I know I'm betraying my age, but a lot of great old movies show up on late night cable, so maybe you're familiar with this one: "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," starring the matchless Jimmy Stewart.Oh, it's great … an all-time classic. A nice, ordinary small-town citizen is selected to represent his neighbors in the U.S. Senate, and off he goes, full of idealism and honesty and naïve ideas about how the government establishment works. Of course, he's soon confronted by the necessity, it seemed, to "get along by going along," by doing and voting what senior lawmakers want, even when it violates his conscience and really isn't good for the people back home he's come to Washington to represent.
Well, Mr. Smith isn't having any. He's come to Washington to be an old-fashioned honest representative. The movie culminates in a long impassioned filibuster that exposes and thwarts the underhanded plans of certain senators, leaving Mr. Smith wrung out, raspy voiced, but victorious. The visitors in the galleries and balconies are applauding him, and a majority of his fellow senators are persuaded to vote the proposed unjust measures down.
The system works! Hallelujah!
That was then, you say, but it wouldn't happen today ... would it?
Well, it just did!
Consider: The huge, controversial immigration bill...
Enter Mr. Smith.
Actually, enter a few million Mr. Smiths. Add in a Sean Hannity, a Rush Limbaugh, scores of less famous talk-show hosts and at least one very upset and vocal CNN Democrat, Lou Dobbs, and we saw a bombardment of Washington simply unequaled in recent years!
Whoops.
Dobbs once described himself as a "lifelong Republican,"[17] but has stated that he has switched to being an unaffiliated independent populist, as he no longer openly supports any party.[18] Though he made a donation of $1,000 to the Bush-Cheney campaign in January 2001, he often has described the administration of George W. Bush and the then Republican-controlled Congress as "disgraceful." At the same time he has argued that voters have very little choice under the U.S. two-party system, as both parties are controlled by big business and corporate interests, making them almost one and the same and thus do not offer real debate or policy alternatives to ordinary Americans.
Dobbs is pro-abortion rights, anti-gun control, fiscally conservative, but supports government regulations, as revealed in a 60 Minutes interveiw.
Dobbs' stance on trade has earned plaudits from some trade union activists on the traditional political left, while his stance on immigration tends to appeal to the right.[1] In an interview with Larry King, Dobbs revealed that he is now "an unaffiliated independent" due to dissatisfaction with both the Republican and Democratic parties. Dobbs was a strong supporter of John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election, though his support was based on a dislike for the Bush administration rather than support for Kerry's platform, which he described as largely "more of the same."
Well, I suppose that former-Republican-turned independent is almost the same thing as "Democrat." Just like O'Reilly, right? This is almost as good as the time CNN called Zell Miller a "liberal Democrat."
Oh, Pat. It must be fun being your fact-checker.
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