Professional Backgound
- Toby has been a professional political operative all of his life, except for a few years while he was in elementary school. [2.1]. His political experience includes work on: one city council campaign, two Congressional races, a Senatorial and a gubernatorial race and a national campaign. Toby had never won until the Bartlet campaign [2.1]
- Toby was the only one on Bartlet's nascent campaign that the Governor didn't know, and the only one who wasn't fired by Leo McGarry [2.1].
- Despite his work on the Bartlet for America campaign -- and the vociferous support of both Leo and Josh -- Toby was President Bartlet's second choice for Communications Director. He was offered the job only after David Rosen turned it down, a fact which temporarily threw Toby for a loop when Mandy mentioned it in passing [1.5].
- In addition to being in charge of the message for the Bartlet administration [1.1], Toby is a Senior Domestic Policy Advisor to the President [2.16]. Will says that the President would give a radio address proposing free liposuction to every child of woman born if Toby wrote it; Toby disagrees [4.14].
- Technically, Toby is CJ Cregg's boss, but he doesn't like ordering her to do things [2.11]. Sam Seaborn is Toby's deputy [1.1].
- Just before the president went public with his illness, Leo set up a meeting for Toby with Greg Summerhayes, who offered Toby a job at a start-up all news cable channel. Toby refused to take the "lifeboat" [2.22].
- As Communications Director, Toby has Week Ahead meetings with his staff on Fridays in the Roosevelt Room to plan upcoming events [3.5], which are listed on the white board in the Communications bullpen [2.14]. Toby feels out of touch without CNN [4.2].
- Just before the President's official announcement for the 2002 campaign, Toby was incensed by signs that said "Bartlet for President." He grabbed a black magic marker, crossed out "for," and wrote "is the" on several [3.2].
- To gather momentum for the re-election campaign, Toby suggested the administration support a variety of small measures (e.g. cellphones for neighborhood watch groups) that would poll well [3.7].
- Toby called Sam at 3:30 a.m. to explain that the public perception of the President as arrogant is a gift, because then he doesn't have to worry about appearing arrogant at the debate [4.6].
- Toby's assistants are Ginger [1.3] and Bonnie [1.6]. He has been known to bring them pastries [2.4]; he considers his entire department his team [3.5].
- Toby's adjustment period for working with new people is exceedingly long. He thinks he may have adjusted to Sam like a week before Sam left for California which, for those of us keeping track, is just about five years [4.10].
- According to Will Bailey, Toby is one of those writers [4.10].
- After repeatedly requesting that he be allowed to take a leave and go to California to manage Sam's mishandled Congressional campaign, Toby was finally granted permission by the President a week before the special election. Possibly it had something to do with Toby's arrest and subsequent inability to leave California [4.16]. Despite Toby's best efforts, a week out, he predicted Sam would lose huge, but pledged that he would make sure the story was Sam having the guts to stick up for what he believes [4.17].
- After meeting his newborn twin children, Toby realized that the President shouldn't stay in power while his daughter was kidnapped and supported the President's decision to invoke the 25th Amendment [4.23].
- After Will left Toby's employ to work for Buffalo Bob, Toby went through three researchers in a month -- the last one left when Toby's "filing" resulted in a broken ceramic hippo mug [5.7].
- In a bold (but probably ill-advised) move, Toby devised a risky plan to save Social Security. It very nearly cost him his job, but in the end, the centerpiece of the New Deal was saved -- even though the Bartlet administration was denied credit [5.12].
