The Progressive Senate and Its Discontents

The Seventeenth Amendment reshaped the Senate from a body tied to the states into a national political arena defined by permanent ambition and escalating federal power. For most Americans—or at least most Americans with even a remedial education in civics—the phrase “separation of powers” usually explains the tripartite nature of the federal government. The Founders, in their wisdom, divided that government into branches: the legislative branch, which debates and enacts laws; the executive branch, which enforces the laws; and the judicial branch, which interprets the laws and ensures that they are compliant with one another and with constitutional principles. It’s...