Walter Bagehot Quotes
When great questions end, little parties begin.
Walter Bagehot, 1826-1877, British Economist & Writer, The English Constitution, 1867
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Gingrich, a hyper partisan politician who himself was a polarizing figure himself, considered any objective that might gain any partisan advantage at all. Once he actually shut down the government by not appropriating any money in the House to embarrass President Clinton, but this backfired and thereafter Gingrich was pushed out of Congress by his own party.
Despite his fears, that is exactly what happened. Ironically, he himself was the focus of much dissatisfaction with the administration, and the Federalists led by Adams and the Democratic Republicans led by Jefferson opposed each other, ousting Adams.
The partisanship about which the American Founding fathers were so apprehensive were also a great cause for worry in France before the French Revolution. It was managed in America. It exploded in France.
He was referring to the Volunteers of Ireland who had politically organized.
His description of the extreme partisanship in England at the time could just as easily describe the American political polarization of 2012—85 years later.
Walter Bagehot was a British journalist, businessman, and essayist, who wrote extensively about government, economics, literature and race.
