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And Then There Were Two….
How We Lost Congress
America used to be a tripartite form of republic, with three co-equal branches of government: the Executive, the Judicial, and the Legislative. In the eyes of the Framers of our Constitution, it was necessary to make the three branches co-equal so that there would always be a dynamic tension between and among them. The Founders had studied the rise and fall of many societies, from the Greek city-states to the trading kingdoms of the Genoese, the Milanese, the Venetians, the Spanish, French, Dutch and Portuguese. A common theme emerged in their evaluations of these societies: any group which had too much power would inevitably cause resentment on the part of the disenfranchised, which would eventually lead to socio-political breakdown and collapse.
And in the aftermath of the failed Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump, that’s where America is headed.
In studying the Federalist Papers, it was clear that the authors — James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton — thought that a country must have an organic document, e.g., a Constitution, which would create the rules by which people would be governed. The organizing framework would necessarily include ways in which each branch’s powers would be constrained. The discussion of the restrictions on power was the topic of virtually all of the Papers.
