Struggling (Again) Over the Framers?

While it is true that the framers of the Constitution argued, that does not equate with current discussions of what Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison really meant when they discussed the new constitution. If one simply takes the idea of loose and strict constructionists; Jefferson was a strict constructionist and Hamilton was a loose constructionist. The Republicans of today are strict constructionists and the Democrats are loose constructionists. Madison certainly was a federalist, yet he refused to sign the Constitution until the Bill of Rights were included. Hamilton was no friend of Jefferson, yet he came to his aid when he thought he was right. Trying to equate the Tea Party to any of the signers of the Constitution is a specious argument. Hamilton was for a strong central government, while Jefferson was for states rights. Democrats (Jefferson) today see government as the answer to any problem, while Republicans (Hamilton) see government as a problem, not a solution.