Friday, January 17, 2025

False Votes

Thomas Jefferson "sketched a scenario to James Madison whereby a future president, having been defeated for reelection, refused to accept the outcome and civil war threatened, 'If once elected, and at a second or third election outvoted by one or two votes, he will pretend false votes, foul play, hold possession of the reins of government, be supported by the states voting for him, especially if they are the central ones lying in a compact body themselves and separating their opponents: and they will be aided by one nation of Europe, while the majority are aided by another.' The solution would be to restrict the president to a single term (a stricture Jefferson would ignore in 1804 when he ran for a second presidential term)." Cogliano, A Revolutionary Friendship, p. 203

4 comments:

  1. That's very interesting. Too bad we are unable to enforce it.

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  2. Algo me dice que esa imaginativa historia, no podrĂ­a ser reproducida en nuestros tiempos.
    Feliz fin de semana.

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  3. Interesting. Well, sometimes terms are shortened by old age. We shall see.

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  4. The current state of your country is a hell of an argument to not have a system of government like it.

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