An old email I wrote

There has been some rumbling by Tom Watson in some of the comment sections of a couple of my favorite bloggers. In fact, it's almost come to fisticuffs. Tom wants the liberal bloggers to not write about tv or flowers in the weeks coming up to an extremely important election. He wants us to keep motivated about politics! Let us not be swayed by the shiny, pretty things that distract us from the horrors of the current administration.

All of this has reminded me of an email I wrote to many friends the day after the 2004 election. I had worked as a poll watcher that day and hadn't had a very good experience. (It's a long story, probably better heard in person.) My roommates and I threw a party the night before to watch the numbers come in, and we even got cable so we would have Jon Stewart to keep us laughing, which turned out to be very necessary. I woke up the next day not very jazzed about the world. This is what I sent to my friends and loved ones:

Dear Friends,
In times of trial, we often turn to beloved and revered texts to search for higher meanings in our earthly struggles. This morning I woke up with a burning need to read the Federalist Papers today. Federalist X has always been my favorite, and today seemed an appropriate time to revisit Madison's thoughts on the perils of factions.

"Complaints are everywhere heard from our most considerate and virtuous citizens, equally the friends of public and private faith and of public and personal liberty, that our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.”

Madison defines a faction:
“By a faction I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”

Madison then explains that the sources of factions (liberty and diverse opinions amongst the electorate) cannot be cured, because doing so would be like “annihilation of air” because it “imparts fire to its destructive agency.” He stresses that the effects of factions must be controlled.

This is easy, of course, with a minority faction, but with a majority faction there is danger for the democracy. “When a majority is included in a faction, the form of popular government, on the other hand, enables it to sacrifice to its ruling passion or interest both the public good and the rights of citizens.”

He says that it is the question of how to control this “overbearing majority” that he desires to answer, though I do not find much hope in his answers. “Either the existence of the same passion or interest in a majority at the same time must be prevented, or the majority, having such coexistent passion or interest, must be rendered, by their number and local situation, unable to concert and carry into effect schemes of oppression.” Unfortunately, if this cannot be avoided, as it has not been avoided in this election, Madison offers little. He concedes that “neither moral nor religious motives can be relied on as an adequate control,” especially not if the overbearing majority sees itself as morally and religiously superior to the rest of the electorate.

Madison goes on to discuss the importance of how our Constitution balances power between the minorities and majorities, and how this balance should hold in check the dangerous factions that are inherent in our form of government. The bicameral legislature, and the checks on it by the executive branch, was created to make laws difficult to enact. Our government was designed to move slowly, so factions could not quickly rise to greatly change the legal landscape of the country. It is difficult to change the Constitution for that reason as well, as it should be. This slowness is an incredibly important check on overbearing majorities, but what happens when both the executive and the entire legislative branch are in the hands of one faction? What happens when they fill the judicial with other members of that faction? How do the checks work to balance the needs of majorities and minorities? How does our democracy continue to function as it was originally intended if the country is so divided, yet one side holds all the power? These are the questions that plague me on this sunny November morning. Unfortunately Madison has not assuaged any of my fears, only underlined them.

I spoke with my mother today, who went to bed early last night, confident and exhausted after a long day of canvassing and poll watching. She awoke this morning, as many of us did, aghast. She told me she feels like maybe the South did win the Civil War after all.

I’m sorry to fill your inboxes with such a gloomy missive. Though we may have lost this battle, I don’t think it is right to concede the control of the nation’s hearts and minds to a single faction. I think this election underscores the massive work that is needed to be done with our political parties and electoral system. It’s hard to feel energized on a day like today, but it is important to remember that our democracy constantly needs to be fought for; it is a goal that we should always be working towards, even when our causes seem lost. It is so important that we continue to fight, we cannot lie down and let a faction rule with no recourse, we must continue to make our voices heard.

My friends, you are all in my thoughts and heart today, as is this uneasy future of our country. I’m not willing to give up yet, and I hope you aren’t either.

Love,
Claire

__________________________________________________________
"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood."
-----Daniel H. Burnham

I kept the quote at the bottom because I forgot that used to be my email signature and it's a great quote. I forwarded this on to Blue Girl today and she encouraged me to post it.

Remember to vote!

Comments

[blue girl]

Thank you for the links, Claire. And as you know, I think your email was very inspiring. I'm glad you posted it.

It's true. We need to do all we can do for this next election. Watson's given me some ideas. Now I just gotta get 'em posted!

A little upfront research work first, though. Which slows down the *swooping* process, as Mannion likes to say.

But, I'll do it!

Great post!

[Jennifer]

Very nice post, Claire. I'm pretty sure the current administration is reading your blog, right? RIGHT??? I feel much better knowing that when they do, they'll see the mistakes of their ways. It must have only been a braincramp...

Thanks again for the words of wisdom.

[Adorable Girlfriend]

Lovely post, indeed!

Well done.

[Claire]

Thanks ladies. Had I had a blog back thing, you know it would have been a post back in 2004.