The House of Representatives has passed something very reminicent of what were known in 19th century Europe as laws of “lese majeste,” that is, laws making it a crime to malign the person of the monarch. In 19th century America, such laws were understood to be utterly incompatible with the consitution of a free republic. In 1798 the Federalists tried to bar criticism of President John Adams by means of the Alien and Sedition Laws in 1798. Jefferson and Madison responded with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions and Adams lost his reelection bid in 1800. Will the House now enact a sedition law? The Whigs used to lampoon Andrew Jackson as “King Andrew,” and he has no law of lese majeste to stifle them with. Do we now have “King Barack?”