But the great virtue of the Madisonian approach to politics is that it really does cut down on the potential for majoritarian tyranny, of the type that existed in the 1780s. This is the sort of tribalism that is the most fearful — when a single tribe amounts to a majority. In any system that depends on majority rule, there is nothing to stop the majority from taking the reins of government and ruining it for its own, selfish purposes.

In the history of the United States, we have never really had tribalism devolve into majoritarian faction. We have had minorities, usually wealthy ones, acquire outsize political power. We have had logrolls in which factions bundled their interests to maximize their gains at the expense of the common good. And of course, we have struggled to expand the definition of citizenship so that it incorpoartes all segments of society, ensuring that racial and ethnic minorities receive the full protection of the state. But we have never really had a single tribe or faction take control of the entire process. That is a very good thing. And I prefer a government that sometimes impedes wise reforms as the cost for preventing the wicked designs of majoritarian tribes.