I don’t think there ever was a golden age when “the Constitution meant something.” Instead, I think there was a time when the system of checks and balances work more efficiently. We know, for example, that there have always been greedy selfish individuals in government and out. However, we have had periods where these greedy and selfish individuals have been exposed, particularly on the federal level.
I could cite individual examples. Yes, we all remember Nixon. Well, let’s assume we all at least heard of Nixon even if we’re too young to remember him — which I’m not. We can’t be satisfied with the current occupant of the White House. We’re not. This man has been a miserable, horrible failure. But we also cannot be satisfied when the United States Congress sits back and permits abuses to go on, unchallenged, and collectively loses its balls.
It seems like half of Congress wants to be president. Perhaps that’s always been the case, but in this instance, they’re all running.
The most disappointing thing about this crowd in Congress is not that the Constitution has ceased to work. Rather, it’s that Congress has ceased working the Constitution.