The Columnist Manifesto

From my Los Angeles informant, MAK:

A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt. . . . If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake."

--Thomas Jefferson, 1798, after the passage of the Sedition Act

The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 merit further study because of their possible lessons for our time. The nation was deeply divided between Federalists (John Adams) and Democratic Republicans (Thomas Jefferson), and the Federalist administration ran an extraordinarily partisan government that sought to use its control of all three branches of government to destroy its opposition. It failed, and the elections of 1800 brought about a political realignment in favor of the Jeffersonian Democrats in the elected branches (though Federalists were entrenched in the judiciary).

In times of trouble, I have found it comforting to turn to The Onion for clear analysis or foresight. After Bush was awarded the presidency in 2000, The Onion headlined:

Bush: Our Long National Nightmare of Peace and Prosperity Finally Over

How prescient was that? Currently, The Onion has this to say:

Bush Promises To Unite Nation For Real This Time
WASHINGTON, DC—A week after winning a narrow victory over Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, President Bush promised to "unite the divided nation, but for real this time." "Just as I pledged in 2000, I promise to bring the two halves of this nation together—only this time I'm really gonna do it," Bush said Tuesday. "I'll work hard to put an end to partisan politics. Seriously, though. This term, I will."