This is the lesson of the movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” They knew back in 1939 (a good year for movies) that Washington corrupts even the most honest and innocent politician. The Senator Paine character was once like the Mr. Smith character, but time spent in Washington corrupted him.

This is a very hard lesson to get to sink in. In 1994, a new class of Republicans had been elected to the House for the express purpose of cleaning up some of the corruption; they called it their “contract with America.” When they first arrived in Washington, someone showed them “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” in order to warn them of the dangers of eventual corruption. Despite the lesson, most or all of the class of ’94 who stayed in office too long eventually became corrupted, too. It is a problem of ‘following the Washington way,’ which is a way of corruption.

Having the good intentions of Mr. Smith, a young Senator Paine, or the House class of ’94 does not help, because that is the paving material of a certain road that we do not want to take. Good intentions without clear, deeply held values and principles set one on that road in quick order. It looks like the values and principles are not enough to save those who go to Washington from the corrupt culture that permeates that swamp. (Washington was built on a literal natural swamp. It was drained, so one would think that we could drain the human swamp that exists there now. The Clintons and Lois Lerner would be a good start.)

“…How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly, there are those who are more responsible than others (and they will be, held accountable) but again, truth be told, if you’re looking for the Guilty, you need only look into a mirror.”

Thad doesn’t know what Planet he’s on, Mitch can barely walk & talk, and McCain, well… “brain damage” long-standing. He couldn’t even beat a Marxist, but boy can he BLOW your grandchildren’s money, till the cows come home.

(really don’t want to hear a bunch of lies about how “great” they were, just want the ‘breaking news-alert’ saying that they are gone and dead.)

And as for Romney– jee whiz, — can’t that guy, ever shut-up?
Maybe we should expropriate all his cash, deport his family to Iran, and he can live in double-wide, on 8-Mile, outside of Detroit.

Kirk: As far as I can tell, Trump has not. In this he is no different than anyone else in the swamp.