“(T)he great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defense must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. “ Federalist 51
For over two hundred years the Founders’ plan, described by James Madison in Federalist 51, worked reasonably well. The Founders were cognizant of the danger of demagoguery, but believed that good sense would ultimately prevail. The nation has proved them wrong, not once, but twice.
The Founders did not foresee that Congress would willingly surrender its law making authority to executive agencies and then stand silent while the chief executive arrogated congressional prerogatives to himself. A year ago the president said, “Where Congress is not willing to act, we’re going to go ahead and do it ourselves.” Separation of powers, “f’get about it.” The silence from the media was smothering.
He is doing what he said he would do faced with an obstinate Republican majority in the House and a divided Senate. His arrogant assurance of infallibility is coupled with a will to power so great that opposition is now intolerable. That explains why Mr. Obama is intent, not on finding solutions to America’s manifold problems, but on vilifying Republicans. The Republican Party must be delegitimized so the electorate pulls mostly Democrat levers in 2014. Only then will President Obama be fully empowered to do what he came to do – transform the nation to match his vision of social and economic justice.
Some have called the Republican Party the stupid party for failing to make the case for liberty against an all-controlling state. There is something to be said for that assessment. However, the founders made the survival of their of plan contingent on an educated and self-sufficient electorate electing honorable men. There is that, too.
Authored By What Would The Founders Think?
