Why Pose with the Antifa Handbook?

Pictured here is Rep. Keith Ellison. He represents the state of Minnesota in Congress. But he also serves as the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Why is he posing with this book? And why does he think a book like this is necessary to "strike fear in the heart" of the President?

There's nothing wrong with being anti-fascist (from which "Antifa" draws its name), at least not in a general sense; one would hope that everyone is comfortable with identifying as anti-fascist.

But the Antifa movement making news in 2018 hasn't manifested itself in constructive ways. Instead, Antifa groups have been associated with violent protests, destruction of property, and intimidation tactics.

If a member of Congress wants to strike fear into the heart of an abusive, reckless, and ignorant President, there's no need to take a selfie with "The Antifa Handbook". Just pose with one of the classics: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or the Federalist Papers. All three provide the necessary foundation for striking proper fear into the heart of anyone who would misuse the power of the Presidency.

Containing and correcting an aberrant member of the Article II branch of government isn't hard -- especially not if the co-equal branches of government do their part. Congress is established in Article I of the Constitution, and it's first because it's supposed to be the manifestation of the people's will. The President has veto power in order to keep Congress from going too far, because it's rightly presumed that Congress is the mostly unfettered appendage of popular opinion.

The entire House of Representatives is up for replacement every 24 months. In political time, that's the blink of an eye. Change very rarely requires people marching in the streets or joining amorphous movements like Antifa.

Instead of endorsing fringe movements, shouldn't the deputy chair of one of the two major political parties -- and a member of the Article I branch of government -- focus on winning over voters? Shouldn't he be using the Constitution we already have to impose exactly the kinds of checks and balances it was carefully designed to put directly into hands like his?

The system for imposing corrections is already here, and it's no secret. The Constitution might not make for a great selfie, but it's almost always the answer to solving American problems.