Striking quote

There is much political machinating in the George Eliot novel Romola, particularly at the point I've reached, where the French king Charles VIII has left Florence with his invading army, and a bunch of rich fellers, friends of the Medicis, not a good position to be in, are sitting around after a sumptuous supper - they thought, back then, that fine dining led to fine thoughts - trying to figure out how to save their sumptuous asses. One of them says, talking about Savanarola, the charismatic priest who's inflaming the populace: "This theory of the Frate's, that we are to have a popular government, in which every man is to strive only for the general good, and know no party names, is a theory that may do for some isle of Cristiforo Columbo's finding, but will never do for our fine old quarrelsome Florence." He goes on to say they, the rich guys, should feign support of the Frate, but work things always to their own favor. George Eliot was writing this in the mid 1800's, based on research she'd done about Florence in the 1400's. I can't quite make out if she's just setting up an historical situation in that comment, or poking at the America that by her time was already embroiled in a civil war. I'm kind of thinking she's taking a swipe at the USA's drift away from the Founding Fathers' ideals.
But working for the general good, knowing no party names - have we EVER experienced such government? Has anyone anywhere in the world? Is there even a little ideal isle in existence?