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Deutschmeister's avatar

I'm thankful that Charlie posted today's Morning Shots early enough that I can read, comment, and still go to my satellite radio to hear uninterrupted the premiere of the Beatles' last new song ever (Now and Then) in a few minutes. Because, bad politics, global conflicts, and the decline of our democracy notwithstanding, there are priorities.

It bears repeating that our Founding Fathers did an outstanding job overall of gifting us democracy with such a strong sense of principles and a keen understanding of what people should not gain access to positions of power. But of course they were not clairvoyant and could not foresee every eventuality. Just as insistent pests can find an entry point into even the best-guarded homes if they try often enough, bad actors can find a way to circumvent and undermine the Constitution if they find new and novel approaches and are supported by enough politicians and justices to do so. The Founding Fathers assumed that we would not willingly empower a perpetually lazy, uncouth, largely unintelligent person and that so much of the citizenry wouldn't gleefully turn its back on long held standards of morality, decency, and common sense in favor of tribalism and wanton destruction of any opposition to its own agenda. That much we have to answer for, not them, as we summarize how democracy can wither and perhaps die in a land that for so many years otherwise has been a beacon for freedom, selflessness of collective purpose, competing ideas, intellectual ambition, and enlightenment.

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Mike Lew's avatar

The Founders had direct experience of being governed by a king. 45's behavior wouldn't surprise them in the least. On a related note, George Mason sure nailed the dangers of pardons. I think the real problem with the Founders' vision was not being able to imagine how cowardly and craven Congress would become. It never occurred to them that a Senator would just give away his (and it was just "his" for the Founders) power and privilege.

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