The Debate

"The Debate" is the seventh episode of the seventh season of American serial political drama The West Wing. The episode aired on November 6, 2005, on NBC. The episode was a live stage performance, recorded twice for the Eastern and Western Coasts of the United States. During the episode, Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda spar as Matt Santos and Arnold Vinick, respectively, in their roles as candidates for president of the United States. Synopsis The episode begins by focusing on both presidential candidates in the final minutes before the debate. Both candidates express their fear, with Vinick telling his advisor that "terrified doesn't even begin to cover it". Vinick expresses his frustration for the rules, too, admitting that it limits his ability to express his ideas. Both candidates walk on stage, and the moderator explains the rules; two minutes for an answer to a question, followed by a one-minute rebuttal, followed by thirty seconds for a counterpoint. Vinick, given the time for the first opening statement, chooses to go off-script and propose that the rules of the debate be scrapped, choosing instead to have both candidates partake in a one-to-one conversation with each other, which Santos agrees to. The two spar on a number of issues, including health care, public education, immigration, energy, and ideology. During the health care portion of the debate, both Santos and Vinick leave their podium while attempting to make bold statements, causing an offscreen technician to have to give both handheld microphones. While discussing energy, Vinick proposed nuclear power as a way to reduce reliance on oil from outside sources. Santos objected to nuclear power, arguing that it is dangerous, to which Vinick replied that "nuclear power is completely safe". In a later episode, concerning a potential meltdown of a nuclear reactor in Vinick's home state of California, Vinick's statement was clipped and re-aired repeatedly. Cast Jimmy Smits as Matt Santos, the Democratic nominee for president of the United States Alan Alda as Arnold Vinick, the Republican nominee for president of the United States Forrest Sawyer as himself, the debate moderator