George Packer in The New Yorker reminds us that George
Washington, in his farewell address upon leaving office in 1796, said this
about the danger of partisan
demagoguery.
It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms,
kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot
and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which
finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of
party passions.
The entire address is here.
This article appears in Jan 19-25, 2017.
