CAN MR SMITH GET TO WASHINGTON ANYMORE?

In 2004 former House Majority leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO) decided not to run for office again. Ten citizens of Missouri filed to run in the Democratic primary to fill his seat. One unlikely candidate was Jeff Smith, a 29-year old part-time political science instructor at Washington University (St. Louis). He had never held any political office whatsoever, but was bright, eager, and progressive. Among his Democratic opponents was State Representative Russ Carnahan, the youngest member of a 3-generation political family with deep pockets and nation-wide connections. Despite his poor record in the Missouri legislature and his pitiful public speaking style, Carnahan seemed destined to move up the political ladder. Name recognition alone was worth a lot of points, whereas there were already two “Smiths” running in the primary.

When Jeff Smith informed his family and friends that he intended to run for the House seat, they almost universally laughed and scoffed at the idea of his wasting his time and money. He was forbidden to ask relatives for any contributions. His mother refused to be involved, whereas Carnahan’s mom was practically running his campaign. Practically everyone helping Smith in his bid was young, excited, smart, and totally inexperienced in political campaigns. The few who did have experience had been associated with the Howard Dean race for the Democratic presidential nomination. A lot of Jeff’s former students signed up to help out – as best they could. With his “army of nearly 500 volunteers,” Jeff Smith began catching up with the Carnahan machine. Suddenly the conventional wisdom that a Carnahan was unbeatable was not such a sure bet.

“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” [official website]

Frank Popper, director/cinematographer/editor/co-writer/co-producer of CAN MR SMITH GET TO WASHINGTON ANYMORE, is “a former high school English teacher who accidentally discovered the wonders of photography when he wandered into the art department and watched a photo teacher enlarging a black-and-white negative. He decided to leave teaching and become a photographer. Over the course of several years, photography morphed into multimedia, and finally, filmmaking.” Popper co-produced and co-directed THE LOUNGE PEOPLE (1992), a feature film, and served as principal videographer of EROICA!, a classical music documentary (also featured on Independent Lens). CAN MR. SMITH GET TO WASHINGTON ANYMORE? is Popper’s first feature-length documentary.

-- Chale Nafus, Director of Programming, Austin Film Society