"Chet Arthur": A Madisonian Case for Rubio in 2012
["Chet Arthur" is a nom de cyber for a former Reagan administration official.]
When James Madison described an "extended republic" in his famous Federalist No. 10, he rejected the received wisdom of his day. Most educated Americans then agreed with Montesquieu and many other political theorists that a republic could only exist in a small city-state. No, argued Madison, the actual history of those little republics makes the case for an extended republic because those city-states all succumbed to factional strife. Only when you extend the territory over which the republic would exercise its authority would the factions check and balance each other. By countering in this one instance the revered Montesquieu, Madison prevailed. And we have endured.
The case I offer for drafting Marco Rubio in 2012 likewise runs counter to the received wisdom. Most commentators agree that Rubio is the "future star of the Republican party," as Juan Williams has called him. Rich Lowry acknowledges that Rubio in 2016 will be "seasoned" enough to be president. Bill Kristol is ready to put Rubio on the ticket in 2012, but only as vice president. To say someone is ready to be vice president is to say he is ready to be president....
Seasoning in the U.S. Senate too often involves learning the arcane folkways of what members call "the world's greatest deliberative body." Too often long-serving senators lose the ability to communicate powerfully with Americans at the grassroots....
Read entire article at American Thinker
When James Madison described an "extended republic" in his famous Federalist No. 10, he rejected the received wisdom of his day. Most educated Americans then agreed with Montesquieu and many other political theorists that a republic could only exist in a small city-state. No, argued Madison, the actual history of those little republics makes the case for an extended republic because those city-states all succumbed to factional strife. Only when you extend the territory over which the republic would exercise its authority would the factions check and balance each other. By countering in this one instance the revered Montesquieu, Madison prevailed. And we have endured.
The case I offer for drafting Marco Rubio in 2012 likewise runs counter to the received wisdom. Most commentators agree that Rubio is the "future star of the Republican party," as Juan Williams has called him. Rich Lowry acknowledges that Rubio in 2016 will be "seasoned" enough to be president. Bill Kristol is ready to put Rubio on the ticket in 2012, but only as vice president. To say someone is ready to be vice president is to say he is ready to be president....
Seasoning in the U.S. Senate too often involves learning the arcane folkways of what members call "the world's greatest deliberative body." Too often long-serving senators lose the ability to communicate powerfully with Americans at the grassroots....