February 9, 2025

In framing a government, which is to administered by men, over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

James Madison, (1751-1836), American Democratic-Republican politician and president, attributed, Jay p.246

How are the powers you enjoy as an elected official checked and balanced by legislation, regulation, procedural rules and general norms?

Madison, in No.10 of the Federalist Papers, deals with the threat of faction—what we now call partisanship. Indeed, he writes extensively on how the proposed constitution of the United States (the adoption of which the Papers were promoting) would reduce the threat of faction. So much for good intentions.