Congress: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

The 1939 film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,focuses on the appointment of a new U.S. senator who is characteristic and clumsy but inexperienced and a dreamer. Governor Hubert Hopper chooses Jefferson Smith as the replacement. Smith advocates for the creation of a boy nature retreat and begins working on a bill. In essence, Smith not only represents the dreams of young boys, he acts like one too. He’s innocent and becomes a victim of corruption when Senator Pain aims to ruin his “boy-like” aspirations.
The film accurately portrays the most important goal for senators, reelection, and reelection is not always secured with good politics but by perception, demeanor, and points of view on particular issues. It’s an art of influence. In the article, “U.S. House Members in Their Constituencies: An Exploration (1977),” by Richard Fenno, the author aims to dissect these methods of convincing constituents to reelect congressmen. Feno (1977) examines factors like how congressmen represent their own communities and background in Washington.
Proper representation of a majority of constituents is essential to clinching reelection. In the article, “Rethinking Representation (2003)”, Jane Mansbridge outlines various forms of representation. Traditionally, promissory representation was practiced by making promises and either fulfilling or abandoning them . Officials can also practice anticipatory representation when they predict constituent approval in upcoming elections and hope voters will approve based off of previous accomplishments in office. Sometimes voters are impressed with the character and decision making skills of representatives, this can be referred to as gyroscopic representation. When representatives aim to secure the interests of voters out of their respective district they are practicing surrogate representation. This is particularly common when constituents nationwide identify with a particular issue or movement.
In the article, “Collective vs. Dyadic Representation in Congress (1978),” by Robert Weissburg, the author discusses how surrogate representation often occurs. When representatives inefficiently represent constituents another representative will identify with those constituents. Dyadic representation is when officials represent voters in their respective district, while collective representation is the opposite. The author claims that both forms are accurate and efficient, proving that all voters can be represented.
In the film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,  Jefferson Smith aims to represent and identify the needs of the children and suggests that a nature retreat would build character and discipline. Because he would represent the needs of boys nationwide, the interests of their parents, and the interests of anyone who would support such education, Smith is collectively supporting voters. Perhaps this form of representation is more efficient because it is more personal? People identified with Smith because he was so personal, maybe that is why President Obama was reelected for a second term. He identifies with all aspects of American society and presents the demeanor of understanding, reason, and compassion.