Pre-Election Special!

Can Mr. Smith Get to
Washington Anymore? (USA: 2006, 82 mins.)

This documentary follows the 2004 Missouri Democratic primary to replace retiring 28-year veteran and former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt. It is told from inside the campaign of Jeff Smith, a 29-year old part-time political science instructor at Washington University.

The leading candidate is State Representative Russ Carnahan, scion of Missouri's most powerful political dynasty. As one political analyst says: "The Carnahan name is to Missouri what the Kennedy name is to Massachusetts." Carnahan's record is thin, his public performances are weak and his campaign is uninspired. But his family's strong establishment ties provide him fundraising connections and near universal name recognition. As the early front-runner Carnahan holds a 40-point lead over Jeff who has zero name recognition.

The odds against Jeff are overwhelming. He starts with no money, no political base and no name recognition. His staff is a hodge-podge of political nobodies, mostly former students. From his humble beginnings and in the face of constant resistance from the political establishment, voters, the media and even his own family, Jeff mobilizes an army of nearly 500 volunteers, generating a youth-oriented grassroots insurgency that ultimately poses a serious challenge to Carnahan and in the process overturns the conventional wisdom that Carnahan is unbeatable.

The film questions how we elect our political leaders by showing that candidates with access to power and money have significant advantages over any contenders, regardless of their abilities. It shows what confronts fresh political faces with new ideas and passionate supporters when they go head-to-head against a political system that maintains power by manipulating a largely apathetic electorate. As a result, we tend to elect brand-name politicians despite their obvious shortcomings.

The film offers an unvarnished look at the inside of what national pundits called one of 2004's surprising campaigns. And the film asks if it is still possible in America for voters excited by a person's ideas and ability to get involved in the political process and elect a candidate who has not sold out, or bought into the existing political establishment

Discussions to Follow Each Screening. Please join us.

Producer's Web Site: www.MrSmithMovie.com