I woke up at around 5:30 this morning. There’s a huge wind here in Manhattan today, and the sound of it battering against my window woke me up. I got up, I listened to the election on the radio for a bit, made some coffee, wrote in my journal my thoughts, reflections, feelings on this day.
Then … I was passing by the bookcase in my kitchen (or, let me be clear, one of the bookcases in my kitchen – each “room” in my tiny apartment has more than one bookcase in it) – I caught a glimpse of The Federalist Papers, and pulled it out. I thought: Yeah, man. Let’s take a look at this today. It seems appropriate.
(I have mentioned before my kick-ass library and how much I love to have those books around. It’s for moments like that. “Damn, I feel like peeking into the Federalist Papers right now … and lookee here, by golly, I can!!”)
This morning, I read Federalist # 10, perhaps the most famous of all of the essays. Penned by James Madison, it is a brilliant essay on party-politics, and the dangers of factions. Now granted – Madison very famously changed his tune later in life, when he hooked up with Jefferson, and they began planning an opposition party.
From Mr. We-Must-Try-To-Prevent-the-Forming-of-Parties to Mr. Let’s-Set-Up-a-Party-In-Opposition …
That was Madison’s journey.
Ironically, Madison and Jefferson ended up heading the party that would be known as the “Republicans” – They set themselves up against the “Federalists” – led by Alexander Hamilton. (Hamilton, of course, was Madison’s former friend and co-writer of the Federalist Papers. Madison, indeed, may have written the most famous one of the papers – but Hamilton’s contribution is beyond compare. Did that man ever sleep???) Madison and Hamilton, once so in agreement, diverged strongly … Madison feared Hamilton’s version of Federalism (which seemed to Madison just another version of aristocracy) – and Hamilton couldn’t stand Madison’s proposals for a more wide-spread distribution of power.
Anyway. James Madison discusses in Federalist # 10 (you can read the text of it here) the inevitability of factions (you cannot make a nation of millions of people with diverse backgrounds agree – nor should you try – look at Communist Russia – any kind of thought-control or toe-the-correct-party-line is totalitarianism. Also, more practically, it is nearly impossible to find two individual men who agree on EVERYTHING, let alone an entire nation) – so there will always be different opinions, etc. – but in # 10 Madison describes how important all those little pesky checks and balances in the Constitution are, and he describes this in a way unparalleled in its clarity. The dude had a brilliant legal mind.
I’ll excerpt a couple of my favorite parts of it – but I was really glad I read it this morning, at the tailend of one of the ugliest elections I can remember.
It reminded me (as well as the brief and positive conversation I had with both my parents last night about America, this democratic process, the “civic duty”, the high voter turnout, etc.) that what I REALLY love (more than any candidate for President, more than any politician ever) is this country, and our form of government.
THAT is what I revere. THAT is what I am proud of. I participated yesterday. We all did. This is why this country is great. Our form of government is bigger than any candidate – the Office is larger than the Man.
James Madison understood this to his core. So did all those Founding Father blokes. Actually, perhaps this is the wrong way to say it. It wasn’t so much that they “understood” this, because, after all, the entire thing was an improvisation, an experiment at that point. But they knew what it was that they feared. They were some of the deepest cynics to have ever walked this earth. Perfection is impossible. There is no utopia. There is ALWAYS a serpent in the garden. Man is corruptible. So – taking all of this as a given – they set out to create a government of LAWS, not MEN. They feared man’s corruptibility so much that there literally could not be enough checks and balances in our constitution. They knew that there was a possibility of a government becoming deadlocked with so many checks and balances. So be it. Better a deadlock than a tyranny.
Madison writes:
The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame within their particular States, but will be unable to spread a general conflagration through the other States. A religious sect may degenerate into a political faction in a part of the Confederacy; but the variety of sects dispersed over the entire face of it must secure the national councils against any danger from that source. A rage for paper money, for an abolition of debts, for an equal division of property, or for any other improper or wicked project, will be less apt to pervade the whole body of the Union than a particular member of it; in the same proportion as such a malady is more likely to taint a particular county or district, than an entire State.
The following is one of my favorite excerpts (it comes from the beginning of the essay) – but I highly recommend you go read the rest.
By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.
There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects.
There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.
It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.
The second expedient is as impracticable as the first would be unwise. As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed. As long as the connection subsists between his reason and his self-love, his opinions and his passions will have a reciprocal influence on each other; and the former will be objects to which the latter will attach themselves. The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government.
God bless America.
My God!! I don’t even know where to begin. You stumbled upon it in your kitchen and my gratitude for you posting it here can not be adequately described.
Yesterday I felt giddy. I went to my polling place and nodded at all the people coming and going and I sensed an enormous kindredship. I felt like we were all smiling deep inside our hearts at one another. I, of course, was projecting this on everyone but I enjoyed every minute of it. I’ve never felt that way in regards to voting or politics. Never. I was elated to be an American. 9/11 made me aware of being an American for the first time in my life but this election has made me giddy with it.
I’ll admit it, my candidate lost. Yet today I felt an enormous calm, unlike some of my friends and neighbors who sense doom and gloom. I carried that giddiness into today and it hasn’t left yet.
One of my neighbors is so distraught. She went off on how terrible things are going to be and some of the things she said were outrageous. I couldn’t understand how someone so intelligent could sound so insane. Then I thought, “Am I sticking my head in the sand here in order to avoid the horrors that she speaks of?” But again this feeling of giddiness pervaded and I told her over and over that these things can’t happen, this is America. It’s set up to protect us.
America spoke. It’s still deeply divided and unlike many I don’t see that as a bad thing anymore, I see it as the best possible scenario in a country set up to foster it.
Now if these horrors she speaks of come true, if for one example, the “authorities” come and take her children from her, then I guess it would be time to pull my head out of the sand and out of my ass and fight like hell. Today I choose to believe in the greater good that is America. Your post has infused me with information on why I feel that.
The writing in those essays is unreal Sheila. Who were these men? I think I’m warming up to another one of your obsessions…God help me!
David –
I love you, my friend. Your comment is so beautiful – and I thank you.
I’m here to help. I am your girl for Founding Fathers info.
:)
David–Your words are thoughtful, decent, and accurate. Like you, I often feel elated to be an American, but never more so than when voting. Standing in line, looking around at all my neighbors–all of them with different concerns, issues, and lifestyles–it’s a beautiful thing.
On a personal level, late last night the comment was made on MSNBC that “this whole election is going to come down to Franklin County in Ohio. The people who have been making phone calls and knocking on doors are probably going to decide this thing.” I felt a swelling in my chest. This is my county, and I have spent the past four days knocking on hundreds of doors and making thousands of phone calls. To feel that you have played some small part in the process of American democracy, and that your small contribution might have a real impact, is a fantastic feeling.
Many people are criticizing the election process in this country. I am not naive to some of the problems that exist, but I think the process worked remarkably well this time. To think that we had more than 113 million people vote all over the country in a close and hard-fought campaign, and we know the result by 11a.m. the next day seems extraordinary to me–not something to be derided.
Anyway, I was moved by your testament to the privilege that is voting in this country. I found it particularly admirable given that your candidate did not win. I have been on the losing side of many elections. It is not an easy thing. That you maintain your affection for our country and the act of voting is a great thing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
As for The Federalist Papers–these mens were giants–giants of intellect, perspective, and vision. It is impossible to read any of them without being humbled and awed.
What impresses me most, I think, about all of them is that it was not so much IDEALISM that helped them see so far ahead, but cynicism and pessimism.
It’s kind of incredible.
I read something somewhere else that what differentiated the American Revolution from the guillotine-terrorizing French Revolution 20 years later was that the main thing the American Revolution stood for was “liberty”. And with “liberty” inevitably will come disagreement, problems. The French Revolution was all about “equality” – leveling the playing field, so to speak. The Founding Fathers knew (somehow – how did they know??) that “equality” of that sort was to be feared, immensely.
It is a small step from “equality for everyone” to the chopping-block of the guillotine – and somehow the Founding Dudes sensed that.
“Liberty” may be messy, and inconvenient, and you may WISH that everyone around you were in lock-step with you (because, oh, wouldn’t it be so much easier???) but that’s the price we pay for putting “liberty” first.
Thank you. After reading blogs full of “I’m moving to Canada” and much wailing on the Demo side of the fence, its wonderful to read an eloquent essay on what is right in America…
Thank you for writing this, because I could not, and I needed to read it.
Melissa:
You are most welcome.
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!
I particularly like Madison’s “air-fire” analogy (being prone to argument by analogy myself, as my poli-sci professors used to point out, in palmier days).
David: Across the gulf of–um, political disagreement–I salute you. There are many of us on both sides of the late election who want nothing more nor less than to preserve what the Founders gave us, and that is what we’ll fight for.
You’re right, Sheila–it wasn’t a vision of utopia that moved those men. If the twentieth century taught us anything at all, it is that Utopia is built on a mountain of skulls.
When I voted (early Tuesday morning) I was just elated to be able to vote. Voting isn’t a sexy thing (not like the ideals of Communism) but I was surprised at how enjoyable it was. I’m still unsure of the voting numbers (are they up, are they about the same?) but if more people voted than last time, they will feel they did their job.
I’m glad both sides came out in droves to vote. As I walked away from the polling place, I was content with whoever won.
“Yesterday I felt giddy. I went to my polling place and nodded at all the people coming and going and I sensed an enormous kindredship”
I felt this, too, David. At my polling place, there were no people toting signs, or yelling, or telling me how to vote. Just a line of people (about 30 mins worth), and I felt close to them, like it was something intimate and significant that was happening.
Have you read Ellis’ biography of Washington? You might like it.