Forum Posting

In response to Constitutional Proposals (Presidential Election), hercules mulligan writes:

This whole issue of democracy and the Constitution is a very intriguing one indeed. As a result of my study of the Founding Fathers' writings, I have come of the opinion, as Alexander Hamilton did, that "democracy is our real disease." The Federalist Papers (not just the issues written by Hamilton) also carry this theme.

Now, the Founders were not saying that we should not have a popular government in some sense, but that the excesses of popular rule should be controlled. In order to understand American government, and the US Constitution, we must understand that LAW is above the will of the rulers and the ruled. All too many contemporary historians have made the mistake of thinking that we need to make the Constitution more "democratic," when a glance at the Notes and Debates of the Constitutional Convention (available free online through my blog The Founders' Bookshelf) clearly shows that the Framers avoided making the federal government directly responsive to the populous of America.

I wrote a post entitled "The Purpose of the Constitution" some time ago, to try to make this clear. I think that the Electoral College should remain a part of the Constitution for two reasons:1): the Framers deliberately instituted it to check what they called the "democratic excesses" of a country, and also to provide the way to give the state governments a say in the choosing of the next President as well.*2): to start tinkering with our Constitution, because people believe that "modern times" have changed our nation so much that we need to change our Constitution is dangerous, and I would almost say, treasonous. Because when the people of the land think that they can change the law of the land any time they please, they have already destroyed the foundation of a government of law, which is what America is supposed to be.
*I think that changing the Constitution to make it more "democratic" and to give the state governments less of a say in the federal government is dangerous, and is a result of our misunderstanding of what the federal govt. is for. The state governments govern the people, and the federal government governs the states to a limited degree, and oversees the affairs of the nation with foreign nations. The only reason that the people have any say in the federal government is so that the state governments do not go unchecked, or use the federal govt. to abuse the people.

I wrote a post here on democracy and the Constitution, and discussed the 17th Amendment, which changed the way in which federal Senators were elected, and showing how such a change of the Constitution is illegal, and detrimental.This is a long comment (*sorry*), but it is my thoughts on this important subject.