Around a month ago, Dems would routinely justify all of Obama's abuses of power by accusing Republicans of obstructionism. I've heard this come up on entirely unrelated issues. Just say say something bad about Obama and out pops out, "But Mitch McConnell made it his mission to block anything he did."
Obstructionism justified unilateralism.
It's an argument that Dems would never have accepted from Republicans. And yet they insist on repeating the cycle.
65% of Democrats want Dems in Washington to stand up to Trump on key issues
So obstructionism, like Federalism, is hot again.
Suddenly checks and balances become the core of our democracy, instead of a relic of slavery that privileges white people at the expense of people of color. But the Dems have spent the last half decade laying out the argument that obstructionism by Congress justifies rule by executive order. That if the minority party objects, the filibuster should be dismantled to make things go smoother.
Dems will insist that their own positions should somehow not apply to them. But that's not how it works. Each set of actions are a precedent that define the rules for both sides.