WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Like many Americans, Richard Bidon says he'd like to see the U.S. government 鈥済o back to its original design鈥 鈥 a system of checks and balances developed nearly 240 years ago to prevent any branch, especially the presidency, from becoming too powerful.
But that's mainly when Republicans are in power.
Bidon, an 84-year-old Democrat who lives near Los Angeles, said if President Joe Biden is , he doesn't want him to have to get the approval of a possibly Republican-controlled Congress to enact policies to slow climate change. He wants presidents to have the power to change policy unilaterally 鈥 as long as they're from the right party.
鈥淲hen a Democrat's in, I support鈥 a strong presidency, Bidon said. 鈥淲hen Republicans are in, I don't support it that much. It's sort of a wishy-washy thing."
A new poll from finds that Bidon's view is common. Though Americans say don't want a president to have too much power, that view shifts if the candidate of their party wins the presidency. It鈥檚 a view held by members of both parties, though it's especially common among Republicans.
Overall, only about 2 in 10 Americans say it would be 鈥渁 good thing鈥 for the next president to be able to change policy without waiting on Congress or the courts. But nearly 6 in 10 Republicans say it would be good for a future to take unilateral action, while about 4 in 10 Democrats say the same if is reelected.
The sentiment comes amid escalating and is a sign of the public's willingness to push the boundaries of the political framework that has kept the U.S. a stable democracy for more than two centuries. In the poll, only 9% of Americans say the nation's system of checks and balances is working extremely or very well. It also follows to 鈥渁ct as a dictator鈥 on day one of a new administration to secure the border and expand oil and gas drilling.
Bob Connor, a former carpenter now on disability in Versailles, Missouri, wants that type of decisive action on the border. He's given up hope on Congress taking action.
鈥淔rom what I've seen, the Republicans are trying to get some stuff done, the Democrats are trying to get some other stuff done 鈥 they're not mixing in the middle,鈥 said Connor, 56. 鈥淲e're not getting anywhere.鈥
He blames the influx of migrants on own unilateral border security policies when he took office.
鈥淚'm not a Trump fanatic, but what he's saying has to get done is right,鈥 Connor said.
Joe Titus, a 69-year-old Democrat from Austin, Texas, believes in its traditional legislative role and says Biden will have to step into the gap.
鈥淭here's this so-called 鈥榤ajority鈥 in Congress, and they're a bunch of whack-jobs,鈥 Titus, a retired Air Force mechanic, said of the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. 鈥淚t's not the way this thing was set up.鈥
The current Congress is setting dubious records as in the country's history, with fewer than three dozen bills sent to Biden's desk last year. At Trump's urging, House Republicans have and .
Titus said that in general he opposes expanded presidential power but would support Biden funding more immigration judges and sending additional aid to Ukraine on his own.
鈥淭here's certain things that it seems to me the public wants and the other party is blocking,鈥 Titus said.
The presidency has steadily gained power in recent years as congressional deadlocks have become more common. Increasingly, the nation's chief executive is moving to resolve issues through administrative policy or executive orders. The U.S. Supreme Court is on a case that could significantly weaken the ability of federal agencies 鈥 and thus a presidential administration 鈥 to issue regulations.
Meanwhile, a takeover of the federal bureaucracy should they win the White House in November, a move that could increase the administration's ability to make sweeping policy changes on its own.
The AP-NORC poll found that voters' views of which institutions have too much power were colored by their own partisanship. Only 16% of Democrats, whose party currently controls the White House, say the presidency has too much power while nearly half of Republicans believe it does. In contrast, about 6 in 10 Democrats say the with its 6-3 conservative majority, has too much power.
With evenly divided between the two parties 鈥 the GOP has a narrow House majority, Democrats a narrow Senate one 鈥 Americans have similar views on its power regardless of party. About 4 in 10 from both major parties say it has too much power.
鈥淚 think Congress had too much power when the presidency and Congress were both ruled by Democrats, but now that Republicans are in the majority there's an equal balance,鈥 said John V. Mohr, a 62-year-old housecleaner in Wilmington, North Carolina.
In contrast, he complained that Biden is 鈥渟itting there writing executive orders left and right,鈥 including his proclamation marking , which fell on Easter Sunday this year.
The abstract idea of a president with nearly unchecked power remains unpopular.
Steven Otney, a retired trucker in Rock Hill, South Carolina, said major policies should be approved by Congress and gain approval from the courts. But he also said it depends on the topic. He wants to see prompt action on certain issues by the next president if he's Trump.
鈥淪ome things need to be done immediately, like that border wall being finished,鈥 said Otney, a Republican.
He said it's just common sense.
鈥淚f Trump got in there and said 鈥業 want to bomb Iran,鈥 no, that's crazy,鈥 Otney said. 鈥淲ithin reason, not stupid stuff either way. Something to help the American people, not hurt us.鈥
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The poll of 1,282 adults was conducted March 21-25, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
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Riccardi reported from Denver.
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