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The Narrative Arc
When Senators Fear the State: Why America Says “No Kings” Today
From Rome’s marble halls to LA’s federal building, the pattern repeats
In the late 1990s, during a visit to Rome, I walked around the Forum, trying to picture how Romans must have lived there some two thousand years ago. I also visited the Curia Julia, the Senate House where Roman senators met. Mussolini, never missing a chance to find inspiration in Rome’s glorious past, had restored it to its original appearance in the late 1930s. It retained much of its authentic interior, including the original marble floor, as well as some frescoes, mosaics, and relief fragments. I remember the marble walls and the geometric patterns on the floor.
Whenever I visit ancient places, I always try to imagine the real people who once stood where I’m standing. Here, in the Curia, Cato and Cicero came to mind. They stood here, passionately arguing their point of view, believing their speeches would impact policies aimed at preserving the Republic’s fragile balance. They were combating corruption, defending senatorial authority against the rise of individual power, enforcing laws against electoral fraud and military overreach, and safeguarding Rome from the creeping threat of tyranny.
