Explaining the zero-sum game that American politics has devolved into using a little bit of ‘80s pop culture.
The Progress of Leviathan
Trumpism is simply the inevitable result of a century-long expansion of federal authority and the centralizing of power in the US Presidency.
Link: Does the Constitution Hang by a Thread?
The US Constitution hangs by far fewer threads than it did even a few years ago. But of those threads, I will say this: there may be few, but they have the capacity to be strong.
Faithless Electors are Dead, Long Live the Electoral College
In what some are calling a blow to the electoral college, the decision in Chiafolo v. Washington actually strengthens state sovereignty, the core of why we have an electoral college.
Censorship and Amplification
Freedom of speech does not translate into a right of amplification using someone else’s private platform.
Link: What Are Constitutional Values?
The US Constitution doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There are strong ideological and philosophical underpinnings behind its provisions and framework.
What About Limited Government?
In a contest between nationalists and progressives, the founding vision is no where to be found.
Link: The Democrats Will Not Save The Constitution
Trump skeptical conservatives have reason to be concerned about the President’s convictions in constitutional government, but the Democrats’ contempt of constitutional values cannot be overstated.
The Marginal Drift of the Republican Party
While many members of the GOP still see themselves as conservative, the party’s tone and direction has severely drifted into the realm of populist nationalism as it has been willing to abandon core traditional tenets of conservative orthodoxy.
Link: The Culture War and Federalism
Federalism is one of the few political mechanisms that benefit everyone. All sides of the political divide should be wary of allowing it to become a casualty in the ever-escalating culture war.