I told a friend of mine I was going to write a profile on Fisher Ames.
“Who?” he asked.
“Fisher Ames. One of our Founding Fathers and a preeminent Federalist.”
“And you’re writing a profile on him?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“Well… he’s largely forgotten. And his brand of conservatism was actually conservative. You know, interestingly enough, he died on July—”
“No, no. I mean why?”
“I don’t follow.”
“Well, it’s an election year, in case you haven’t noticed. And I don’t think a dead Federalist is going to resonate much. How’s Fisher Ames going to help Republicans win the White House?”
“I don’t know, really. But I do think that Republicans could stand to learn a thing or two from the Federalists. Hell, I think we all could.”
“Why is that? I mean, what, exactly, did the Federalists believe in?”
I wasn’t prepared to be tested. I thought for a moment. “They lobbied for a strong national government, Hamiltonian finance, a stronger allegiance with Britain, and they believed, I guess, in rule by a natural aristocracy.”
“Natural aristocracy? Strong national government? What relevance does any of that have? I mean, a strong national government? Really? Government isn’t the answer, you know. It’s the problem.”
Well, now.
I carefully considered my friend’s point. Government isn’t the answer… It’s the problem. It then occurred to me: Like most modern conservatives, my friend had missed the point. To say that government isn’t the answer to our nation’s problems is to presuppose the wrong incentive for erecting government in the first place. Fisher Ames would know that. And that’s why he’s relevant.
Read more: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/died-on-the-4th-of-july/
“Who?” he asked.
“Fisher Ames. One of our Founding Fathers and a preeminent Federalist.”
“And you’re writing a profile on him?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“Well… he’s largely forgotten. And his brand of conservatism was actually conservative. You know, interestingly enough, he died on July—”
“No, no. I mean why?”
“I don’t follow.”
“Well, it’s an election year, in case you haven’t noticed. And I don’t think a dead Federalist is going to resonate much. How’s Fisher Ames going to help Republicans win the White House?”
“I don’t know, really. But I do think that Republicans could stand to learn a thing or two from the Federalists. Hell, I think we all could.”
“Why is that? I mean, what, exactly, did the Federalists believe in?”
I wasn’t prepared to be tested. I thought for a moment. “They lobbied for a strong national government, Hamiltonian finance, a stronger allegiance with Britain, and they believed, I guess, in rule by a natural aristocracy.”
“Natural aristocracy? Strong national government? What relevance does any of that have? I mean, a strong national government? Really? Government isn’t the answer, you know. It’s the problem.”
Well, now.
I carefully considered my friend’s point. Government isn’t the answer… It’s the problem. It then occurred to me: Like most modern conservatives, my friend had missed the point. To say that government isn’t the answer to our nation’s problems is to presuppose the wrong incentive for erecting government in the first place. Fisher Ames would know that. And that’s why he’s relevant.
Read more: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/died-on-the-4th-of-july/
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