Yet the president's increasing unilateralism shouldn't be cause for celebration. Bypassing Congress means bypassing democratic checks. It also means giving up on government's ability to effectively address serious long-term challenges. The solution to a dysfunctional Congress isn't an unchecked executive; it's a Congress that actually works.

A first step in that direction was taken recently with the banning of filibusters for executive branch nominees and federal judges below the Supreme Court....