Running on the Constitution

Abstract

In this book review, I examine the major findings of Andrew E. Busch's The Constitution on the Campaign Trail -- including that presidential campaigns invoke the Constitution less and less -- and raise questions about the implications of this finding. I argue that, in some ways, constitutional rhetoric is just as strong as ever in presidential campaigns. Moreover, even if Busch is right that constitutional rhetoric is declining, I disagree with Busch that this is an ominous sign of the poor health of American constitutionalism. Instead, the decline could be a sign of the health of our constitutional democracy because fewer constitutional issues are as hotly contested as they once were.

Keywords: book review, presidential campaigns, political rhetoric