Seventy-five years ago (1939), Columbia Pictures released a movie, directed by the legendary Frank Capra, and starring actor Jimmy Stewart. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is the story of an idealistic, patriotic, but naïve boy scout leader who’s appointed to the United States Senate to replace a Senator who has just died. The politically corrupt people who have him appointed assume Jefferson Smith will be their puppet, but he proves to be anything but.
I’d highly recommend that if you haven’t seen this film, you should get a copy from the library, or through Netflix, or whatever. If you’ve already seen it, but’s it been a while, it’s worth seeing again.
Although the famous filibuster scene is probably the most memorable part of the movie, I most relate to the newly-appointed Senator’s reaction when he first gets off the train after arriving in Washington. He wanders off from the staffers sent to pick him up, and tours Washington on his own. His reverential visits to the Lincoln Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Supreme Court, the White House, and the Capitol Building are quite moving.
It may sound corny, but I still feel the same way the fictional Mr. Smith did when I see these majestic symbols of our nation, even after having served in Washington for 18 years now. I often look at the Capitol Dome, which is lit up so beautifully at night, and wonder what our founders would think, and wonder whether the current crop of legislators who toil in that building are living up to the expectation of the people who sent them there. And to be honest, I’m afraid our founders would be disappointed in many ways, and I know the American people are. We need to do much better. The American people deserve better.
Some years back (in 2004), Democratic Congressman Rob Andrews of New Jersey and I received the “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington Award” for that year. It is given annually by an independent, non-partisan watchdog group called Taxpayers for Common Sense, whose mission is to “ensure that the federal government spends taxpayer dollars responsibly and operates within its means.”
Congressman Andrews and I had fought to eliminate wasteful timber subsidies in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. The following is the quote from Taxpayers for Common Sense upon presenting us with the award:
Here’s a photo of the award that hangs on the wall in my office to this day.
