The Distinguished Gentleman 

By MATTHEW HEITZER / August 11, 1989

No film does a better job of dramatizing the corruption of politicians and interest groups that the 1994 film The Distinguished Gentleman. The film stars Eddie Murphy as Thomas Johnson, a smooth-talking scam artist who makes his way into Congress--where the cynical would suggest he'd have plenty of company--through a series of bizarre flukes and con jobs. The movie is actually a comic version of the 1939 drama Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  Murphy and the film's director take every opportunity to depict most elected members of Congress as totally devoted to selling their vote to the highest bidding lobbyist.

Thomas Jefferson Johnson  is a con man from Florida who gets the bright idea that he could make a tidy sum if he was able to get inside the political arena because "that's where the money is."  When a Florida senator named Jeff Johnson dies and a special election is held to replace him, Thomas--whose middle name is Jefferson--puts his name on the ballot as "Jeff Johnson".  Enough confused voters check the ballot for him that Johnson wins the race and is on his way to Washington DC.  In the capitol, the late congressman's aide, Reinhardt, gives him the inside scoop on how things work, and introduces Johnson to lobbyists whose "whole point in life is to buy you off."  When an astonished Johnson asks Reinhardt: "With all of this money coming in from all sides, how can anything get done," the ready response is that "it doesn't; that's the genius of the system."

Johnson soon finds a mentor in the Chairman of the Power and Industry Committee, Dick Dodge, who shows him the ropes on raking in PAC money and honorariums.  Johnson's plans are going just as he hoped until he meets Celia Kirby, a volunteer lobbyist and political activist whose uncle is a noted religious leader, The Rev. Elijah Hawkins. Johnson quickly becomes smitten with Celia, but it's obvious that she's not buying his act.  If he wants to win her heart, he'll have to stop fooling people into thinking he's honest and actually be honest.

As with all myths about politics, strains of truth can be found in some of the film's portrayals. In reality, observers are increasingly concerned, as are members of Congress, with the escalating cost of elections and the dependence on lobbyists and political action committees to help finance campaigns. An uncomfortable relationship can exist between the donors and the receivers of campaign contributions in which policy may be influenced. But the question remains:  does The Distinguished Gentleman go too far in distorting the governing process and the methods used to debate and write laws.

Policymaking is a complex process influenced not only by interest groups but by the constituents, principles, and policy preferences of our legislators. That interest groups can and do influence the policymaking process, to the detriment of some policies, is indeed true. But are they a constant and overwhelming force of corruption in the policymaking process as shown in movies like The Distinguished Gentleman? Can the majority of members of Congress, as well as most elected officials in our state and local legislative bodies, be bought by lobbyists as portrayed in this film?