Many commentators have remarked about the tremendous partisanship within today’s political climate, bemoaning the so-called gridlock occurring in Washington D.C. However, they fail to mention that this type of blind partisanship is necessarily part of the two-party system. It is not a recent phenomenon either. The Founders warned us of its dangers.
For the best examples of this long-standing trend, look at civil liberties abuses and the reaction they receive from partisans within each party. This is where the rank hypocrisy of both sides becomes obvious, as they cheer on the destruction of rights while their “team” is in office only to completely change their tune when the other side does it.
Let’s consider the ‘accomplishments’ of President Obama and his predecessor Bush. When the Patriot Act was enacted, much of the left was up in arms while the right didn’t seem to care all that much. The right accepted the administration’s excuses. It was to stop the terrorists, and you didn’t have to worry about anything unless you were doing something wrong. They didn’t question Bush, and their obedience paved the way for even worse abuses by the next administration.
After Obama became President and did a complete 180 from his campaign rhetoric, he doubled down on the police state – the 2012 NDAA arguably being the worst of his actions. So, what happened to the left that sounded the alarm so heroically about civil liberties abuses during the Bush years? With the exception of a few principled folks like Glenn Greenwald, Daniel Ellsberg and Chris Hedges, you never hear a peep out of them. The mainstream left’s principles conveniently disappeared as soon as their favored political party regained power. And many on the right have been railing on these same actions that they ignored when a Republican was in power.
How has our political culture decayed to the point with blatant betrayals of the public trust becoming the norm? It happened because we have strayed too far from the advice of the founding fathers.
James Madison especially understood the dangers of political parties or, as they were called in his day, ‘factions.’ He wrote the following in Federalist #10:
Among the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction. The friend of popular governments never finds himself so much alarmed for their character and fate, as when he contemplates their propensity to this dangerous vice. He will not fail, therefore, to set a due value on any plan which, without violating the principles to which he is attached, provides a proper cure for it. The instability, injustice, and confusion introduced into the public councils, have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have everywhere perished; as they continue to be the favorite and fruitful topics from which the adversaries to liberty derive their most specious declamations.
Madison knew that representatives would wind up serving the party instead of the public interest, and that is exactly what has happened. We now have politicians from the red team and the blue team who only care about lining their coffers with taxpayer-funded spoils while ensuring the continued success of their faction. What is best for the masses has fallen by the wayside.
That is why our work at the Tenth Amendment Center is so important. We are not affiliated with any political party.
Whenever a politician violates the Constitution, we work to nullify them regardless of their political affiliation. We don’t buy into the absurd ‘lesser of the two evils’ theory. That is the mantra that has gotten us into this mess. We must reject all evil whether it comes packaged as conservative or liberal.
Nullification sometimes works in ways that are supported by the left on issues such as immigration or marijuana legalization. Other times, it works in ways supported by the right on issues like health care and gun control. Whether utilized by the right or the left, our society becomes a freer place every time a federal act is nullified. Our independent, non-partisan approach cuts through the mind-numbing hypocrisy and stupidity that are the by-products of the two-party system, and unites people around the issues that matter most to them.
Our message is resonating with the American people too.
More and more people are finding us to be a refreshing alternative to today’s political status quo that refuses to respect the Constitution regardless of where the votes are cast.
The factions that have dominated Washington D.C. for many decades and given us economic malaise, a frightening domestic police state, endless wars, and $17+ trillion in debt are on the way out. And we, the advocates of nullification, decentralized government and individual rights, are on the way in!
