The Erosion of Congressional Authority

AKA The Humiliation of Congress

The strength of America has never rested in a single individual, party, or ideology—it lies in the collective will of all Americans. That is why adults can vote, all can speak their minds, and the system embraces debate and dissent. It is not always a clean or orderly process, but democracy was never meant to be easy. The hard work of governance, the compromises, the disagreements, and the messy realities of self-rule are the price of true greatness. This is not about individual leaders; it is about the most remarkable system of government the world has ever known: American democracy. A democracy that is also a republic, for the two are not mutually exclusive. The American system was designed to balance majority rule with the protection of individual rights. It permits the hunter to hunt and those opposed to saying, "Don't hunt." It allows a book to be published and those who despise the book to say so.

The Founders' Fear of Concentrated Power

The American experiment, from its inception, was built on a profound wariness of concentrated power. America's founding fathers were aware of this human fallibility. Aware of the corrupting nature of unchecked authority. They knew kings, those who were sure their power was a gift from God. They designed a government based on separation of powers, checks, and balances, and the necessity of compromise. They understood that power once consolidated in a single branch or individual, would inevitably lead to tyranny. This very thing is what they revolted against.

Today, however, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Once the vital legislative body representing the will of the people, Congress has steadily eroded into a chamber of dysfunction, too often ceding its authority to the executive and judicial branches. This humiliation of Congress is not merely a failure of institutions but a failure of will—a surrender to the dangerous temptation of singular authority.

Lord Acton's immortal warning, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," speaks directly to the danger we now face. This is not a reflection on any one individual; we are all subject to the trappings of power, and we can all get drunk on it. Human nature deems it so, and our biology drives us to accumulate power to protect ourselves.

When leading a nation, this must be counteracted. The steady erosion of legislative authority is not just a passing political issue. This is a fundamental challenge to the American system of governance. When Congress refuses to govern and abdicates its responsibilities in favor of the illusion of efficiency and strongman decision-making, it betrays the foundation upon which the nation was built.

"Divine Right of Kings”

The framers of the Constitution were deeply skeptical of centralized power, of the idea that one person might rule via the "Divine Right of Kings." In Federalist No. 51, James Madison argued that "ambition must be made to counteract ambition" as a recognition of this reality. He understood this principle so well that he made it explicit when he wrote, "It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government." Recognizing that only by dividing power among competing institutions could the republic endure.

Despite his belief in a strong executive, Alexander Hamilton acknowledged that legislative authority must be preserved to prevent despotism. Thomas Jefferson warned against placing too much faith in any single leader. He knew that human nature gravitates toward self-interest and domination. They did not seek perfection in governance; they sought a structure that would guard against our inherent flaws by forcing debate, negotiation, and compromise.

Today, Congress is increasingly unwilling to engage in its constitutional role. The legislative branch has become paralyzed by partisanship, more focused on grandstanding than governing. A soundbite on cable news is more valuable than a law's authorship and passage.

The temptation to bypass the arduous process of debate and negotiation has led to an overreliance on executive orders, bureaucratic rule-making, and judicial decrees to settle disputes that should be resolved through legislative action. This abdication is not merely a matter of inefficiency; it is a wholesale surrender of the principles that sustain the republic.

The Temptation of Authoritarianism

The path of least resistance—allowing a single branch or individual to dictate policy—may seem attractive in the short term. Human narcissism is intense; we see things and believe we understand them fully, but true wisdom arises from the difficult, often frustrating process of collaboration. Governance is not about absolute certainty; it is about the humility to recognize that no one person or ideology has all the answers.

It is through debate, through the checks and balances of differing perspectives, that the best policies emerge. The temptation to circumvent this process in favor of swift, unilateral action is not just misguided but dangerous.

America has struggled with these temptations, given in to them, at home and abroad. There have been moments of executive overreach, judicial activism, and congressional negligence. But the nation's strength has always been its ability to self-correct and recognize the necessity of maintaining a balance of power. We know that for all the wisdom our Founding Fathers may have possessed, they were also capable of horrible acts. This duality is what a strong system protects us from.

For all its imperfections and eras of moral failure, America has always sought to improve and refine its institutions rather than abandon them. For those outside power, it is excruciatingly slow. In hindsight, we look back clearly and think, “How could we have done that?” There is always resistance to change. Those who hope to maintain their power. Those who see the wealth and power derived from moments of moral failure argue, “The ends justify the means.” Change threatens their power. Many seek to die in a world like the one they were born into. It is a fool's dream.

The Future of American Governance

The humiliation of Congress is not irreversible, but it requires a collective will to restore its dignity and function. Abandoning the slow, often painful process of legislative governance risks everything America has achieved. No single law, executive order, or judicial ruling will make America great forever. Just as good health requires constant vigilance, so does a functioning republic. Democracy is not self-sustaining; it demands participation, scrutiny, and accountability. It requires leaders and citizens alike to resist power's allure and champion the difficult but necessary work of self-governance. And when we can't? Because we can't. We need laws and institutions that keep us and others from the abuse we commit when we have power.

The person or institution who says, "I get it, but think about this," is the one who safeguards the republic. Those who disagree when everyone agrees are a blessing to be embraced. They are the ones who steer us away from unintended consequences and who remind us that progress is not linear but iterative. The future of American governance depends not on the charisma of a single leader or the decree of a court but on the restoration of a legislative branch willing to reclaim its rightful role.

Allowing Congress to remain a hollow institution invites the very corruption and tyranny the founders feared. The humiliation of Congress is not just its own—it is ours. The question now is whether we will accept it or demand better.