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Game on.

By mw | Related entries in Barack, Palin

There is a tradition in this country of the “citizen legislator.” It is a simple concept that those that govern us should come from among us, and that we should not be governed by an elite class or professional politicians. The idea is as old as the Constitution.

James Madison from Federalist No. 57:

“Who are to be the electors of the federal representatives? Not the rich, more than the poor; not the learned, more than the ignorant; not the haughty heirs of distinguished names, more than the humble sons of obscurity and unpropitious fortune. The electors are to be the great body of the people of the United States. They are to be the same who exercise the right in every State of electing the corresponding branch of the legislature of the State. Who are to be the objects of popular choice? Every citizen whose merit may recommend him to the esteem and confidence of his country. No qualification of wealth, of birth, of religious faith, or of civil profession is permitted to fetter the judgment or disappoint the inclination of the people.“

This notion is very much part of the American psyche, but the practical implementation of this idea is barely visible now, as our federal government has devolved to a primarily professional political class of lawyers in Washington. And yet, it is because of this very American appetite for leaders that step out from the mainstream that politicians like Sarah Palin and Barack Obama can still emerge.

Elections are the only vetting process that matters.

Game on.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 and is filed under Barack, Palin. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Game on.”

steeeve Says:
September 4th, 2008 at 4:22 am
“not the learned, more than the ignorant”

that made me laugh.. america definitely proved that in the 2004 election, i would say 2000 too, but we didnt actually elect bush
gerryf Says:
September 4th, 2008 at 7:06 am
As much as I agree with the sentiment of the citizen legislator, let’s be honest that when Madison wrote those words, a citizen was typically a wealthier-than-average, white landowner.

No women. No blacks. No laborers.

The truth is the definition of “citizen” is different today

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