
In this episode. it was mentioned by Josh that Santos won the Texas primary, but a few episodes earlier one of the Vinick guys mentioned that Santos lost his home state. A great show, but it had a number of gaffes in it. One of the worst was in the last episode, "Tomorrow", when the Bartlets are musing about why Inauguration Day is January 20 in the dead of winter, and Jed spouts "Jefferson, Madison", even though it was actually March 4 until 1936.
@@thezacmurphy In the 7th season Election Day two parter, Bruno comments that "a Democrat hasn't won North Dakota in 40 years, which was true in the real world, but the Bartlet reelection episode three seasons earlier clearly declared that Bartlet "won the Dakotas".
"...your ideals, your hopes, your dreams..." We're at our best when we're looking and moving FORWARD, not in the rearview quibbling over some gauzy myth...
Gabriel Nakamura There would've been a lot more lens flares if it had been directed by J.J. Abrams. I mean... there were an awful lot of lens flares, but the episode would have been comprised ENTIRELY of lens flares if J.J. Abrams had been in charge. EDIT: I love J.J. Abrams none the less. Here's hoping Star Wars VII is good!
Lol in fantasy TV land the people choose their own delegate . In the real world the other people running all dropped out and party leaders decided who the nominee would be.
In the episode, President Bartlett did a deal with the teachers unions and that won Santos the nomination. The speech was ultimately just fluffy nonsense
I keep seeing your name pop up in the comments trash talking Democrats. We get it. You hate them. We understand what character you would be on a TV show like this. DoucheKing indeed. Keep hating a group of people indiscriminately. Works out well for most people. Ugh, you're like if a toilet was a person.
For such a smart writing team, they make a lot of mistakes. They say here that Santos was a Marine, and within five seconds call him a graduate of the Air Force Academy. The next season, he is a graduate of the Naval Academy-as he should be... A common thread through Sorkin-run shows. Sports Night has the Sweet 16 happening on Saturday, when those games are played Thursday and Friday... Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Five seconds worth of research or a few minutes of logical thinking.
As great as the speech is, the camera work was abysmal. The camera catches a ton of empty seats and then they show a TV scene with the conventional hall packed. It spoils what was a really fine scene.
![The West Wing: Chaos at the Convention [CLIP] | TNT](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/iz88gB1JOFU/mqdefault.jpg)
There is not a second in this speech where he gives an explicit reason to vote for HIM, but the entire speech lets us know he’s the person to vote for.
Exactly. Its proof that he believes in the sacred idea of government for the people, by the people. Its never solely about the person who is president but rather what they can do to further the ideals of democracy and the wishes of the voting population. The person who holds The Office of The Presidency is but a caretaker and a living representative of a system greater than just one person.
Amen.
If only we could have a president who lived up to that sentiment.
One of the greatest speeches in this show, especially for the post-Sorkin era.
I practically memorized it.
I like to imagine that Vinnick was watching this speech, and at the end was like "It might be harder to run against him, but that's the kind of man I wanna run against."
@MikeJames6 I don't know if there's any truth to this, but I heard WW was originally going to make Vinick the winner until Leo McGarry died.
@@cbsrockem That's correct. When they were expecting another season, they brought on Alan Alda and set that in motion.
MikeJames6 I agree with you up until your insult. As the others said, the writers agreed with you, vinick winning would have been great. But they didn’t think it would be in good taste to have Leo die, and then also have them lose the election. They didn’t drop the ball at all.
@MikeJames6 Iirc the performance was based on Obama's stoic composure (they thought he happened to be the best match for the story they wanted to tell; they didn't expect he was going to run)
For sure.
One of the best and most beautiful moments of the show. Even as a Pakistani citizen, I am truly inspired by this speech. It may be fiction, but it is not a delusion. We should set this as the standard for our leaders, and ourselves.
Then vote of IK. He is the closest thing to Santos you will get in Pakistan
“See if you can get Josh on the phone.”-President Bartlett
I love how Bartlett looks at Zoey and sees her smile. He knew her hope for the future told him Santos was the best option. Great scene!
Bartlett concealed his illness because he didn't think he could win the nomination or the election if people had known. The actor's proper name is Estevez, but thought his career would be hurt with a Latin sounding name. Now an actor and character who are Latin might get the nomination for president.
I love Matt Santos. he was my favorite West Wing character. I wish they'd kept it going with him as president.
If John Spencer hadn't died, it was very possible the show would have been picked up for an 8th Season. But with him gone and so many other actors leaving (only Whitford would have remained as a credit character from the first season, as Maloney didn't get into the main credits until Season 2), and only Smits and POSSIBLY Alda from the main credits for later seasons, without John Spencer, the execs didn't see any chance of the show continuing to be a success.
I think it could have been, but... ah well. We did get five and a half good seasons (let's forget most of season 5 and a good chunk of season 6) out of it, which is more than you can usually ask for. Five seasons, as a rule, is the maximum number of seasons for which any show that isn't a crime procedural can be expected to be good. (It's the rule of 5.)
Why does everyone say those seasons were bad?
+chubbychuckle Aaron Sorkin left. It's possible the reasons seasons 5 (and chunks of 6) are seen as so bad because we'd been spoiled by earlier seasons that were so good. But I think the reason I felt it was bad was two things. For one, they changed the camera work so that it was much jerkier and shakier than it had been. Instead of smooth pans and sharp cuts, we had jerky movement. Like they'd moved from a steady-cam to shoulder-mounted camera.
The other reason, and the main reason was the writing and the way the characters changed. The witty back-and-forth of the characters morphed into angry tirades more often than not, and the yelling (that happened only occasionally in the first four seasons, and was extremely uncomfortable) became commonplace, particularly in Season 5.
There are other, specific things (Joshua Malina/Will Bailey moving to the VP's office when he was supposed to replace Sam, for example) that are disappointing. It just wasn't a good show in season 5 and most of season 6. Watching it now, you can press through to the good stuff (rare though it may be in Season 5 in particular) if you marathon the show, but we couldn't back in the day. And week after week of mediocrity starts to wear on you.
John Landon I see. I just finished my first time watching it so next time I'll look for the difference you mentioned.
Nah, Spencer had nothing to do with the show ending. The show was still really good but the overall cost of the show was elevated to a level that the ratings no longer could sustain to make a profit for the show.
He failed to disclose that he is an alien from alderaan.
Senator
I always thought he was a human living on Alderon.
@@robertmcbride4454 I thought Americans referred to foreigners as aliens
@@obi-wankenobi5330 I always thought Americans don't think about foreigners.
This was the moment that Bartlett realised that Santos was the only natural. Sucessor
Bartlet.
"Two Cathedrals" was the greatest hour of television ever!!
And, I think it was as good as any theatrical movie I have ever seen. The Brothers in Arms scene at the end always blows me away. As Leo said, Watch This.
Noel would like a word with you.
And then the other two minutes 2 episodes ahead when he says yeah and I’m going to win
@@theolamp5312 at the time it aired it was the greatest season finale of a show ever
ummmmm very very close with a few episodes from the news room
We need a moment like this in 2020.
It will not be coming from the Dems...
@@dutchking7293 Yes, it is. And it began on 3 March, 2020
@@parkerfilms1 🤣🤣🤣
There are only a handful of our current politicians who would consider giving such a speech. But even if they did, none of them can deliver words like Jimmy Smits, so none of them will ever have the slightest chance of getting the nomination from a major party. Too bad for us.
Yep we need fictional characters cause the real ones suck balls
Then President Bartlet says, "Get Josh on the phone."
Just great.
I love the whole feel of this episode. Its shot in such a different way then the show normally is, it gives you the impression of a real event going on.
By now, the show was so popular that all the extra's the production needed in this episode probably did it for free.
4:10 I just love the look on Santos's wife's face! She's so proud of her man!
Pride and a friendly triumph over Josh; like the energy btw Abby & Leo but w/o the secret of MS & the pain of the kidnapping
The look on Josh' face when Santos pulls out this speech out of thin air....
Gives me chills every time...
Sometimes, In the current political climate, I need to see scenes from WW. Yes, they are imaginary. But, I don't think that they are fake. I would like to believe in something better. Something we can all embrace.
I can imagine Santos calling Vinick a racist and his supporters bigots and try to bring real life to the show
Sorkin and crew wrote the ideal. These were how our leaders should be. Beholden to the ideals of their political side, but working for the betterment of all the people.
That's not what we have today. Hell, that's not even what we had then.
You know. there was a time when our leaders inspired imagination. Life is shitty enough on it's own, leaders are meant to take us out of the dirt and show us if we work together, tomorrow will be better. I know it's funny to some, but leaders through history were those that lead us through the dark to a brighter tomorrow.
@@smk3390 The last time there was a "ideal president", it was Kennedy, and even he was flawed. I mean, he appeared so great that the mafia had to kill him. The same thing happened to RFK.
I think you've nailed the core message of the entire show right there. Yes, it is fictional, and yes, real-world politics doesn't live up to the ideals of the show, but the show encourages us to believe that such ideals are possible in our government and motivates us to work towards improving it.
Such clever camera angles and framing to make what are probably a couple dozen extras on a mostly empty soundstage, look and feel like a packed convention center with thousands of people
Actually it was shot in the arena in Anaheim California where the hockey team plays. At the time it was called the Arrowhead Pond I believe. And there were a lot more than a couple dozen extras. It was was actually a couple thousand. I was one of them. I was on a Disneyland vacation and leading up to the park there were flyers posted everywhere for the open call for extras. I still have my Santos, Bob Russell and Baker signs.
I feel the opposite -- it was a valiant effort, but it didn't ring true to me. I felt the emptiness of the arena during his speech.
I’ve seen this at least twenty times. Makes me cry every time.
I love the look Santos and his wife exchange before he steps out. You can practically hear them thinking to each other:
Matt: Okay, I'm going to do it now.
Helen: Go win this thing.
I don't see that from her. I think her look was complete loyalty and love and trust. She looked like she was telling him I love you no matter what happens.
While definitely a rhetorical device, the "it has been suggested to me" and "it has been asked of me" set-ups are also a nice way for Sorkin to give Santos the role of next generation leader for the DNC. The old ways are gone, and perhaps with them, some of the flaws of the party as well.
Sorkin didn't write this. He was out after season 4.
Small mistake at 4:04 when victory balloons can be seen dropping from the rafters on the TV.
If TOBY were running that convention, he'd have a meltdown like he had during the Justice Mendoza confirmation.
That whole Tempting Fate speech/rant he gave to the staffers including Ginger and Bonnie was hilarious.
He even had another moment like that when Ed (or Larry) walked into his line of sight on Election Night:
"Hey. I see one victory balloon before this thing is called and... *YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN!!!"*
I like how as Santos becomes closer and closer to being the nominee Josh looks progressively glummer and glummer.
Bail Organa really was a great senator.
The legend Jimmy Smits, everyone.
And just as good in NYPD Blue, LA Law, and East New York
The most ironic part of this episode?
Santos' speech is all about the delegates' "Democratic right to vote"...but he gets the nomination when President Bartlet twists the arm of the New York delegation chairman.
I wouldn't say it's ironic, at least not totally. Hoynes and Russell are in it for power. Baker is in it for whatever reason. Santos is in it for progress much like Bartlet wanted. Hoynes and Russell just do a better job of fooling the voters into thinking that they care about them.
Would have loved to see his presidency they really could've kept this show going, would've been really good I think
This episode, and the entire series, are simply extraordinary.
If only the DNC would do this now... to trust that we have intelligent people voting, and to treat us with respect when we want a better candidate..
@ursaltydog Six years later and I'm still sitting here hoping we see this sort of thing at the DNC in a few months.
@@vickenator I hear ya...
Whenever there was a time for a mic drop...this was it!
I'm not even American, and this speech makes me want to be a member of the Democratic Party
If only the real world was quite so good.
@DW Palme wahhhhhhhh
@DW Palme hogwash makes great fertilizer.
Keynesian Economics He doesn’t want to, cause he knows that once he does, he will be corrected on how very wrong he is.
I view this speech whenever I need a positive boost.
4:08 ... the moment a proud spouse KNOWS, ... and lets Josh know, ... "you ready for this?!"
I wish we could have this honesty today.........
"With your head held high... " Now tell me, beyond partisan, politic or personal interest... When was the last time you felt you could do that?
When I decided to follow my own ideas, principles and beliefs instead of those set forth by someone hoping to get votes instead of actually governing
As a Republican, this speech of West Wing always makes me want to vote Democract at times. Freaking jimmy.
Has anyone noticed just how EERILY accurate this was? Aside from the close election, they got everything else right. A young, minority candidate against an old, "moderate" candidate. (Okay, let's pretend McCain wasn't a total sell out and pretend he was actually moderate.) The Vinick Campaign had a young handsome (but unlike real life, not moronic) VP candidate. The Santos campaign went with an older, established statesman.
Maybe they watched the 2004 Convention speech. Anyone who saw that knew that 2008 was either gonna be Clinton or Obama.
And Mccain and Obama did basically the same thing in office.
Colonel Bagshot
I'm not sure what you mean by that. McCain was never elected President, so he was never "in office".
The West Wing definitely helped influence the real life 2008 election, and this entire political campaign was definitely based off of the actual candidates.
Still really cool, though!
+Three00Jews Considering how it was two years before the 2008 election, and Obama wasn't a real candidate until he won Iowa. (granted, I was working for him [in what my relatives called a "hopeless, pointless cause"]in Oregon for months before he won Iowa.) Unless the writers were seers, they couldn't have seen the 2008 election coming. I was an Obama campaign person, and even I didn't see it coming. I just thought it would be cool to be involved.
Looking at your comment three years later but just wanted to say that you're exactly right. After 2004, Obama became more notable and people who worked on the West Wing said that Santos was in part inspired by Obama. You hit the nail on the head.
If you notice this is one of the scenes shot later - they started to have budget issues, so you never see full wide shots to see that they didn't have very many extras. A lot of close-in shots creating the illusion of a full convention floor.
I hold my head high. I am a member of the Democratic Party.
Anyone running for President or Congress should be made to watch all 7 seasons of the west wing beforehand
Whatever the criticisms of the latter seasons, this felt very much like the West Wing. The steadfast looks of belief from Helen before to the heavy but playful pride immediately afterward. This was Matt Santos standing tall on the biggest stage with his own message, un-curated by literary luminaries and lighting his own way. Josh sees he didn't need to drive the car, just start the engine.
A Democrat this Republican could vote for and sleep soundly.
The speech that Bernie Sanders should make at the convention.
He'll possibly say something just as eloquent (even though he may not be).
sadly Bernie's speech was all "Hillory Clinton knows that..." :(
Bernie? Say something eloquent? lol.
Hillary had also clinched the nomination before the convention. Here, the convention is deadlocked, plus there was Baker's floor campaign to worry about.
Sanders is not a Democrat.
Who here is doing an AP Lang assignment
The look on Zoey's face when she is watching the speech. She looks genuinely enraptured.
When he met Fidderer she mentioned him going to the Naval Academy but the announcer says the Air Force Academy
In Mommy Problems he mentioned the Marine Commandant being his former CO, and his service in the Marines is mentioned which backs up going to the USNA
The moment Helen walks to the other spot is the moment she realizes he will get the nomination
The speech that made Santos President.
Bartlett made Santos the nominee with the backroom deal he made with the teachers union.
And a nuclear disaster made Santos president by damaging Vinnick.
President Lucky Boi
THE best post-Sorkin WestWing moment
Hurricane Santos
You repeat that outside of this room and I'll have you knocking on doors in Alaska, and NOT the urban part.
Every Time I see these clips I keep reminded how he was the pimp in SOA😂😂
My Cousin graduated from West Point and spent 25 years in the Air Force as a missile commander so yes you can switch branches of service.....
Santos at another time in another episode does make reference to having been at Annapolis.
The best thing the Dems could do is show this speech, then show a Drumpty rally speech back to back. I know it’s a fictional moment in time, but it’s what every American, democrat or republican wants from our leaders. Someone truly for the people, not someone trying to stay out of prison. Not someone looking for the next sucker to come along. Not someone trying to take our rights away. Someone truly for the betterment of our democracy. Vote blue for American 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸🤍🇺🇸💙🇺🇸
Air Force Academy?! It was stated earlier in the series Santos went to Annapolis. He was a Navy pilot.
There are many small continuity errors like that in the series. So many, in fact, I began to wonder if they were put there on purpose.
Marine Corp fighter pilot.
@@michaelashtonjr.ashohara1414 it's most likely an error but it's possible to go to another service academy say air force and go Navy. It's possible to do that it involves conditional release from your service component. It's not easy it has been done. You still because your still commissioning in the miltiary it's just your joining a different service branch.
4:07 She's like "That's my man! "
The guy introducing him says he "is a graduate of the Air Force academy".
He was a Marine.....
I love Josh's face in the end... Like "Damn it. I put that son of the bitch on that podium. I'm so awesome."
I never liked what they did to Josh's character in this storyline. At every turn he fumbled and Santos picked up the ball and ran with it (this speech, the TV commercial change, etc.). He was never allowed to become a version of Leo demonstrating a real contribution to Santos' success. At one point he even apologized to Santos for not doing much, or the right thing, and Santos reminded him that Josh got him to run. But that was it. Josh got him to run then wasn't shown to be a leader in his own right. The character we spent all these years with failed to grow in those final seasons. He even needed Sam to come in and rescue him after the election. Too bad.
I always wonder why Obama never thought about hiring Sorkin or Wells as his speech writer, or even as his senior advisor. Has he never watched the show?
Obama had his own voice, but there was a lot of consulting done quietly over the years too.
Smits does a great job with this
Santos didn't graduate from the Air Force academy. In previous episodes it has been emphasized he graduated from Annapolis.
Exactly, he was a Marine, he wouldn’t have gone to the Air Force Academy.
@@flyboy152 While it is a continuity error, the reality is that there is a mechanism by which graduates of the federal service academies can join a different service.
That look at 4:07 told it all.
Looking forward to seeing this speech being given some attention with it's superdelegates/ordinary delegates focus if there really is a conflict between them with Bernie at this year's convention. . .
i never noticed that the person introducing santos said he went to the air force acadmey when he went to anapolis, naval acadmey, never noticed it before
I wish the show could of continued one more season with the Santos Admin. It was foretelling of what we would have in 2008 with Obama. Hoping for a better 2021
American electiions are deeply unsettling
Sending kind thoughts to Americans. I would claim they lost their way. I have nothing against Republicans except everything but what do they stand for? Ask them and they look over their shoulders at a rather obese former POTUS who was defeated over a year and a month ago and wait for his incoherence to guide them. I hope to be back again in a years time. Nothing has changed Texas. Neither have you.
in the same sentence they say his a a reserve marine pilot that went thru the Air force academy? do Air force academy graduates join the Marines?
See above. They can if they choose and the requested branch agrees.
@robseajoe Actually, he does say Houston. It just sounds like "New" and then Josh exhales so you can't hear the rest as well.
The person introducing Santos said that he was a Marine fighter pilot and a graduate of the Air Force Academy. This is wrong.
Absolutely!, to give credit to the USAFA instead of USNA is horrible...Go Navy!!
Upon graduation from any service academy, the member can apply to join any of the military services they choose.
It's not impossible, but highly unlikely. It's almost as if they took that clip from an outtake? Can't believe it would get past the writers. . .but of course, it did.
joel1239871 I meant wrong in the context of the character's biography, Santos himself stated he graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis, not the AIr Force Academy at Colorado Springs.
Josh Kim Understood - it was a glitch.
Two Cathedrals is the best episode of The West Wing, but not the best post-Sorkin episode.
I always thought the decision to make Josh weak and incompetent over the final season or two was a horrible decision. He didn’t mature and grow into the role, he just went along for the ride.
The show always swung from showing Josh's hyper-competence to his hubris to his anxious frenzies. Think of it as focusing on the painful moments while there's plenty of off screen triumphs
@@wasserperson I agree with you. Like all of us, Josh had many sides to his character, and he certainly wasn't perfect. But he DID grow. He also backslid at times (like after the election). Toby was my favorite character in the first 5 years of the show. But it was all Josh in the last 2 years.
Sorkin was still in charge in season 2. He wasn't for this.
Here is a take: Santos was putting himself as a VP candidate if Baker got the nomination.
Bernie Sanders needs to make this speech ASAP.
Isn't that what being a member of a political party is supposed to be all about?
He failed to disclose that he was partners with the White House chief of staff at a Los Angeles Law firm.
I don’t understand. Santos was a Marine Pilot, so he would have graduated from The US Navy Academy in Annapolis, not from the USAF Academy.
@@Hammer20166 Right. That’s my point. He was a Marine Officer and Pilot. Hence, he should have graduated from Annapolis.
it's a pity in the clip there is not the part when President Bartlet says something like "Find me Josh". that's how the story changed :-)
Long Live The West Wing
And That’s how you win
From Bartlet, Santos and Vynick to today...
Maybe Jimmy Smits will run for real in 2024
Santos is a marine pilot. Naval academy graduate, not air force academy graduate.
In this episode. it was mentioned by Josh that Santos won the Texas primary, but a few episodes earlier one of the Vinick guys mentioned that Santos lost his home state.
A great show, but it had a number of gaffes in it. One of the worst was in the last episode, "Tomorrow", when the Bartlets are musing about why Inauguration Day is January 20 in the dead of winter, and Jed spouts "Jefferson, Madison", even though it was actually March 4 until 1936.
FDR was the first president to have the January 20th inauguration.
Sorkin had a similar one in Galileo where President Bartlet credits NASA with naming things they most definitely did not 😂
@@thezacmurphy In the 7th season Election Day two parter, Bruno comments that "a Democrat hasn't won North Dakota in 40 years, which was true in the real world, but the Bartlet reelection episode three seasons earlier clearly declared that Bartlet "won the Dakotas".
"...your ideals, your hopes, your dreams..."
We're at our best when we're looking and moving FORWARD, not in the rearview quibbling over some gauzy myth...
I do believe this is episode 132, not 133.
Gets me every time! 😁
Was this episode directed by J.J Abrams?
Alex Graves directed this episode.
Gabriel Nakamura There would've been a lot more lens flares if it had been directed by J.J. Abrams. I mean... there were an awful lot of lens flares, but the episode would have been comprised ENTIRELY of lens flares if J.J. Abrams had been in charge.
EDIT: I love J.J. Abrams none the less. Here's hoping Star Wars VII is good!
Lol in fantasy TV land the people choose their own delegate . In the real world the other people running all dropped out and party leaders decided who the nominee would be.
In the episode, President Bartlett did a deal with the teachers unions and that won Santos the nomination.
The speech was ultimately just fluffy nonsense
Wow. Just wow
If only they'ed show Peg Bundy in the White House!
Awake no jocky
and it's surely to your credit
That Guy....2020!
Not Republican nor Democratic. No. Neither Party. I like to think, Texas, I am a member of the human race Party.
I'm Canadian. We always have more choices than the Americans.
Get ready for a brokered convention.
im glad for you
The dems would love a view candidates like him right now 🤣🤣🤣
I keep seeing your name pop up in the comments trash talking Democrats. We get it. You hate them. We understand what character you would be on a TV show like this. DoucheKing indeed. Keep hating a group of people indiscriminately. Works out well for most people. Ugh, you're like if a toilet was a person.
I hate when they make teh little mistakes.. Marine Academy graduates do NOT go to the Air Force Academey they go to the Naval Academy
For such a smart writing team, they make a lot of mistakes.
They say here that Santos was a Marine, and within five seconds call him a graduate of the Air Force Academy.
The next season, he is a graduate of the Naval Academy-as he should be...
A common thread through Sorkin-run shows.
Sports Night has the Sweet 16 happening on Saturday, when those games are played Thursday and Friday...
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Five seconds worth of research or a few minutes of logical thinking.
As great as the speech is, the camera work was abysmal. The camera catches a ton of empty seats and then they show a TV scene with the conventional hall packed. It spoils what was a really fine scene.