Washington Rules Washington

“I guess this is just another lost cause, Mr. Paine. All you people don’t know about lost causes. Mr. Paine does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for.” (Jefferson Smith, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)

I’ve been gone this past week on a trip to Washington, D.C. Though I’ve been going to Washington regularly for forty years, this was a different sort-of trip. And, as I wandered in the Halls of the Senate and House office buildings it occurred to me that “just a bit o’ common sense” could go a long way these days.

To be clear, common sense and Washington certainly do not go together. It started with locating the capitol city in swamp–yes it was a mosquito infested swamp before it became quite another version of waterlogged muddy mess. The original inhabitants fled Washington every summer which, in retrospect, was one very good idea. Here’s a thought to consider–perhaps instead of blaming the politicians we should blame the air conditioner for all our troubles. Afterall, without the air conditioner the bureaucrats and politicians would have continued to flee Washington at least once a year. So it goes, a serendipitous consequence.

Sorry about that, I wander (a bit like you know who and his 2-hour stump speeches).

Not to sound trite, but it really is true that Washington is the doppelganger for Ancient Rome. As you walk up the Apian Way in Rome you can imagine the great colonnade, the robed gentry and politicians, the regal military and the energy that comes from being the center of all earthly power. So too in Washington, as you walk up the Mall from the Washington Monument to the Capitol, you cannot escape the very real feeling that this is an other-worldly place, a center of great power and place that holds plots within plots.

So, while here in the middle of the country we go about our day-to-day lives concerned with family, schools, churches and business, it is impossible to escape the truth that such matters are of little consequence in the great capitol. Such day-to-day matters are mere tawdry afterthoughts to those ‘blessed’ to be in the Capitol, running this country. Everything about the architecture and the feel of Washington rejects common sense, even as it raises our expectations. We want Washington to be a special place, but inescapably by making it that special place we have created a place that rejects us. Cynical to be sure, but do you doubt it?

The talk of the town in Washington–that is the talk that is taking place in cafeterias and hallways by those working there–is about ‘downsizing.’ Those on “our” side are as worried about it as the folks on “the other” side. Who will be fired next? Who will keep their job? What do I need to do to protect my job? This can’t really happen, can it? Those are the real conversations happening this very minute in a place that has never before faced the reality that someday you’ll just plain run out of other people’s money.

This is important to understand. The process of reducing the size of any enterprise inevitably hurts someone. Someone will lose a job and will go home tonight to tell their family about it. Such conversations occur in every “non-governmental” household, but this is a first for Washington. A great republic is reconsidering what it needs. It’s exciting out here in the hinterlands to hear about taming government, but do not doubt for a minute that it is frightening in the nation’s capitol.

I admit, I was surprised. Perhaps I’m just a bit too much “Mr. Smith.” Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers And I wonder how much the rest of the country is, at its heart, just a modern version of Mr. Smith. We really do believe in the goodness of our cause. It’s the great American cause. Mr. Smith spoke about these feelings, when he said, “You see, boys forget what their country means by just reading ‘The Land of the Free” in history books. Then they get to be men–they forget even more.” And “I wouldn’t give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn’t have a little bit of plain, ordinary everyday kindness–and little lookin’ out for the other fella too.”

So, as the battle continues to finally address our country’s hurtling toward bankruptcy, let’s not lose faith at the length and viciousness of the fight. Because while it may seem like a lost cause, I’ll leave it Jimmy Stewart as Mr. Smith, spoken so well through the lense of the director, Frank Capra, to sum up what is coming:

“You think I’m licked. You all think I’m licked. Well, I’m not licked! And I’m gonna stay right here and fight for this lost cause!”

Judge Jim Troupis

Retired Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge. President Trump’s attorney in 2020. Speaker, columnist, talk radio guest, father, grandfather and fisherman. Lawfare Triage | Where Deception Dies