Beware of Politicians selling Books
I woke up this morning and briefly believed myself in the Twilight Zone. The scroll at the bottom of the TV screen read, “Cheney considering run for President, as Democrat.” My thoughts immediately went to the former REPUBLICAN VP, Dick Cheney, but I quickly realized that the reference was to the elder Cheney’s daughter, Liz Cheney.
Ms. Cheney was formerly the Congressional Representative for Wyoming, but she lost in the 2022 GOP primary. Former Rep. Cheney has a recently released book. (Yes, the media frenzy is part of the mandatory book tour.) In the book, Cheney addresses the state of the present Republican Party, and warns that a “vote for Trump is a vote against the Constitution.” These revelations are quite telling and interesting.
Cheney’s father and the former Presidents Bush were from the “Establishment” Wing of the GOP. In short, the Establishment Wing is predominated by Statists but of a slightly more reserved and slightly less devout version compared to the leftward-lurching Democratic Party. Both legacy parties demonstrate an unfounded faith in government, and they give lip-service to the belief that successes can come by and through the efforts of self-serving political minions and government technocrats. They wish us to ignore that nearly all such persons crave vicarious power, and they covet the position, prestige, and profit to be derived therefrom. They conveniently ignore that many societal ills, which government is tasked with “fixing,” are of its own creation.
The only real difference between “establishment” Democrats and Republicans is the nature of their favored special interest groups (i.e. the respective bases to which they pander). Far from being disparate parties in an existential battle of perfect “good” versus “evil” incarnate, they are best described as opposite sides of the same coin. For decades, they have acted with complicity and have conspired to secure and to divide between themselves the power of the state. However, they are not immune to the inevitably corrupting influence of unrestrained power. Regardless which side comes out on top in a given election, it is America and her people, who are the certain losers.
This brings us to Cheney’s admonition regarding movement away from the Constitution. In a moment of enlightenment and humility, the architects of the Constitution consciously and deliberately fettered the government, to which they gave birth. They understood that without limitation, the Leviathan was certain to sow wanton destruction throughout the land.
The legacy parties feel inconvenienced by the confines of the Constitution, and they long ago abandoned the deliberate restrictions and necessary limitations, as contained in that venerable instrument, including the Bill of Rights. Personally, I agree with Thoreau, “Government does best that does least.” Much of the power, which is exercised by the federal government, has been usurped from the people. Those powers are beyond those, which were ceded voluntarily to the federal government via the Constitution. The powers are ultra vires. They are unconstitutional. They are illegitimate, and illegitimate laws are no law at all.
Trump is not an aberration or anomaly. Instead he is a symptom and a certain byproduct of the existing political environment. Cheney and those of her ilk want us to believe that THEY should be free to act unconstitutionally, because it benefits them and their preferred interest groups. They also argue that it is Trump, who is the ultimate threat to “Democracy.” Well, Democracy is overrated. In fact, “Constitutional” and “Democratic” are not even remotely synonymous. The word “Democracy” does not appear in any form or derivation a single time within the text of the Constitution.
As a form of government, democracy is neither perfect nor sacrosanct. If unfettered, democracy can be just as abusive, oppressive, and tyrannical as any other form of government. If not limited, democracy is indistinguishable from mob rule. In fact, democracy may be the most dangerous of all forms of government because its proponents act with a perverse moral certitude, which they mistakenly believe can be derived solely from their number. [See John Adams’ 1814 letter to John Taylor: “There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide.”]
Democratic devotees believe that a numerical majority should be allowed to run roughshod over a minority of almost equal size and power (so long as “democrats” are privileged to find themselves in the controlling majority). However, there is absolutely nothing in the make up of a numerical majority that implies, much less assures, that the proposed course of action, which is favored by that majority, is in the long-term best interest of the majority itself or of the collective as a whole. That desired course is almost certainly contrary to the interests of a reluctant minority and disadvantageous to disfavored groups and other individuals.
I agree with Reagan that the nine (9) scariest words in the English language are: “I’m with the government, and I’m here to help!” Another worthwhile adage to remember: “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts [and Politicians selling books].”
