As Inauguration Day wound down, President Donald Trump held court on the stage at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., signing one executive order after the next, flinging presidential pens into the adoring crowd. This scene, I’m quite certain, isn’t how the founders envisioned U.S. governance playing out.

Displays of republican virtue haven’t been trendy for a while. However, these days, it feels like the state is run on the whims of the top executive. Which is a problem, even if you’re sympathetic to the causes championed by your favorite presidents.