The Founding Fathers' Vision

The founding father's vison of American government is closley represented by a pluralist model of democracy. Our government today is divided into many different groups with many different purposes and ideas. For example, two broad groups are republicans vs democrats and, on a smaller level, people in towns that want to add a law vs. people who don't. Just as James Madison stated, groups, or factions, can't be eliminated so, the founding fathers composed a government that best works around the idea of factions.

A pluralist democracy is one run by many different groups that compete, bargain and compromise to get policies they want. The James Madison in Federalist #10 states that the govenrment should "take in a variety of parties and intrests" then it becomes "less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens". The more groups involved in politics and debates in government, the better, because one group can't overpower any others when there are many groups. But, in the government today, large groups try to influence polititans.  For example, since 1988, the NRA has reported spending a cumalitive amount of $45.9 million on federal lobbying to try and influence political leaders. Also, political groups like the democrat and republian parties formed to unite people with similar political views. Leaders identify within these two groups and run for office to inform people which of the groups they want to represent.

The political cartoon at the top represents how many groups have many different intrests and at time may recognize other groups as much as their own. Here, congress is trying to figure out how to spend money, but the pig (represents a group that is focused on pet projects) does not care and is reading a news paper with the headline of "Billions in pork spending". Included in the newspaper are also articles regarding money but the pig is most likely only focused on the article about pork. There are many different groups respesented in this cartoon alone. But it is also shown that it periodcally causes conflict when groups are only focused on themselves. But, this is also what the founfing fathers wanted in a government. Whats not featured in this cartoon that the Fathers belived is that with conflict, there will be compromise. Disagreement leads to compromise which leads to the marjority of people being happy with decisons made.

The founding fathers wanted a pluralist democracy. This model represents large groups of people the best without giving them too much power. It also comes with some draw backs like some groups trying to influence leaders and conflict. But the founding fathers wanted conflict to come to conclusions and a pluralit democracy was the best form of government to do so.