Posted on Dec 7, 2017
Did President George Washington warn of the dangers of political parties to our democracy?
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“The common and continual mischief's [sic] of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and the duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passion.”
― George Washington, Washington's farewell address: delivered to Congress on September 19, 1796
― George Washington, Washington's farewell address: delivered to Congress on September 19, 1796
Posted in these groups: 
Republicans
Democrats
Republicans Democrats
Edited 7 y ago
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 4
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The psuedo-war between Dems and Repubs, liberals and conservatives not only divides but serves as a distraction while the politicos collude to serve their own self interests.
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SFC J Fullerton
Agreed. "It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection."
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Yes he did, in his day it was the Federalist against the State's rights groups, like Jefferson's people against Hamilton's people, and it just keeps on going, the parties have changed over the years but the results are the same. I personally wish we had more than two really strong parties. Most countries have several if not dozens of different parties and they are forced to find common ground, but with two really strong parties they just wait each other out.
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SFC J Fullerton
I find this sentence a particularly disturbing prediction: "It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passion.”
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SFC J Fullerton
If you are referring to self serving billionaires infiltrating government for their own agenda, then I would have to disagree. Career politicians became career politicians because their constituents re-elect them, so in other words it is the "will of the people" that did it. The problem with career politicians is that they tend to forget that it was the voters who ultimately put them there, not the donors, special interest groups, and lobbyists. They put party loyalty and obligations to campaign donors over what is best for the country.
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Sgt William Biggs
I didn't refer to anyone. I think there should be term limits as opposed to career politicians.
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