Federalist 10: Liberty Is to Faction What Air Is to Fire
I’m still digesting, and frankly, reeling a bit from, some of the things I’m seeing today: the execution of a Trump supporter (more on that in the next article) to guillotines in front of the White House and Jeff Bezos’s house, to mobs attacking couples and individuals as they left the Republican National Convention. All of these are mere displays of what Madison feared and wanted to avoid. He knew the volatility of human nature, the irrationality of factions, and the dangers of mob rule. I’ve always known what he said was true (based on history), but have never been more confident in his reasonings as I am today.
You will find much of what he says, the issues he was facing in his day, very familiar to what we are facing today. Gear up, there’s a lot of Madison language here. Read it all… it’s worth it.