Voters’ Yearning for a Dictator Is a Danger to the Country
As we approach—with dread—yet another national election, let’s remember that, as awful as the candidates chosen to campaign for the presidency may be, the office itself is much, much worse. The people we choose to inhabit the White House are part of the problem in American presidential politics, but the unrealistically vast expectations the public places on that position, and the efforts of chief executives to expand their powers to meet those hopes and dreams, pose even greater danger.
Public Perceptions of an All-Powerful President
“American presidents are often blamed—and take credit for—things outside of their control,” YouGov reports in an end-of-August poll. “While the executive role carries significant power, it is ultimately limited by the realities of governance and the scope of federal authority.”
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to believe that presidents have “total control” or “a lot of control” over gun deaths, abortion access, and poverty rates, pollsters found. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to believe the presidency exercises such vast authority over issues including foreign policy, national debt, and tax rates. Majorities of both partisan groups see the president exercising dictatorial authority over foreign policy, military operations, judicial appointments, and natural disaster response. But Republicans are more likely than Democrats to view the president as a near-monarch.
Worse, whatever powers partisans think the president has, many want the office to wield much more.
AP-NORC pollsters tried to put a positive spin on an April 2024 poll, claiming that “few adults like the idea of unilateral action by presidents,” putting the overall number at 21 percent (which is still too high). The subsequent AP news story was more honest, noting “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.”
Rule Me Harder
In the abstract, Americans don’t want a dictator. But if it’s their preferred leader, many are willing to throw checks and balances out the window so favored policies can be jammed through.
Specifically, the AP-NORC poll found, 57 percent of Republicans thought it would be a good thing if Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election for him “to take action on the country’s important policy issues without waiting for Congress or the courts.” Among Democrats, 39 percent thought the same of Joe Biden. The poll predated Kamala Harris replacing Biden at the top of the ticket, but it’s difficult to imagine Democrats enthused by her candidacy to be less willing to grant
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