View From The Middle

There probably aren't too many of you out there who remember a movie by the name of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." If you don't remember it from Way Back, perhaps you've seen it on Turner Classic Movies on television or on another movie channel. Released in 1939, it was directed by Frank Capra — the same director who presented us with "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and other classics of the same genre; you know — country bumpkin heads for the big city, turns it upside down and winds up turning the tables on the aristocrats. Frank Capra was known for directing these types of movies and received a number of Academy Awards and other plaudits many times over for his work.

Now, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" starred James Stewart as a Podunk, U.S.A. dweller who was appointed, via a fluke, to fulfill a U.S. Senatorial seat after the official from his state died. He tried to turn the offer down, but being a town hero after dousing a fire that saved some lives, he was finally persuaded to go to Washington by his townsfolk and by his conscience, which told him he could do a heckofa better job — sans corruption — than those elected officials already there.

It's a truly wonderful movie — a piece of art — that portrayed Middle America like a Norman Rockwell painting and Washington politics like the farce that it is. Oh, by the way, it's a comedy.

I bring it up at this time because of the comparisons we see in the politics of our federal government in Washington and, mostly, what we see happening in the cradle of our State Government in Albany.

Now THERE are a couple of farces!

Pick up any newspaper (or blog or whatever) and read, every day, of something outlandishly illegal (allegedly!) being perpetrated by at least one or more of our own legislators. For instance, an article in the Daily News this week cites our own Congressman Charles Rangel being investigated by the House Ethics Commission — the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct — who say that Rangel was among a bunch of representatives and lobbyists who went down to the tropical island of St. Maartin and had a ball for three days while on a "business conference" at the expense of some big, BIG companies who might need a political favor somewhere along the way. Ethics rules say that's a no-no under their dictum, which states they're allowed to do it for one day, but not three.

Now admit it. If you think about it, a movie comedy is in the making right there if it combines some of the circumstances that could arise, especially if it concerns Charlie Rangel (played by Cedric the Entertainer).

Bigger now than some of the big, goofy deals we see in federal government is what's been going on Statewide. Did you notice that last week Governor David Paterson, who has been in office a little more than 18 months after replacing Governor Spitzer, who had to leave office because HE WAS FOOLING AROUND WITH PROSTITUTES, is about to create what he's calling a Government Ethics Commission (GEC) to replace the existing Public Integrity Commission (PIC). You see, the PIC has been accused of not having a hell of a lot of integrity, inasmuch as when they were investigating the Troopergate scandal, where Spitzer had been accused of using state troopers to help him smear a political enemy. The head of the PIC, Herb Teitelbaum, leaked information all over the place, mainly to Spitzer. Teitelbaum had to quit and Paterson had to wipe some of the mud off his face and office and act quickly, thus trying to establish the GEC. Of course, he's trying to do it by what he says is "the proper way," that is, he wants to create a screening commission of ten people who will then nominate five people as a panel to appoint under-commissioners.

Ya got that?

Now let's get back to Frank Capra and Jimmie Stewart and his Mr. Smith and the light comedy. What does all this that's happening in Washington and Albany now sound like? Even Capra would have to read and re-read the script on this one to decide what's fodder for the "funniest, craziest, zaniest" screenplay ever (as the movie trailer would say)! "I have it," the director would say. "We'll have either Jimmie Stewart or Arnold Schwarzenegger play the lead and either Jean Arthur or Paris Hilton can play his girlfriend/reporter. Then we'll have Edward Arnold or Meatball play one of the (Harumph!) senators and maybe Claude Rains or Jack Nicholson join in somewhere. Of course, the Speaker of the House would be Harry Carey or maybe Donald Trump."

See? It's already cast. We'll need a screenplay, of course, but that can come directly from the Legislature's archives — with exact quotes. It'll be hilarious! We should start shooting any day now."

Oh, what fun!