From centuries ago in our history ...
The truth unquestionably is, that the only path to a subversion of the republican system of the Country is by flattering the prejudices of the people, and exciting their jealousies and apprehensions, to throw affairs into confusion, and bring on civil commotion...
When a man, unprincipled in private life, desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents — despotic in his ordinary demeanour — known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty — when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity — to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion — to flatter and fall in with all the nonsense of the zealots of the day — it may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may “ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.”
No popular Government was ever without [such]. These are its true enemies. ~Alexander Hamilton, 18 AUG 1792