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Senator Smith thought he knew how policymaking worked. Like most American school children, he watched Schoolhouse Rock and knew all the words to the song. But, now that he has been elected to the Senate, he has found out that making laws is more complicated than he thought it was. He is definitely puzzled. Watch and see how his secretary explains the process to him. It almost seems hopeless.
Är du kämpar med ordet lås? Titta på infographic . Vem påverkar kongressen?
"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 a little looking out for the other fella, too. " Senator Smith
The policymaking process in the United States is complex by design. In the classic movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in 1939, the process was clearly laid out for the American public.
This movie even touches, briefly, on the role of outside interest groups on this process. While those roles are not written into the Constitution, as you learned in Federalist 10, factions develop naturally. Factions that organize themselves will have more impact on the process than those who do not. Can you think of examples of factions that might want to influence the bill that Senator Smith is trying to write?
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