Or how Democrats became Federalists and Republicans became Federalists
The old Republican party is already ruined, past redemption. New men and new maxims are the order of the day. ~John Randolph 1806
When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another, and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated. ~Thomas Jefferson 1821
We need the Quids
A splinter faction from Thomas Jefferson’s party called the Tertium Quids, which means “third thing” in Latin, were led by the brilliant but highly eccentric John Randolph of Roanoke, Va. Members of this faction often called themselves the “Old Republicans,” to differentiate themselves from the mainstream Republicans, who they believe had abandoned the principles of the founding.
They were the cross-party faction of Federalists and Democratic-Republicans in the period of 1804-1812 before the collapse of the First Party System in 1824. At the time the Federalists promoted the financial system of the Treasury, which emphasized federal assumption of state debts, a tariff to pay off those debts, a national bank to facilitate financing, and encouragement of banking and manufacturing. Whereas the Democratic-Republicans opposed a strong executive power, were hostile to a standing army and navy, demanded a limited reading of the Constitutional powers of the federal government, and strongly opposed the Treasury financial program.
We're all Federalists now Baby!
John Randolph was the leader of the "Old Republicans" insisting on a strict adherence to the Constitution and summarized their principles as a "love of peace, hatred of offensive war, jealousy of the state governments toward the general government; a dread of standing armies; a loathing of public debts, taxes, and excises; tenderness for the liberty of the citizen; jealousy, Argus-eyed jealousy of the patronage of the President."
Me? I stand with John Randolph.
11 comments:
Ethical Principles of the founding successfully applied and practiced in modern and constantly changing times. Therein lies a challenge our people, and by extension our government, has failed repeatedly to rise to.
Where have the Quids been hidding?
Virginia, apparently http://www.tertiumquids.org/
Tertium Quids’ RAISE MY TAXES, LOSE MY VOTE campaign is different in that we are not asking politicians to do anything. Our pledge is for the people…
.
* people who understand that it is hard work, not entitlements, that brings success;
* people who understand that it is savings, not spending, that ensures prosperity;
* people who understand that it is the entrepreneur, not the bureaucrat, who creates jobs and economic growth;
* people who understand that it is morally reprehensible to enjoy current benefits while passing the costs of those benefits on to our children and grandchildren;
* people who understand that we can no longer tolerate intellectually bankrupt politicians whose one-step thinking process always leads them to the conclusion that more government spending and higher taxes are the only answers to every problem;
* people who understand that a nation’s wealth is built over many generations, but can be squandered in a decade.
"Me? I stand with John Randolph."
Against the common working man...
JMJ
Jersey?
What makes you think the rest of us aren't working stiffs?
@Against the common working man...
Ain't no silver spoon in this mouth buddy boy. I started out in life working sunup to sundown as a laborer...so take it somewhere else, that dog won't fight here.
My experience with the common working man is that he isn't standing there with his hand out.
Aside from being absurdly off-topic, this article is about how both parties have become Federalist in nature.
I remember when the astern Europeans were looking for "the third way" and got trashed.
@looking for "the third way"
Not sure how you got there from here.
viburnum, there have always been common people who were sycophants of the wealthy and powerful. Still are.
The usual example we Americans recall was the way so many common working class Southerners fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. In so many obvious, striking ways, these folks were fighting against own best interests, but they truly believed that somehow the status quo, if left alone, would bring them and their progeny better fortunes in the future. It's a lot like people who play the lottery all the time, when you think about it.
That's essentially who the quids played to.
And it's not a "third way" really. The quids were not dogmatically adherent to anything. Hence the correct translation, "the third something." They were about maintaining a status quo via more bipartisan balance. It was short-lived and really just a footnote in our history, as America changed in ways that were completely unimagined by the likes of the quids.
JMJ
@there have always been common people who were sycophants of the wealthy and powerful. Still are
Yeah, they're called Democrat and Republican politicians.
As there are sycophants who don't even realize they are sycophants... like Jersey.
The Democratic party is just as much the party of the wealthy and powerful as the Republicans are, if not more so.
Welcome to Corporate America!
Fully 71 percent of the Obama Energy Department’s grants and loans went to “individuals who were bundlers, members of Obama’s National Finance Committee, or large donors to the Democratic Party.” Collectively, these Obama cronies raised $457,834 for his campaign, and they were in turn approved for grants or loans of nearly $11.35 billion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/forget-bain-obamas-public-equity-record-is-the-real-scandal/2012/05/24/gJQAXnXCnU_story.html
That's a sweet return on investment, no?
Get government out of business and business out of government.
Now, go back and read the Jefferson quote.
Cheers!
JMJ: "...there have always been common people who were sycophants of the wealthy and powerful...".
And then there are those of us who are blessedly bereft of the sort of envy that would make one begrudge others the success they've earned. Who tend to agree with Churchill's observation that "Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy."
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