In Case You Missed It
In her latest essay, IHS President and CEO Emily Chamlee-Wright poses an uncomfortable question: Would you rather have a president you trust with unchecked power, or one you distrust operating within strong institutional constraints?
At a moment when executive power has grown across administrations and every election feels existential, Chamlee-Wright argues that our fixation on “better rulers” is undermining the institutional framework that makes self-government possible. The essay challenges readers to prioritize constitutional design over electoral outcomes—even when it means accepting constraints on leaders we support.
Drawing on the Framers’ understanding that virtue cannot be assumed in statesmen, she makes the case that democracy’s survival depends on rules that work regardless of who wields power.
Chamlee-Wright says:
“The best way to prepare for bad rulers is not to pray for good ones. It’s to build a system strong enough to contain the bad.”
Read the full piece on Persuasion.
