After the Blue Wave, the Cleanup

A landslide is a satisfying way to tell a president he’s gone too far. The trouble is what happens the morning after. Donald Trump still runs the executive branch, and the Democrats who swept both chambers of Congress will spend much of their time trying to rein in a president who treats checks and balances as somebody else’s paperwork.

Consider two of his home improvement projects. The East Wing came down to make room for a ballroom before Congress authorized it. At the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, crews rushed a makeover that was supposed to turn the pool a patriotic shade of blue. The coating peeled, the water turned green, and Trump blamed vandals. For a man who made his name in real estate, he has a curious habit of leaving the next occupant with the repair bill.

Come January, Democrats can demand records, haul officials before committees and use the power of the purse to curb Trump’s excesses. They should do all three. But oversight works best before the demolition crew shows up. The real test of the blue wave is whether Congress can make this president ask permission while there’s still something standing on the other side of the fence.