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Can Jeff Smith Get To Washington Anyone Essay

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The film, “Can Mr. Smith get to Washington anymore?” questions the process in which Americans vote and elect their political leaders. Jeff Smith was your typical American. However, his immense passion for politics sparked a crazy idea. The 29-year old part time political science instructor decided to run for congress. With no money, no political base, and no name recognition, Smith’s friends and family doubted him. However, he refused to give up and proved everyone wrong when Smith’s campaign rose to the top challenging State Representative Russ Carnahan. Carnahan has Fundraising connections, name recognition and a powerful history; but unlike Smith, he lacks public performances, passion for his job, and his campaign is uninspired. It was …show more content…

In a democracy, like the United States, Americans choose government officials. The elected officials then serve for a term of office. The prevalence of single-member district is one of the most important of the features of the electoral system. Almost all elections held are a single-member election, which means they are contest in which only one candidate is elected to each office on the ballot. The winner of the election is the one who received the largest number of votes, or plurality. This pattern however, works to discourage minor and non-major parties. Republicans and Democrats usually find common ground and work together, also known as bipartisan. It seems that the electoral process shape election laws to preserve, protect, and defend the two-party system; furthermore, not giving the minor party a fair …show more content…

The electoral process is the method by which a candidate is elected to office. In the United States the people have the power to elect who they believe is the right candidate. However, are people using that power efficiently? Is the electoral process really democratic? The film helped me understand the electoral process. Americans don’t choose the best candidate; they choose the most “known” candidate, or the one that seems to be the best candidate, even when they are not. It is obvious that Americans are not all that educated when it comes to choosing who they believe is the right candidate. In the film, it seemed that Smith’s hard work in creating a “grassroots” campaign was going to pay off. It seemed that the electoral process might be a little different this time around. However, this was proved wrong when Carnahan won and “The St. Louis American,” the African-American newspaper, wrote that Carnahan was the most prudent choice, even though Smith has fought for racial justice most of his life. Throughout the film, people tell Smith that they admire and like his platform best but won’t vote for him because Carnahan is the one who is going to win. Americans vote and line up behind a candidate who has no idea what their issues are or how to fix and fight for their issues for the single reason that they think that candidate is most likely to win. Despite the fact that the film clearly

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