Arrr, seems like these landlubbers be changin' their tune faster than a squall at sea! Support be fickle, mateys.
2024-04-05
Arrr, mateys! The scallywags at The Associated Press-NORC Center have discovered that ye landlubbers be more keen on checks and balances when ye be not in favor of the ruling scoundrels. 'Tis a fine tale of political tomfoolery indeed!
In the language of a 17th-century pirate, like many a hearty American, Richard Bidon be sayin' he'd like to see the U.S. government "go back to its original design" — a system of checks and balances developed nearly 240 years ago to prevent any branch, especially the presidency, from becoming too powerful. Arrr!But that's mainly when Republicans be in power, matey! Bidon, an 84-year-old Democrat near Los Angeles, be sayin' if President Joe Biden is reelected, 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 — as long as they're from the right party, aye!When a Democrat's in, says Bidon, I support a strong presidency, arrr! When Republicans be in, I don't support it that much. It's sort of a wishy-washy thing, ye see?In a new poll, only about 2 in 10 Americans say it would be "a good thing" 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 President Donald Trump to take unilateral action, while about 4 in 10 Democrats say the same if Biden is reelected, arrr!The sentiment comes amid escalating polarization 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, matey! Yo ho ho!