The Portland Trip
Encyclopedia
Plot
C.J.C. J. Cregg
Claudia Jean "C. J." Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the television serial drama The West Wing. From the beginning of the series until the sixth season, she is White House Press Secretary in the administration of President Josiah Bartlet...
is made to join the President
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
on a trip to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
after making a joke about Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. The President will be giving a speech on education when they arrive, and hopes to announce a major initiative, though he doesn't have a specific idea. Sam
Sam Seaborn
Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is best known for being Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration throughout the first four seasons of the series.-Creation and...
faces a serious bout of writers' block in spite of Toby
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
's efforts to help him out, and asks C.J. to get back copies of his draft of the speech. Charlie
Charlie Young
Charles 'Charlie' Young is a fictional character played by Dulé Hill on the television serial drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he is the Personal Aide to President Josiah Bartlet.-Creation and development:...
suggests that the government offer tuition incentives in exchange for people teaching at an assigned public school. The President is enthralled, but reluctantly agrees that the funding for such a plan will be difficult to secure. Toby talks Sam out of using Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's phrase "a permanent revolution" in the speech, but recommends to the President that they pursue a small pilot program based on Charlie's suggestion. The President glumly says it's "a start."
Josh
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
spends the evening discussing an anti-gay marriage bill (similar to the actual 1996 Defense of Marriage Act
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act is a United States federal law whereby the federal government defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no U.S. state may be required to recognize as a marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state...
) with a gay Republican congressman, and can't really understand how a gay man could throw his support behind a measure that says he's a lesser citizen of the U.S. The Congressman says that he agrees with most of the Republican agenda and doesn't have to base his entire life around his sexuality, but does show visible contempt when some GOP colleagues fawn over his efforts in support of the bill.
Margaret, Leo
Leo McGarry
Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...
's secretary, is concerned that Leo will drink after being served with divorce papers. Leo says he doesn't need an excuse to drink but appreciates her concern. He spends his evening monitoring a situation in the Persian Gulf where an American oil company has been caught smuggling Iraqi petroleum for sale on the black market. After going through the military measures to stop the ship and the process of testing to determine its origin, Leo acknowledges that under the UN sanctions plan, the company will have to pay a fine but will be allowed to sell the oil. This means they will bring in revenues that far exceed the relatively small fine figures. The President is visibly irritated by his impotence with respect to both this issue and the education initiative.
Donna
Donna Moss
Donnatella "Donna" Moss is a fictional character played by Janel Moloney on the television serial drama The West Wing. Donna is a recurring character during the first season, although she appears in every episode, making her a de facto regular...
goes on a date in a dress she can't afford and plans to return the next day. She returns to the office after her terrible date, and Josh tells Donna that the dress looks good on her and she should keep it.