Comments on: Fools Wanted: A Lesson from ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’

By: MadFederalist

MadFederalist — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:28:30 +0000

The operative word is "every." Anybody with an ax to grind wants the "other side's" politicians to watch this film. Ask any liberal, they will tell you Newt Gingrich and Larry Craig and Saxbe Chambliss Jim DeMint need to watch this film. Mr. Smith was so nonideological that anyone can hold him up as a standard.

By: MadFederalist

MadFederalist — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:23:40 +0000

Sour grapes. Anyone who doesn't like current government policy can blame voters for ignorance, fecklessness, or any other bad condition that may come to mind. That's what liberals said about people who voted for George W. Bush. All it means is, somehow a majority of my fellow citizens actually supported something I don't like. That happens in a democracy. Grow up and deal with it like a big boy. There were all kinds of things wrong with my textbooks when I was growing up. I knew it, and I didn't let it define me. I knew how to check out my own books from the library. Driving a bus during both of the last two presidential elections, I had my finger on a totally unscientific pulse of the electorate. I know that the margin of victory in 2004 was voters who hadn't even made up their minds until the morning of the election. They were going to hold their noses no matter who they voted for. Likewise, I knew weeks before the election that older, traditionally Democratic, blue-collar Roman Catholic "white" voters were solidly for Obama. Not all of them. For God's sake, not all of any demographic is united on anything. Ask Thomas Sowell.

By: MadFederalist

MadFederalist — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:17:12 +0000

Primaries were invented to get the nomination process out of the hands of party bosses, and into the hands of the voters. Of course, if only a handful of voters turn out for the primaries, then the nomination rests in the hands of those voters. And, in the modern TV era, if someone pours several million dollars into an advertising blitz, they can swing a primary, so its out of the hands of party bosses, into the hands of plutocrats. I don't like Joe Lieberman, but something about that guy who ran against him in the primary turned me off. He was rude, flat, full of himself, and hollow. Its not enough to be the anti-Lieberman. Of course the only reason Lieberman won is because the Bush staff put out the word for most of Connecticut's Republicans to support him. If there had been a real Republican campaign, Lieberman would have come in second.

By: CorporalO

CorporalO — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:06:49 +0000

Nice try Mr. Hanlon, but Senator Lieberman is no leader. How do you explain Joe Lieberman's flip flopping position on the health bill? There is no way this bill is good for the country, I do not care how you amend it. Lieberman voted yes to bring it to debate, now he says he will not support it, allowing a filibuster. His no means nothing now because Harry Reid can use reconciliation to bypass the filibuster.

A real leader does not take both sides of an issue. He or she votes his convictions every time he can. Lieberman probably has some convictions, but he sometimes retreats from them. Therefore he is no leader.

By: CorporalO

CorporalO — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:02:21 +0000

Yesterday it was yes, today it's no. Yes to the debate, no to the bill. He's dancing on the fence. Posturing for the senators, fence straddling for his constituents. Playing with fire for the country. He is no leader. A leader would always vote with his convictions. He could have stopped the bill.

By: wingnutmike

wingnutmike — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:55:19 +0000

Like a recent article bagging on Imagine, to Frank Capra I forgive all – and I love the movie too. But alas Mr. Smith asked of govt no different than the hated senior Senator. He wanted an earmark- he believed his bill was worthy of putting his hands in our pockets- a smaller govt Mr. Smith who did NOT want the earmark, is another movie altogether- you know Claude Rains wants a bill for his paper boys and… Mr. Smith… [I'd see it if he still gets Jean Arthur]

By: rlaWTX

rlaWTX — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:25:23 +0000

When I visited DC for the first time (newly graduated from college with a very useful BA in history & government) I had a Mr Smith moment when I walked out onto the Mall and could see all of the grandeur of the design and realization of the people who had walked here and talked here and died for it to work and all of that rolled into one. So, that part where Mr Smith gets caught up inthe sights and wanders off is my 2nd favorite part – right after, and only edged out by, the fillibuster.

By: HumanPersonJr

HumanPersonJr — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:19:17 +0000

Thanks for writing back, and a big thank you for understanding that I wasn't trying to marginalize our girl Sarah. If she'd run in the primaries against the rest of that bunch, I would've voted for her. Our choices in 2008 were atrocious. I voted for McCain, but not cheerfully.

She is herself, totally. That is an unusual phenomenom in this day.

By: Randyl2

Randyl2 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:13:09 +0000

Yes, but then I wasn't talking about necessarily about the presidency, rather the type people we need in Washington. Mr. Smith was a senator.
That being said, after seeing where Obama and his crew have taken us in less than a year I would choose to take my chances with her at the helm.

By: HumanPersonJr

HumanPersonJr — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:57:53 +0000

What an amazing quote. Old Bill had it going on. I loved the guy, and he wasn't some effete intellectual. He had the smarts, but he was passionate about conservatism. I love the exchange with Truman Capote. If you haven't seen it, go to youtube and type Buckley Capote in the search bar. (He threatens to punch Capote in the face. He also calls him a politically incorrect name for homosexual gentleman.)