James Madison is often referred to as the father of the American Constitution. In a WSJ op-ed, Richard Brookhiser suggests Madison should also be regarded as “the father of American politics as we know it.” His essay concludes:
James Madison helped build a republic. He was also an ambitious party activist who counted votes, stumped, spoke, scratched backs and (when necessary) stabbed them. He would not be afraid of the contrast, for his deepest thinking told him that the architects of liberty had to understand and sometimes use the ordinary political materials of ambition and self-advancement to ensure that this republic would endure.