The core idea of the American vision of rights is that rights against future governments matter just as much as rights against present ones. For example, a Democrat speaking in support of the DNC doesn't need free speech against a Democratic administration, but they would need it against a Republican one. That's the reason behind the "what if we need to rebel?" argument against gun control, the "turnkey tyranny" argument against self-surveillance, and the rest. American political philosophy will seem totally incomprehensible if you miss this point!