WWFFD?

How did the Founding Fathers feel about cronyism?

In the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton said a Senate vote on a Supreme Court nominee would "be an excellent check upon a spirit of favoritism in the President."

He continued,

He (the President) would be both ashamed and afraid to bring forward. . .candidates who had no other merit than that of coming from the same State to which he particularly belonged, or of being in some way or other personally allied to him, or of possessing the necessary insignificance and pliancy to render them the obsequious instruments of his pleasure.

Now listen, I have always dreamed of being someone's "obsequious instrument of pleasure" but that's beside the point. Al Franken and David Sirota had a great discussion about this topic today on Franken's Air America radio show. Take a look at Sirota's original piece and, hey, put his blog on your "Bookmarks" list!