Ppaer

Frank Capra’s Hollywood classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) depicts the struggles of bashful idealist, Senator Jefferson Smith, as he battles the powerful Taylor political machine and his fellow senators. In the film’s central conflict, Senator Smith proposes a bill to build a national boy’s camp on acres of land near the beautiful Willet Creek, which the Taylor political machine planned to use for a dam building graft scheme. Desperate and humiliated following false accusations, Smith delivers a dramatic twenty-four hour filibuster, which captivates those present in the Senate Chamber. Smith is able to expose the scheme and defeat the Taylor machine despite numerous obstacles (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington).
The film, despite being seventy-five years old, remains both relevant and influential in the realm of politics. At a time when American politics remains partisan and polarizing, the filibuster is a powerful tool for American lawmakers. Much like Jefferson Smith, young Republican senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have gained national recognition by using the filibuster as ...