Directed by Alex Graves
Written by Lawrence O'Donnell, Jr.
Congressman Santos and Senator Vinick participate in their only debate. At the beginning, Senator Vinick proposes that they drop the agreed-upon format and actually have a real debate over the issues. What follows is a freewheeling debate between the two candidates over everything from immigration to African debt relief.
This episode contains examples of:
- As Himself: Then-NBC News reporter Forrest Sawyer as the debate moderator.
- Creator Cameo: The audience member that interrupts to yell "You're a liar!" at Vinick was played by executive producer and occasional director Christopher Misiano.
- Live Episode: The episode was done live twice, once for broadcast on the East Coast and then again for broadcast on the West Coast. There are slight differences between the two versions because Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda were allowed to ad-lib a little more than usual.
- Shout-Out:
- Santos' speech about not being ashamed of being a liberal was a paraphrase of a similar comment by JFK in 1960.
- Also, Santos saying he voted against a bill after voting for it was reminiscent of an issue that dogged John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential election.
