I’m going to steal that Steyn quote! One issue is that on some things bigger is just better, eg armed forces. The benefit about a federal system (again a real federal system, not what we have) is that you can have a collective for things like defense, and keep the government that is more involved in local affairs at a smaller level. Even the military should be divided between states or regions where practical, but under one command when in a foreign war.
Federalism, properly regarded and restrained, definitely has its merits.
I forget who it is (and how they actually wrote it) who recently wrote something like 'the problem today isn't that there is a big fight over the meaning of the Constitution, it's that the Constitution is just ignored'
Trump may buy us a little more forestalling, and certainly the behavior of Muslim so called 'refugees' (esp in Germany right now) is giving him a lot of free advertising and evidence. Drudge says 20% of Dems are ready to defect to Trump. Dems wisen up when it's there safety and money at stake, and they actually can be made to see that. It's (not really) fun to watch as their favorite protected race, the bambi refugee arab spring dreamers, are leading the war against their favorite protected gender. Bill Clinton would have made a great Syrian Refugee in Cologne. Maybe Merkel should hire Hillary to go over and threaten and silence those trailer trash German assault victims.
It would all be funny if it didn't cause so much suffering.