Short Story

The film portrays the government in a very negative light and shows how the senators have no real influence on lawmaking. Mr. Smith’s struggles as a senator gave the impression that the government functions completely on bribery, blackmail, and lies. The film gives a very strong message about the lack of democracy in American government and politics, along with the ignorance of the American people. Mr. Smith portrays the average American citizen: he is naïve, has faith in the democracy, and is ignorant

Lee Harvey Oswald peers outside the first floor window of the depository window assessing the presidents route by where the crowd stands ( O’Reilly Dugard 256). He goes back to the

The Senate was going to elect an officer with power, and the obvious choice was turning out to be

Throughout the course of American politics, superstar senators have risen from the frameworks of capitol buildings on federal, state, and local levels. Some were ruthlessly manipulative in their desire to achieve success, choosing to push their own agenda for the sake of a spot in history. Others served a more earnest cause, putting their country before their party. From the founding fathers to post World War II America, senators of the extremely partisan kind worked in Washington, these men certainly were not the last of the “cut throat” politicians, their actions setting a precedent for future men and women in their partisan agenda. However, noble men who worked endlessly for the prosperity, safety, and unity of America are often swept

The first day on the job was terrifying! The vocalized mandate of perfection was intimidating. Compound the expectation of perfection with 100 elected officials seated on the Senate floor, and CSPAN providing continual coverage for the nation to view, I imagined this to be a mistake-filled summer. Serving as a United States Senate Page seemed as though it would be an impossible task. I received my orientation, as I was ushered throughout the Capitol building’s halls, I learned where amendments would be taken, bills dropped off, and roll call sheets delivered, the necessary locations quickly became a blur. I was just as lost as an explorer without a map.

I had originally wanted to intern at my firm because of my love for policy minutiae, but I, unexpectedly, found a kind of magic in the grimy politics of Harrisburg. My first tour of the gilded capitol, taken in the midst of a budget crisis, was illuminating. “This representative is a friend of ours, this senator is an alcoholic, that man is just using this office

Through elaborately decorated rooms and immense marble staircases, I never expected my time in the Pennsylvania Capital Building to be quite so interesting. On June ninth, I was fortunate enough to not only attend a state senate meeting but to shadow the Senate President pro tempore, Joseph Scarnati, for an entire afternoon. This was not my first time meeting Senator Scarnati, as I had the opportunity to get to know him through various political functions in my hometown of Brookville. Brookville, located in Jefferson County, is one of eight counties that make up Senator Scarnati’s district. I first met Senator Scarnati when I was just a toddler, and upon hearing of this summer assignment, I immediately thought to call him to see if it would be possible for me to attend a senate meeting. To my surprise, I was not only in for a

It was in this spirit that I was honored to serve as a U.S. Senate Page this past summer. Working daily on the floor of the so-called “greatest deliberative body in the world” made me further recognize the beauty of democracy. I gained such an appreciation for Congress by having a front row seat to America’s lawmaking, which exposed me in new ways to the problems and issues that we as a nation must confront.

Most of the reading focuses on two subjects: the difference between presidents and lower level legislators, and the presidents’ motivation and thoughts. The discussion of lower level legislators is left at the idea they tend to focus on their select group of people, and helping mainly them,

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

Here it sees another fundamental flaw that lessens the sense of democracy in our government. The Senate is recognized as the chamber of “sober second thought”, as it goes through in much finer detail bills that have been passed through the House of Commons . Although the Senate was created to counterbalance the partisan representation in the House of Commons with equal regional representation, Senators are usually sitting as members of political parties and therefore somewhat render the role of the Senate moot. As Senators are appointed members, they are selected from regions, as required, but are appointed specifically by the major party in power. This situation, put in context anywhere else is clearly a conflict of interest and furthers the problem that is present in the House of Commons, party

Smith has little to no confidence about himself when he first speaks to an audience about being selected to be a senator. In his speech, he speaks poorly of himself and lets the other senator know he will not be much help. When he arrives into New York, he becomes clueless and gets lost into the crowd leaving the other senator. His irresponsibility of roaming the city causes everyone in the office to search for him. After Senator Smith is no longer missing, he receives questions from many reporters about what his new ideas to improve the country.

Daschle, Thomas, and Charles Robbins. The U. S. Senate. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2013.

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s meeting room comprises a significant setting in the novel because it

The main gist of the institution is through legislation. However, in its entirety, the senate is divided into offices and committees in handling every day task such as research and development, recordings, and more. As with the group’s acceptance in the institution, the office in which we reside is in Senator Trillanes’ office. In this office, like in any other senator’s office, it is divided into two entities to serve both the people and the senator. In this case, one is the main office where the job mostly directs itself to the senator. The office produces information, contacts, scripts, rebuts, and accounting in aid for the upcoming sessions in the Senate. Likewise, as the sessions begin, recordings will be made through the office in order to provide information on the said sessions and to produce relevant transcripts, that is, to help the Senator in his debacles within and between sessions. In so doing, the main office is somehow the arms and legs of the Senator in his daily regimen of trials and interactions.