Today, Mr. Smith Could Never Go To Washington

by Dave C. Jones

San Diego, CA - 12 August 2009 @ 0830 PDT - Although Mr. Smith was appointed, not elected, he stands as the epitome of the common man going to Washington to affect change. Unfortunately, he would never win an election and would face a tough time in Washington today.

People hate politicians—no one likes them. Politicians say what the people want to hear but then the politicians do what they want to do anyway. The people know they are being lied to (just ask anyone who went to the "health care" town hall meetings) but there is nothing they can do but voice their opinions and hope for the best. No matter what Obama says, hope does not lead to change.

The Mr. Smiths among us want to change Washington. Not in the way Obama has—not in a way that leads to socialism or fascism, but in a way that takes us firmly back to the roots of this nation. Unfortunately, when the Mr. Smiths among us make it in the world of politics, we are seen as a threat and ridiculed just as Mr. Smith was in the '30s. Look no further than Sarah Palin as an example of a Mrs. Smith who made it big in politics only to be smeared in the media when she became a threat to the left's golden child.

Besides the fear of smear attacks that will hurt our families, the would-be Mr. (and Mrs.) Smiths out there also have the formidable hurdle of the campaign to overcome. No longer can a person merely post their platform on the web, in a newspaper, or via a television or radio interview. No, apparently today's "undecided" voters need candidates to hand-hold them; to kiss their babies' cheeks; to kowtow to their whims before they decide to vote for them. And, of course, all of this travel and butt-kissing on the part of the would-be "politician" costs beaucoup bucks. According to some reports, it can take $10 million to make a credible Senate run.

How can any normal person who does not want to be a "politician" serve the public when it costs so much to convert the undecided voters out there? I've already said that the independents and undecided voters out there are ruining America. The price tag they put on elections is just more proof that they are doing so.

And the final straw is that campaign checklists include sponsoring polls to find out what the public thinks about various issues. In a Utopian society, polls would allow the candidate to figure out how he would actually act once elected—not just how to get elected. In other words, the polls would let the candidate know that if he wanted to run for state office in California he better campaign as a pro-immigration, pro-gun control, and pro-abortion candidate. And, if he wants to be re-elected, he better vote that way once elected. Unfortunately, "politicians" use polls to know what the public wants to hear so they can write speeches to get elected. Politicians very rarely follow the will of the people once elected.

If the health care town halls have taught us anything, it is that America is fed up with politics as usual in DC. It's time for hundreds of Mr. Smiths to go to Washington. It's too bad, though, that given the cost, the "politics" involved, and the hypocrisy, a Mr. Smith would never get elected today and would be smeared if he did.

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Dave Jones is not your typical liberal California criminal defense trial attorney. He is a libertarian who believes in less government, more guns, and greater freedom–in short, the principles on which this country was founded. He can be reached at his law firm, the American Justice Center, via e-mail at djones at AmericanJusticeCenter.com. Read more of his writings at blog.AmericanJusticeCenter.com.