A Trump-Ryan Constitutional Revival?

Christopher DeMuth had an intriguing essay in the November 25 copy of the Wall Street Journal. He writes:

A central purpose of the American scheme of checks and balances is to draw out the distinctive strengths of the two political branches, executive and the legislature, while containing their distinctive weaknesses.

The scheme has not been working well of late. The consequences are unbridled executive growth into every cranny of commerce and society, and a bystander Congress. We have lapsed into autopilot government, rife with corruption and seemingly immune to incremental electoral correction.

These pathologies were a significant cause of the Trumpian political earthquake. And one of the many astonishing results of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Republican sweep on Election Day is that they have set the stage for a constitutional revival.

No, not by President Trump’s nominating and the Senate’s confirming Scalia-worthy constitutionalists to the Supreme Court and lower federal courts. That prospect was widely understood and apparently on the minds of many voters. Rather, the new president and Congress are poised to revive constitutional practices in their own branches.

You may read more at http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-trump-ryan-constitutional-revival-1480111914

For another take on the possible Trump effect on Congress, see Kevin R. Kosar, “Could Trump Work With Congress? Could Congress Work With Trump” Newsweek, March 2, 2016.