Checking Donald Trump's overreaches

A president overreaches, Congress backs off.

It's a disturbing pattern, heightened to a breaking point under Donald Trump, and it must be reversed.

It's especially troubling when a president gambles with lives – our soldiers as well as other nations' soldiers and civilians – through his posturing and impulsiveness.

He's publicly threatened North Korea, Syria, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela, each time firing off a tweet, seemingly with no concern that his need to look like a strongman could cost thousands of lives.

A system of checks and balances is a bedrock principle of our democracy that, if not exercised, risks sliding into irrelevance – particularly under Donald Trump, who has no understanding of or appreciation for checks on his power.

I'm fighting to restore this founding principle of our democracy. It's time to reassert Congress' authority to declare and wage wars, to approve emergency declarations.

This doesn't have to be a Democratic or Republican issue. This is about valuing democracy over one person's ego or desire to ride roughshod over the constitution.

Stay tuned. I'll keep you posted on our efforts.

Ron