The answer to this question may appear premature, even suspiciously revolutionary. But it is timely and appropriate within the context of Presidential history.

In 1787, Thomas Jefferson was in Paris while the constitutional convention was underway in Philadelphia. A month passed before he received a copy of the document that would establish the American government. It crossed the Atlantic by ship, likely arriving after the convention was disbanded. Given the circumstances, his response could not affect any change in that document. But he did have an opinion. He felt the Constitution gave more power to the President in the conduct of foreign affairs than to a king. Nevertheless, he supported the man who would become the first President. Washington, he knew, was a man of character and a great leader. The question we might ask today is whether Jefferson’s reservations should have outweighed his acquiescence to the selection of our first President. If he had been in Philadelphia that summer, would he have attempted to curb the power of the Presidency in matters of state? Perhaps his absence was an ill omen that has shadowed some subsequent Presidents. It certainly casts a pale over the current President.

The history of American Presidents reveals men (still only men) of very different character and ability. Some of their Administrations have been quite successful, while others have been disastrous. Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon had failed Presidencies insofar as they both left office in disgrace. Johnson was under impeachment proceedings when his term expired. Nixon resigned under threat of impeachment. Our current President may be or not be impeachable, but he is very far removed from the high moral character and unifying leadership of George Washington. Since the beginning of his Presidency, he has built upon his campaign promises to rattle the “Washington elites” or, in his words, “drain the swamp.” His very vocal supporters wanted him to refocus government on their needs. They also wanted him to upset the political Parties’ gamesmanship, mutual rancor, and legislative gridlock.

But President Trump has taken aim at more than his opponents in both Parties. He has set his target on the very democratic institutions that have insured the rights and privileges of all Americans, including those of his supporters. Most of his cabinet appointees are adversaries to the organizations they supervise and sycophants to is bidding. Whether he is handcuffing scientists in the EPA, crippling the effectiveness of our healthcare system, opening public lands to drilling and fracking, alienating our allies, provoking a possible war with his bluster, attacking our workforce and communities with discriminatory deportations of refugees and immigrants, disabling effective diplomacy, ignoring the warnings and concerns of our intelligence community, or abetting wealth inequality with his tax proposals, he is challenging the very framework of our democracy and dismantling its institutions. While Congress dithers with legislative brinkmanship and reelection concerns, our government is being slowly and effectively taken apart.

Amid this chaos, President Trump attempts to make the government subservient to his dictate or even whim. Whereas George Washington sought to unite the colonies into a democratic republic, President Trump would make us all vassals to his administration and to him personally. He would be happy to rule by executive order, quash the free press, and bully all opponents into submission. The brutish and provocative way he conducts the affairs of state is reckless in our nuclear age and inconsistent with the considered, restrained leadership required of a statesman. His Administration has already pushed the boundaries of criminal behavior and shown total disregard for civil or even moral norms. Jefferson’s reservations about the power of the American Presidency has suddenly mushroomed into a contemporary nightmare.

Is it possible for the majority Party in Congress to restore its loyalty to the American people rather than to Party leadership? Republicans could be dutiful civil servants by simply being a check on the excesses of this President. In other words, they should and must take on the role of a co-equal branch of government that represents the interests of all Americans. Unless both Parties liberate Congress from the control of election financiers and lobbyists, America will no longer be feasible as a bastion of liberty and the rule of law. My real question—or fear—is whether the American experiment is approaching the point of no return.

I am not able to answer this question. Others have suggested America would be better off with a parliamentary system where an elected prime minister forms his legislative body and governs for as long as he/she can hold together a majority. Unfortunately, any form of government can fall prey to a populist demagogue, to corruptive practices, to power brokers, and to criminal or parasitical self-interested elements. Perhaps the question I should raise is one we can answer. Is the idea of America still alive and well amongst Americans?

If the answer to that question is affirmative, then we can turnaround the path America appears to be taking. We must demand our representatives curb the dictatorial and inconsistent actions of the current Administration by demonstrations, petitions, and our votes. We should petition the Supreme Court to rule against political Parties’ attempts to gerrymander their votes. Consistent with our check and balance system, Congress should come together to overturn the Citizens United ruling of the Supreme Court by legislating funding restrictions and campaign reforms. (“American Revolution 2016” represented one such approach.)

But no systemic change can substitute for an informed electorate. Americans cannot be expected to vote wisely, if they are unable to trusts their information sources or validate the factual basis of proposed policies or political statements. Considering the foreign influence on our recent Presidential election, Congress needs to unravel the many infiltrations Russia made into our public forum and to prevent their reoccurrence. And it must work with social media companies not only to uncover the extent of fake news and manipulative propaganda but also to block future incursions of this nature.

If the answer to my question in the title is affirmative, then what kind of change is needed and when. Can there be any doubt that gridlock in Congress and incompetency in the Presidency demand change now? If the approval ratings of both elected branches of government have any relevancy, then the issue of urgency has already been determined. But what kind of change should we pursue? Of course, it would not be practical for America to disregard its Constitution or change its form of government. After 241 years, why would we abandon a system that has already transformed itself so many times for the better. The Constitution only defines the goals and structure of our government. But it has always been the responsibility of the American people to translate those goals into practice.

When George Washington became President in 1788, America had slaves, restricted the vote by race and gender, assumed gay people were perverts, and believed a Federal income tax an abomination. He could not possibly have imagined a future where nuclear war, social media, pervasive false journalism, or foreign election-influence campaigns were threats to the American system of government. But just as the American system overcame the problems Washington faced, it can still resolve the problems it now faces. We simply must re-imagine the change we want. Our problem is not with the Presidency, but with the President. It is not with the Constitution, but with those pledged to support it—including both our elected officials and ourselves.

I believe our system cannot survive without a President – at least not as it was envisioned. That vision demanded a President of high moral character who, along with all elected representatives, adhered to our founding principles. But we could—and did—elect a “disruptor and chief.” We, perhaps unwittingly, put our democratic republic in peril. It is imperative that we citizens now take control of our nation’s future. We must demand the removal of this President from office and fair representation of our interests in Congress. I can think of no better way to renew our allegiance to “one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.” That pledge is the only true promise of our nation’s survival as a democratic republic.