Like many Americans, Richard Bidon says he wants the U.S. government to “return to its original design.” It is a system of checks and balances developed about 240 years ago to prevent any branch, especially the presidency, from becoming too powerful.
But that’s mostly when Republicans are in power.
Bidon, an 84-year-old Democrat who lives near Los Angeles, said if President Joe Biden is reelected, he probably won’t need approval from the Republican-controlled Congress to enact policies to slow climate change. He wants the president to have the power to unilaterally change policy as long as he is from the right party.
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“When the Democratic Party is in power, I support a strong presidency,” Bidon said. “When Republicans are in favor of it, I don’t really support it. It’s like wishful thinking.”
A new poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Polling Center finds that Mr. Bidon’s view is popular. He says Americans don’t want to give the president too much power, but that view would change if his party’s candidate wins the presidency. This is a view held by members of both parties, but especially among Republicans.
Overall, only about 2 in 10 Americans say it’s a “good thing” that the next president can change policy without waiting for Congress or the courts. But nearly 6 in 10 Republicans think it would be good for future President Donald Trump to take unilateral action, while about 4 in 10 Democrats say Biden I believe the same will apply if he is re-elected.
President Joe Biden speaks at an event in Raleigh, North Carolina, March 26, 2024. A new poll shows Americans say they don’t want to give the president too much power, but that view will change if their party’s candidate wins the presidency. (AP Photo/Matt Kelly, File)
This sentiment comes at a time of increasing polarization and reflects a public willingness to push the limits of the political framework that has kept the United States a stable democracy for more than two centuries. The poll found that only 9% of Americans say the country’s system of checks and balances is working very or very well. It also follows President Trump’s promise to “act as a dictator” on the first day of his new administration to secure the border and expand oil and gas drilling.
Bob Connor, a retired carpenter from Versailles, Missouri, who is currently disabled, wants to see such decisive action at the border. He gave up hope that Congress would act.
“From what I’ve seen, Republicans are trying to get some things done and Democrats are trying to get other things done. They’re not mixing in the middle,” said Conner, 56. . anywhere. “
He blames the influx of migrants on Biden’s unilateral reversal of some of Trump’s own unilateral border security policies when he took office.
“I’m not a Trump fanatic, but he’s right in saying what needs to be done,” Connor said.
Joe Titus, 69, a Democrat from Austin, Texas, believes Republicans have destroyed Congress’ ability to carry out its traditional legislative role, and Biden needs to step into that gap. says.
“We have what’s called a ‘majority’ in Congress, and they’re a terrible bunch,” Titus, a former Air Force mechanic, said of the Republican-controlled House. “This wasn’t set up that way.”
The current Congress sent fewer than 30 bills to Biden’s desk last year, setting a dubious record as the least productive Congress in the country’s history. At President Trump’s request, House Republicans are delaying passage of the Ukraine aid and bipartisan immigration bill.
Titus said he generally opposes expanding presidential powers, but supports Biden providing more funding for immigration judges and sending additional aid to Ukraine on his own.
“There are some things that the public wants that the other side seems to be blocking,” Titus said.
The presidency has steadily grown in power in recent years as congressional gridlock has become more common. There is an increasing number of moves by national chief executive officers to try to solve problems through administrative policies and executive orders. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule later this year on a case that could significantly weaken federal agencies and, by extension, the presidential administration’s ability to issue regulations.
Meanwhile, conservatives are planning a takeover of the federal bureaucracy if they win the White House in November, which could increase the administration’s ability to make sweeping policy changes on its own.
The AP-NORC poll found that voters’ views on which agencies have too much power are colored by their partisanship. Only 16% of Democrats who currently control the White House think the president has too much power, while nearly half of Republicans think the president has too much power. By contrast, about 6 in 10 Democrats believe the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has too much power.
Although Congress is evenly divided between the two parties, with Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House and Democrats holding a narrow majority in the Senate, Americans regardless of party hold similar views about Republican power. ing. About four in 10 people in both major parties say it has too much power.
John V. Mohr, a 62-year-old janitor in northern Wilmington, said, “I think Congress was too powerful when Democrats controlled both the president and Congress, but now that Republicans have a majority. “It’s an even balance,” he said. Carolina.
By contrast, he complained that Biden is “sitting there writing executive orders left and right,” including a proclamation commemorating Transgender Day of Visibility, which falls on Easter Sunday this year.
The abstract idea of a president with nearly unlimited power remains unpopular.
Stephen Otney, a retired truck driver from Rock Hill, South Carolina, said major policies should be approved by Congress and approved by the courts. But he also said it depends on the theme. If the next president is President Trump, he wants to take swift action on certain issues.
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“Some things need to be done right away, like finishing the border wall,” Otney, a Republican, said.
He said it’s just common sense.
“If President Trump got in there and said, ‘I want to bomb Iran,’ no, that’s crazy,” Otney said. “Obviously, it’s not stupid anyway. It’s going to help the American people, it’s not going to hurt us.”
