That our Constitution ratified in 1789 demanded compromise and a leap of faith is well documented. Forging a national consensus from a swirl of dissenting viewpoints and determination to block the rise of tyranny created the set of guardrails that some now complain is too restrictive.
Three governmental branches. Two legislative bodies. Checks and balances. Checks and balances. Check and balances.
Pretty heady stuff in 1789.
All to diffuse power and keep our nation free from despotism. If.
If those in power honor the spirit of those guardrails. Thus, the leap of faith.
Of course our challenges are daunting. The frustrations are real. The viewpoints diverse. It's a great big complex world out there after all.
Election sloganeering may be appealing, certainly. And vitriol, unfortunately. And bombast, apparently. And. And. And.
As I see it, I would rather we slog through the constitutional process toward a more perfect union than see the rise of an American Putin or Xi Jinping or Khamenei or Orban.
And so I am with James Madison: "The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective may just be pronounced the very definition of tyranny".
All nations are an experiment in ideas. Ours is no different. Perhaps tomorrow's vote may be a watershed moment.
May our constitutional republic always reign.
