Co-Writer Eli Attie named Donna (Janel Moloney)'s teacher after his real-life Social Studies teacher at Hunter College High School, Mrs Morello.
The last time Texas was won by a Democrat in the Presidential Election was in 1976 for Jimmy Carter.
Vice President Hoynes (Tim Matheson) says he stopped drinking when he was 22, "I had a few experiences in college. I liked beer, a lot" : Tim Matheson (Vice President Hoynes) played Eric "Otter" Stratton in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978).
A list of senators' last names on a chalkboard in Josh Lyman's office includes "Bond." James Bond, the fictional British spy, is mentioned later, in a way that relates to the episode's title. That is, President Bartlet criticizes the character's preference for martinis that are "shaken not stirred," and the last word of that phrase is the title.
Jed Bartlett believes that James Bond drinks weak martinis because they're meant to be stirred and shaking the drink will cause it to taste bitter from the ice. But that's regarding gin martinis; Bond prefers a vodka martini, which is indeed supposed to be shaken so that it will get colder faster.