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Hamilton, Madison, and American Oligarchy: A Conversation with Jay Cost

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Jay Cost, author of The Price of Greatness, discusses the political and economic debates between Hamilton and Madison.

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Americans Don’t Need a Politics Cleanse

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City council meeting in Austin, Texas, February, 2016.
Abandoning politics permanently in the face of conflict precludes us from using persuasion, negotiation, and compromise to resolve our disagreements.

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Madison: Pragmatist, Idealist . . . and Game Theorist?

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Jack Rakove makes a plausible case for Madisonian game theory even as he maintains respect for the Madison who said “justice is the end of government.”

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Objections to Impeachment, Part 1: The Specter of Abuse

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House Judiciary Committee hearings on whether impeachment proceedings should begin against President Bill Clinton October 5, 1998 in Washington, DC (Richard Ellis / Alamy Stock Photo).
Abuse is bound to happen with any government power, but that isn't a real objection against providing the power to impeach federal officials.

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How Originalism Addresses Consequences

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SNEHIT/Adobe Stock Images
Originalism may well include some consideration of consequences, but in a disciplined manner that prevents justices' values from driving the process.

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The Constitutional Categories of Impeachable Offenses

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Cbies/Shutterstock.com
Impeachment was designed with the idea in mind that presidents sometimes might warrant removal from office, and this might flow from many causes.

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Jacobin Writers Actually Agree with Madison on Democracy

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Federalist 9 and 10 (Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com).
Americans should argue with Madison, but we should also take his words seriously when we do so.

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The Original Meaning of “High Crimes and Misdemeanors,” Part II

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Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the site of the Constitutional Convention (Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.com).
How the debates at the Constitutional Convention concerning impeachment clarify "high crimes and misdemeanors."

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How “Self-Interest” Works in The Federalist

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Statue of Alexander Hamilton in Paterson, New Jersey (Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com)
Publius makes persistent appeal to self-interest throughout The Federalist: what does this tell us about human nature?

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The Federalist‘s Heart of Darkness

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Federalist 9 and 10 (Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com).
What to make of Hamilton and Madison's darker thoughts on human nature as they appear throughout The Federalist?

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