Comparing Mr. Smith Goes To Washington And Wag The Dog

This docility and willingness to vote according to the older Senators was most likely caused by the new Senators’ fear of the political bosses. Mr. Smith, however, was sheltered from knowing that the political bosses even existed and, as a result, was not afraid to stand up for his beliefs. Mr. Taylor, a typical political boss of Smith’s time, had extreme power in his state and was able to tilt the public opinion of Senator Smith. He did this through his control of the state media and connections within the government. Taylor concocted evidence with the help of his government connections alleging that Smith owned the property intended for the boy’s camp and was only promoting the camp bill so that he could sell his own property to the government at a high price. Taylor then publicized these false accusations against Smith in the newspapers that he controlled, thus persuading public opinion and ultimately causing Smith to be accused of wrongdoing by a Senate committee. Throughout this entire entourage, Smith was too inexperienced and naive to stand up against Taylor’s political machine and resorted instead to crying at the Lincoln Memorial. Smith only returned to the Senate after Saunders convinced him that he should fight for his rights. This situation ultimately proved once again that Senator Smith was too naive to be an effective Senator. Smith did not realize that the other Senators were inclined to believe the accusations against his character, and therefore,

Our perception in regards to reality is frequently “in the hands of” of our community, and we form our beliefs in regards to what is real is through the media. Therefore, the documentary “We Need to Talk about Sandy Hook” by Sofia Small storm and the film “Wag the Dog,” by Barry Levinson are both examples of how the media tries to deceive people. The documentary has deceived the pubic into believing that the Sandy Hook Massacres did exist, and Wag the Dog tries to trick the public into believing that the United States will be at war. Both films use deceptions that are planned by the government to deceive the public for their own needs. Therefore, although people rely on media for legitimate information, they never know the truth unless it was experienced first hand.

The structure of our government is complex. With local, state, and federal levels of government, it can be confusing to understand how the government works. Luckily, Morris Fiorina wrote a document about the structure of the government called The Rise of the Washington Establishment. The Washington establishment simply refers to big government workers such as, included but not limited to, house representatives, senators, congressmen, and party leaders. These legislators and bureaucrats are the ones who run the government and establish laws. In his document, Fiorina argued that these people are in office only for personal gains. He strongly focused on congress, in which he believes they act in favor of their reelection. Power, money, and insurance benefits are the main influences that motivate congressmen to hold their position. Governmental representatives are supposed to reflect the values of the people, but they ultimately act in a selfish manor. The Rise of the Washington Establishment analyzes how congressmen act for their own self-interest.

This book emphasizes the alternative interpretations offered by Americans on the origins of the Constitution. Holton’s purpose with this book was to show that the framers interests involved making America more attractive to investors. In order to do so, they purposefully made the government less democratic with the writing of the Constitution. However, with the addition of the Bill of Rights, one could argue the Framers had at least a slight concern for the American people and their civil liberties.

The plot of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington spins, obviously, around the delay. In that time period, the Senate couldn't move onto different business if the delay was not determined - that is to say, the filibusters needed to really be talking keeping in mind the end goal to keep up the delay. This changed when Robert Byrd was Senate Majority Leader. Byrd (and his gathering) founded a "two-track" framework, changing the standards so that the Senate could desert the delayed movement and proceed onward to different business. This change was made in light of the fact that delays were seen as valuable, however excessively obstructionist, and Byrd felt the Senate required the adaptability to have the capacity to proceed onward to different things. In an unintended outcome, minorities of late have found that Byrd basically made it allowed to delay. In the event that

Smith goes to Washington” is an accurate depiction of our government today. In the film, lobbyist control the senators and decide how the legislators in their control will vote. Lobbyists do all in their power to stop any senator that attempts to resist their agenda. Mr. Smith ignores the threats that are made by lobbyists, and continues to do what is right. This leads to many false accusations against Mr. Smith, and another senator attempts to get Mr. Smith out of office with more lies. Not only do lobbyists directly attack Mr. Smith, they also attack any press that portrays him favorably. Many similar scenarios occur in the U.S. government today, and lobbyists have more power than legislators do. The government is full of corrupt legislators, and more honest people like Mr. Smith should be elected to fix the

Wilson Q. James. American Government, Brief Version. 11th ed. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2009, 2012, 2014.

In Frank Capra’s 1939 people’s fable “Mr. Smith goes to Washington “Jefferson Smith, a young, idealistic, and naïve hero from a Midwestern state is thrust into public notoriety through a chance course of events. His journey will compel him to contemplate the veracity of the political foundation which supports American democracy and confront the corruption which seeks to erode it.

Patrick, John J., and Richard M. Pious. The Oxford Guide to the United States Government. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. 200-205.

In Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a naïve Jefferson Smith sets off for Washington D.C. as a United States Senator, where he learns that politics is not as transparent as it may seem. Released in 1939, one of the most successful years for film, Mr. Smith became a smash hit, easily becoming the second largest blockbuster of that year. However, 1939 was also the year World War II had started, and coupled with the war’s association with the Great Depression, the hit film was bound to cause conflict and controversy among the viewing public, which included global audiences. With post-Depression America seeking realism and optimism and the events that would eventually lead to World War II, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington culminates

The United State’s legislative branch is primarily guided by Congress, which itself is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both of these lawmaking bodies have members elected from the American population, but the sheer number of congressmen and congresswomen that serve each session greatly diminishes the actual power of any single member. In fact, in many cases, members question if they have any power. Furthermore, even if representatives and senators do have a significant say in the legislation process, they often choose not to use it, or to misuse it in ways discordant with democracy. In reality and in our simulation, the way in which Congress members use their power is predominantly influenced by their

George Washington was the very first President of the United States. This was such a huge role to take on, not only because of his duties as President, but because it was also setting a precedent for future U.S. Presidents and the federal government as a whole. During Washington’s presidency, many political parties and departments were set up, each with a certain role in the federal government, and many with different ideological views.

When the United States’ public thinks of congress it can normally be assumed that they believe that Congress is a very incompetent and inefficient governing body. However in two books, How Congress Works by Lee Hamilton and Act of Congress by Robert Kaiser, we find out that Congress in fact is a large, complicated, yet organized institution. The popular views on congress are often not what is actually true, in these two novels, it is explained and argued that in fact Congress is a strong institution that has problems due to the scope of its job and the sheer amount of legislative debate and work required.

In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Senator Smith is called upon to step up and serve his state through representation in the United States Senate. As a proud citizen of his country, Smith says that he will honor the appointment and, before long, has been whisked off to the nation’s capitol. There, he is introduced to the corruption and double-sidedness of politics. Regardless of the external stimuli, Smith never strays from his belief that the Senate should do what it was created to do and he wants to teach the country’s children the same thing. While writing his bill for a children’s camp, he says that “‘liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books’” (Mr. Smith

The relationship between the president and the Congress is described as a “perpetual tag of war”, which can be attributed to system of checks and balances at the heart of America’s governmental structure. However many argue that the power of the presidency has expanded over