Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Trending News
  • Polling Dashboard
  • Membership
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Sign In
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / 2016 Campaign / The Man the Founders Feared

The Man the Founders Feared

March 20, 2016 at 4:40 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 49 Comments

Peter Wehner: “The reasons for the rise of Mr. Trump are undoubtedly complicated and will be studied for decades to come. That Mr. Trump’s rise has occurred in the Republican Party is painful for those of us who are Republicans. That more and more Republicans are making their own accommodation with or offering outright support for Mr. Trump — governors like Chris Christie and Rick Scott, the former candidate Ben Carson and the former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich — makes things even worse. Because we can no longer deny what Mr. Trump is and what he represents. The prospect of turning the party apparatus over to such a person is sickening.”

“The founders, knowing history and human nature, took great care to devise a system that would prevent demagogues and those with authoritarian tendencies from rising up in America. That system has been extraordinarily successful. We have never before faced the prospect of a political strongman becoming president. Until now.”

  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Threads
  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Donald Trump

From our partner:

Fueling Political Wire, One Cup at a Time

Every morning before the sun’s up, I sit down to work on Political Wire with a cup of Trade Coffee beside me.

It’s become part of the ritual — opening the laptop, scanning the news, and taking that first sip of a roast matched perfectly to my taste. Trade connects me with small roasters across the country, delivering beans that are always fresh and far better than what you’ll find at the grocery store.

If you love coffee as much as I do, use this link to get 50% off and taste the difference for yourself.

 

« Bonus Quote of the Day
McConnell Says GOP Senators Can Distance Themselves »

Your Account

Sign in

Members Only

  • Hakeem Jeffries Is No Nancy Pelosi
  • Can a Democrat Win in South Carolina?
  • The GOP’s Trump Trap
  • Weekly News Quiz
  • Trump Nationalizes the Midterms

Think You Know Politics?

  • The Way It Was
    Eight moments in political history. Put them on a timeline.
    →
  • Yea or Nay?
    Five senators. Three bills. Can you guess how they all voted?
    →
  • Split Decision
    Nine Justices. One case. How did they rule?
    →
  • Pollster
    Do you have your finger on the pulse of America?
    →

A new game every day.

Listen to Trial Balloon

Trial Balloon

Trial Balloon is a weekly podcast for Political Wire members. Join to listen.

About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2026 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC