[nesnah]

My sister saw Gary Cooper Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as a teenager, so that she became a political junkie.
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I've been a political junkie since the beginning of Rush. I hadn't seen Mr. Smith but for a few years ago. What shocked me the most about the movie is that it is SO accurate about the way things are in the DC cesspool....including the media lying and complicity with politicians. What was most astonishing is that it had been made so long ago. I you haven't seen it, you should. It's eye-opening.

[chajin]

One major difference between the Senate in “Mr Smith” and today: C-SPAN2. No one actually debates in the Senate anymore; when a Senator wants to give a speech, s/he goes on the Senate floor, gives the speech in front of the camera, and then leaves. The other Senators, if they want to hear speeches, turn on the TV in their offices, or use the C-SPAN app on their smartphones. The only time you see Senators en masse is during voting, and even then they are usually milling about rather than sitting in their chairs.