In a chamber once hallowed by the voices of patriots who forged our republic, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi stood on Feb. 18, 2025 and read aloud the words George Washington penned to a young America in his farewell address. The timing couldn't have been more poignant—or more necessary.
While Wicker recited Washington's cautions against the "baneful effects of the spirit of party," his party applauds a White House whose website and presidential social media accounts have increasingly embraced monarchical imagery and language that would have horrified our first president.
Washington, who deliberately stepped away after two terms to establish crucial precedent, would find today's discussions of unconstitutional third terms unrecognizable in the republic he helped create.
The first president warned us precisely about this moment. "The spirit of encroachment," Washington wrote, "tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism."
His words echo with uncomfortable relevance when unelected figures like Elon Musk exercise extraordinary influence without democratic accountability. Trump nor Musk share Washington’s reverence for our Republic which is evident in their actions.
Perhaps most troubling is Wicker's own contradiction—reading Washington's words while consistently supporting the very executive overreach our founding father cautioned against. Washington's address wasn't meant as mere historical recitation but as living guidance for those entrusted with safeguarding our institutions.
Washington's warning against "the impostures of pretended patriotism" deserves particular attention when patriotic symbols are weaponized against democratic norms. He cautioned that the "alternate domination of one faction over another" ultimately leads citizens to "seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual."
When Washington urged "that in the place of liberty, let there be no change by usurpation," he wasn't offering an antiquated sentiment but a timeless protection against the natural human tendency toward power consolidation.
The Constitution establishes a presidency, not a monarchy, with clearly delineated limits that even the most popular leader should respect.
The senator would do well to absorb Washington's wisdom rather than merely recite it. As the father of our country warned: "Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the favorite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people."
The Constitution has endured for more than two centuries because men and women of principle have defended it against those who would seek to bend it to their will.
History will judge whether Wicker—along with his colleagues—chose to stand with Washington or kneel before a would-be king.
The question facing Sen. Wicker and his colleagues isn't whether they can quote Washington's farewell—it's whether they have the courage to heed it.
(If this editorial of never a king in America makes you angry today, ask yourself—would you have fumed just as much in 2015 when I wrote the similar feelings in the Winston County Journal about those few pushing for the unconstitutional idea of Obama’s third term?
Disagree or agree? Great. Write a letter to the editor since another one of my foundational beliefs is that Freedom of Speech is for everyone. Free speech isn’t just for those who echo my views or Wyatt Emmerich’s—it belongs to all, no matter their stance.)
Editor’s note: Joseph McCain is the publisher of The Star-Herald. Him and his wife, Hanna, have two children, Eli and Hub. He has worked in the newspaper industry for over 30 years and may be reached at 662-803-5236 or 662-289-2251 or email news1@starherald.net.
