On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 20:25:19 -0700 (PDT), Gautam Mukunda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- Gary Denton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I find it interesting that the > > strong-central-government financier > > Hamilton seems to more inspire the GOP and the > > weak-government > > Southerner Jefferson inspires Democrats. And that > > since the early > > 80's a wave has been rising in favor of the first > > Secretary of the > > Treasury among conservative and neoconservative > > scholars. Was L. Neil > > Smith right about an elitist group of > > anti-libertarian Hamiltonians > > bent on political power? > > > > Gary Denton -- Probability Broach Maru > > If so, then L. Neil Smith has the political literacy > of a tortoise. Which one of these two is an elist, > again? Hamilton or Jefferson? I mean, one ruled over > slaves and inherited his wealth, the other was the > orphaned immigrant who defended the New York poor pro > bono and never, in fact, even became a particularly > wealthy man. > > It doesn't particularly surprise me, Gary, that you > have such sympathy for aristocrats. The far left is > inherently anti-democratic, as this list confirms for > me on a daily basis. My own preference for the > immigrant, self-made man, abolitionist war hero over > the vain, slave-holding, aristocratic pacifist...that > must be kind of hard to understand, I guess.
The libertarian SF writer L. Neil Smith dislikes and distrusts Hamilton, ignores Jefferson and supports Albert Gallatin. You are making some assumptions about my sympathy for aristocrats, no where stated, or even Jefferson, ditto. Finding something interesting is not support. If you think this list is far left you must have had a very restricted life. I dislike authoritarians, which seems a large part of Hamilton's mixture. But there are also some positions of Hamilton I admire even if I haven't read any of the new positive histories about him. Abolition and independent judiciaries are two of them. He seems a very able, if power seeking, executive and was a good writer. "Jeffersonian democracy" and "Hamiltonian aristocracy." are ancient phrases in American history, perhaps it was time for a reappraisal. -- Gary Denton -- The Gallatin Divergence Maru #1 on google for liberal news _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
