Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
George Washington foresaw the Capitol riot. It's why he hated political parties.
PostEverything • Perspective
George Washington foresaw the Capitol riot. It’s why he hated political parties.
This week’s events were our first president’s nightmare
By Alexis Coe
Alexis Coe is the author of “You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington.”
Jan. 8, 2021 at 2:46 p.m. EST
Wednesday, in a craven last-ditch effort to prove their loyalty to President Trump, a contingent of Republicans from both houses of Congress objected to the ministerial, almost purely ceremonial counting of electoral college votes — their wooden performance quickly outdone by a pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol in a violent scene most Americans never thought they’d see in their country.
It’s a meltdown that came about in part because of blind allegiance to Trump; in part because of blind allegiance to the Republican Party, rather than adherence to principle; and because — in the span of a few years — allegiance to Trump became the GOP’s only real litmus test.
George Washington warned us that this could happen.
Our nation’s first president wanted to unite Americans, and he believed political factions and parties were antithetical to that goal. He was the only president to avoid claiming one. The Constitution, of which he was the first signer, doesn’t require the formation of parties; if anything, it suggests that working with one’s political rivals is part of the deal of American democracy: Until 1804, the president was assigned a vice president by the electorate. Even if the runner-up was opposed to every single one of the winner’s policies, he was automatically first in the presidential line of succession. That meant that President George Washington was stuck with Vice President John Adams, who seemed to think their first order of business was figuring out formalities, arguing in New York, the first seat of government, that the nation’s highest executive should be called “His Highness, the President of the United States of America, and Protector of the Rights of the same.” Washington, who had rid the country of monarchical rule, wanted no such honorific, and was mortified such a suggestion was made on his behalf.
{snip}
Alexis Coe
Alexis Coe is the author of “You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington.” Follow https://twitter.com/AlexisCoe
George Washington foresaw the Capitol riot. It’s why he hated political parties.
This week’s events were our first president’s nightmare
By Alexis Coe
Alexis Coe is the author of “You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington.”
Jan. 8, 2021 at 2:46 p.m. EST
Wednesday, in a craven last-ditch effort to prove their loyalty to President Trump, a contingent of Republicans from both houses of Congress objected to the ministerial, almost purely ceremonial counting of electoral college votes — their wooden performance quickly outdone by a pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol in a violent scene most Americans never thought they’d see in their country.
It’s a meltdown that came about in part because of blind allegiance to Trump; in part because of blind allegiance to the Republican Party, rather than adherence to principle; and because — in the span of a few years — allegiance to Trump became the GOP’s only real litmus test.
George Washington warned us that this could happen.
Our nation’s first president wanted to unite Americans, and he believed political factions and parties were antithetical to that goal. He was the only president to avoid claiming one. The Constitution, of which he was the first signer, doesn’t require the formation of parties; if anything, it suggests that working with one’s political rivals is part of the deal of American democracy: Until 1804, the president was assigned a vice president by the electorate. Even if the runner-up was opposed to every single one of the winner’s policies, he was automatically first in the presidential line of succession. That meant that President George Washington was stuck with Vice President John Adams, who seemed to think their first order of business was figuring out formalities, arguing in New York, the first seat of government, that the nation’s highest executive should be called “His Highness, the President of the United States of America, and Protector of the Rights of the same.” Washington, who had rid the country of monarchical rule, wanted no such honorific, and was mortified such a suggestion was made on his behalf.
{snip}
Alexis Coe
Alexis Coe is the author of “You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington.” Follow https://twitter.com/AlexisCoe
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
