LAD: Federalist #10

1.  Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?

Federalist #10 states that they can be eliminated in two ways, which are both technically possible but implausible and difficult. The first is by destroying the liberty that makes it possible for factions to exist. This remedy is logically implausible, however, because destroying that liberty would have far-reaching consequences beyond destroying the faction. The other method suggested in the Federalist is that factions can be controlled by giving every member of the public the same ideals and opinions as the faction. This is implausible in and of itself, but it also defeats the purpose of destroying the faction.

2.  If factions cannot be removed then how can they be controlled?

Factions would have to be removed by removing their causes, but the only way to cap their influence is to control their effects. The simplest way is already in place, the policy of majority rule in the US Constitution dictates that if a faction is less than half of the general community, than they cannot have any real political effects. A fear associated with this is that the faction may sway voters their way through deceitful means and then turn on them with different ideas. Factitious leaders will be naturally less likely to be chosen to have sway in political affairs because there are too many voters to persuade that their ideas are correct when they are not.