The Paperless Federalists

The guys are back with an informal episode full of insights and laughs.

Hamilton and Madison return with one last example of a failed confederacy.  This time they discuss The United Netherlands.  As Cary points out, once again things look good on paper for The United Netherlands, but in practice they didn’t work out well.  One key provision that held it back was the requirement for unanimous consent among its members.  Ultimately, the authors end this section of the Federalist Papers with a resounding conclusion that a confederacy, as a form of government, will not work for The United States of America.

Hamilton and Madison are back to bring you simultaneously too much detail and also not enough detail at the same time.  How do they manage this?  Justin and Cary examine the authors’ analysis of German principalities, as well as Polish and Swedish governments.

If anyone doubted him, Mr. Hamilton returns to demonstrate his knowledge of ancient Greek societies yet again.  Do his references really support the point he is trying to make in this paper?  The guys return to discuss that and more in this episode.

Mr. Hamilton once again argues for a stronger federal government relative to the state governments.  Justin and Cary welcome everyone to 2018.  The guys return to their feuding ways, and debate the importance of this paper in the modern world.

Mr. Hamilton returns and continues his campaign for a stronger, more centralized form of federal government.  Hamilton focuses on how one state’s choice to disobey the authority of the federal government could cause a chain reaction throughout the union that could lead to the destruction of the whole.  Justin and Cary return in the final episode of 2017 to discuss Hamilton’s analysis.  Enjoy.

Justin and Cary welcome Matt back to the podcast.  Hamilton returns to offer his services as a guide to the reader.  He then proceeds to list all of the embarrassments the nation was suffering at the time, and to point out that a law without consequence is really just a suggestion.  Numerous pop culture references make there way into the discussion, and in the end the guys agree that cake is always a good thing.

Mr. Madison is back to explain the difference between a republic and a democracy to those annoying Anti-Federalists who just can’t seem to understand English.  Cary and Justin return as well.  The guys count down Madison’s reasons of why the American form of government will prevail.  Cary takes Madison to task for his selective memory.  Echoes of Jay’s arguments related to homogeny can be heard in this paper. Madison foresaw better roads in American’s future, but did he also foresee the Hyperloop?  Did Madison also lay the groundwork for one unified world government?  These questions and more are answered as the guys get swept up in Madison’s vigor. 

In this episode Cary discusses his recent trip to Washington D.C. and his thoughts in light of the current project.

Cary and Justin are back, and this time they’ve brought a friend!  Matt joins in to discuss Hamilton’s arguments that “no well-informed man” can disagree with.  The ever budget conscious Hamilton points out that one strong federal government will be cheaper to manage than any number of small confederacies.  The discussion gets briefly side tracked due to the awesome superpowers of the Federal Farmer.  When they regroup, the guys wonder if Hamilton was the Nostradamus of his time.  Does Hamilton correctly point out some of the regional fault lines that surfaced in the Civil War?  Does Hamilton undercut some of the arguments of Jay by suggesting that there are regional differences in the population of American, and that there is a lack of homogeneity?  The guys address these questions and more in this episode!!

Cary and Justin continue their new found cooperative tone.  Cary discusses how America is standing at a crossroads.  On one side is the traditional notion of gold and silver as the sources of money and wealth.  On the other is the newly developing idea of wealth produced through economic trade.  Hamilton argues the benefits of America working as a trading block.  He makes the argument that the Atlantic Ocean provides a great barrier from European nations.  But is Europe really as far away as Hamilton suggests?  Justin baits Cary into discussing Rouge Island again.  Cary discusses smuggling ham among the States at the time.  It becomes clear that Justin is woefully unprepared to establish an elaborate ham smuggling syndicate.  In the end, Federalist No. 12 is all about taxes.  Who doesn’t love taxes?

Cary and Justin are back after surviving their heated debate.  This time they actually agree with each other.  In this episode, Cary is quick to point out Hamilton’s cockeyed optimism regarding the collective bargaining strength a newly formed United States would have under the Constitution.  Is Cary secretly anti-union?  Hamilton argues that if the nation can’t assert itself on a global scale, then America will be relegated to passive commerce.  Cary points out America’s woes after having had their own Brexit.  The guys discuss whether Hamilton is an early proponent of global capitalism, pirates, and how to properly build a model of the U.S. Constitution. 

Cary and Justin return with a heated debate.  In doing so, they cleverly divide themselves into factions when discussing Federalist No. 10 in which Madison discusses the impact of factions on the government.  The guys agree that factions are inevitable, but how do we handle them?  Madison was clear that a large democratic republic is necessary to protect the liberty of the individual or minority group from the tyranny of the majority.  Was Madison prophetic, or horribly misguided? The guys debate how Madison’s theory holds up over time, and the best course to take in the modern political arena.

In this episode Cary and Justin answer listener questions.  Justin discusses what happened to Jay between Federalist No. 5 and No. 64.  Cary informs us all about what he was eating while recording an earlier episode.  The guys will return next time with their analysis of Federalist No. 10.

Don’t forget everyone; Hamilton knows about Greece and Rome.  Hamilton begins his arguments in Federalist Paper No. 9 with another reference to Greek and Roman democracies to establish his historical “street-cred”.  He then points to how the science of politics has evolved, and how the Anti-Federalists have mischaracterized the arguments of Montesquieu.  The guys discuss Montesquieu, and how his ideas provided a foundation for the Constitution.  Justin points out Hamilton seems to suggest that while democratic theories at the time provided the Federalists with a foundation for the Constitution, in time the Constitution may provide future peoples with a similar starting point.  Hamilton argues that the Constitution allows the people to benefit from the advantages of a large federal system, but ensures we will avoid the trappings predicted by Montesquieu.  Cary asks, “Can we have our cake and eat it too?”