No Blank Check

The most comprehensive analysis of how the public views unilateral presidential power and why they punish presidents who use it.

No Blank Check presents a comprehensive study of public opinion towards presidential power. Analyzing data from panel surveys, original experiments, and historical polls, the book shows that the public opposes unilateral power and punishes presidents who use it, indicating that the public holds presidents accountable for how they exercise power.Concerns about unaccountable executive power have featured recurrently in political debates from the American founding to today. For many, presidents' use of unilateral power threatens American democracy. No Blank Check advances a new perspective: Instead of finding Americans apathetic towards how presidents exercise power, it shows the public is deeply concerned with core democratic values. Drawing on data from original surveys, innovative experiments, historical polls, and contexts outside the United States, the book highlights Americans' skepticism towards presidential power. This skepticism results in a public that punishes unilaterally minded presidents and the policies they pursue. By departing from existing theories of presidential power which acknowledge only institutional constraints, this timely and revealing book demonstrates the public's capacity to tame the unilateral impulses of even the most ambitious presidents. Ultimately, when it comes to exercising power, the public does not hand the president a blank check.