The political conventions are now in our rearview mirror and I hear conversations about “fact checking” the things that were said. Half-truths and misrepresentations were prominent during both conventions and it shouldn’t surprise us that they always worked for the benefit if the speaker at the time. This is the business of factions and it is not new. In fact, the following paragraph comes from Federalist Paper Number 9, written by Alexander Hamilton, for the Independent Journal, Wednesday, November 21, 1787:
“A FIRM Union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the States, as a barrier against domestic faction and insurrection. It is impossible to read the history of the petty republics of Greece and Italy without feeling sensations of horror and disgust at the distractions with which they were continually agitated, and at the rapid succession of revolutions by which they were kept in a state of perpetual vibration between the extremes of tyranny and anarchy. If they exhibit occasional calms, these only serve as short-lived contrast to the furious storms that are to succeed. If now and then intervals of felicity open to view, we behold them with a mixture of regret, arising from the reflection that the pleasing scenes before us are soon to be overwhelmed by the tempestuous waves of sedition and party rage. If momentary rays of glory break forth from the gloom, while they dazzle us with a transient and fleeting brilliancy, they at the same time admonish us to lament that the vices of government should pervert the direction and tarnish the luster of those bright talents and exalted endowments for which the favored soils that produced them have been so justly celebrated.”
If we look around at the political events taking place, we can’t help to notice that we are “in a state of perpetual vibration between the extremes of tyranny and anarchy.” This paragraph from Federalist Paper Number 9 tells us that our founding fathers saw the dangers of factional interests in our society. These sentences – with a bit of update – could just as easily be describing our current dysfunction. But, we should avoid the temptation of jumping to the conclusion that our founding fathers didn’t believe they had taken appropriate steps to mitigate the problem.
The opening sentence tells us that they believed that “A FIRM Union” was the means by which factional interests would be kept in check. “A FIRM Union” – isn’t that another way of saying “We the People”? Our Founding Fathers knew that if We the People let down our guard, we would be swept up “in a state of perpetual vibration between the extremes of tyranny and anarchy.” Our Founding Fathers would be amazed and disappointed by our personal knowledge and involvement in our Federal government. They would be shaking their heads in disbelief that we could have reached this dysfunctional state of our Union.
The Sausage Grinder is Broken – will you help to fix it?