Time for a constitutional convention?

Glenn Reynolds writes at USA Today,

we’ve just finished eight years of a president who claimed the legal right to kill Americans, without a trial, anywhere in the world outside the United States. One who spied on journalists, and imprisoned those who leaked to them. One who openly boasted that with his pen and a phone he didn’t need Congress.

...Let those Democrats unhappy with the power possessed by Trump get together with those Republicans who were unhappy with how much power was possessed by Barack Obama and propose some real limits. Since they have to be limits that will apply no matter who is in power, they have to be limits that can’t be overturned by an election: Constitutional limitations. We need amendments to the Constitution that will reduce the power of the government back to the point where, as Pournelle remembers, it doesn’t matter much which gang of crooks is running things. Maybe we should have a constitutional convention to discuss them.

As a libertarian myself, I’d strongly support such limits no matter who is in power. I hope that the Democrats — who are now worried — and the Republicans — who’ve been talking about smaller government for as long as I’ve been alive — will support them too.

And for anyone who doesn’t want to limit the power of the government over its citizens? That will make clear that their only real worry is that their own “gang of crooks” isn’t in power. Which should be instructive.

Read more here.