In Federalist Paper #63, the Father of the Constitution James Madison wrote, "The cool and deliberate sense of the community ought...and actually will, in all free governments, ultimately prevail over the views of its rulers."

Last week, the voters in Massachusetts did James Madison proud.

For a full year, the people of this country have been subject to the largest attempted federal power grab since the New Deal.  They have seen their votes for hope and change misread as votes for more bureaucracy and government control.  They have seen their fortunes depleted, their businesses burdened, their dollars devalued and their grandchildren spent into insurmountable debt.  While the people have recognized that their country is broke, they have been forced to watch their rulers quadruple the deficit, vote multiple times to increase the already crushing national debt, and promise massive new spending projects like healthcare for every American, cap and trade legislation, and a second "stimulus" all to be financed with money we don't have.

In response, the people - of every political affiliation, including no affiliation at all - began to organize.  They began to shout at town hall meetings, protest at Tea Parties, and bombard their lawmakers with pink slips, petitions, and phone calls.  But the ruling class, in their typical arrogant fashion, ignored and disparaged those voices.  The town halls were "staged," the Tea Parties were "astroturfed," and the petitions were nothing more than tricks from the "right-wing Republican cabal."  There was no groundswell.  There was no true opposition.  There was no tidal wave of discontent.

How fitting that it was Massachusetts - site of the original Tea Party rebellion against out-of-control government - that shattered this haughty and condescending attitude.  Had it been anywhere else, our leaders might have been so brash as to try to find some plausible excuse or explanation as to why it happened.  But not Massachusetts.  As Victor Davis Hanson put it, "Dream up a gargantuan backlash against Barack Obama's left-wing gospel, and you still could not invent the notion of a relatively unknown, conservative Scott Brown knocking off an Obama-endorsed, liberal, female attorney in liberal Massachusetts - in a race to fill the seat once held by Ted Kennedy."

The message was unmistakable: the people want their country back.

But there is a danger that we must be vigilant and guard against.  Politicians crave power and will do virtually anything they can to hang on to it.  Up until last week, many of them believed that they were in more danger of losing their power by angering their party leadership than angering the people.  Scott Brown's victory obliterated that belief.  And consequently, Washington is beginning to crawl with chameleons doing their best to jump on the bandwagon and swim with the rising tide of liberty-minded Americans.

Take Indiana Senator Evan Bayh for example.  While most wrongly assume that Bayh is a moderate, the New York Times reported that he was most responsible for rallying the Senate Democrats to push through their version of ObamaCare.  Roll Call, the newspaper on Capitol Hill, reported that Bayh, "gave a rousing speech, arguing that Democrats could not afford to let the reform effort collapse in the face of Republican attacks."  It also credited Bayh with having, "crystallize(d) the situation for Democrats."  In other words, it was Evan Bayh who demanded that Senators ignore the wishes of the people and cram through this unpopular and unconstitutional legislation.

But amazingly, just one day after Massachusetts, Evan Bayh decided to take his second face out for a spin.  He told ABC News that Democrats had pushed their agenda too far to the left.  "It's why moderates and independents even in a state as Democratic as Massachusetts just aren't buying our message," he said.  Right, Senator...and it's a message that you helped author and whole-heartedly endorsed.  You cast your lot, and now you can deal with the consequences, sir.

Bayh later added, "They just don't believe the answers we are currently proposing are solving their problems."  If there was any confusion about where Evan Bayh really stands, that clears it up perfectly.  What Bayh and his ilk don't seem to get is that we don't want them to solve our problems.  We merely want them to get out of the way and let us solve our problems for ourselves.  Oh, and if they could stop manufacturing more problems for us, that would be nice too.

The Massachusetts election has sent shockwaves throughout Washington, and it's going to result in a lot of political posturing by incumbents who can't and shouldn't be trusted.  Unless we want to go through all this again, we'd be well advised to clean house...and Senate...ensuring that every last lawmaker who has arrogantly sought to strip us of our freedom despite our wishes find new work.

And when we do, somewhere James Madison will be smiling.