Axios Finish Line

March 12, 2026
Welcome back! Axios' Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen — following up on this morning's column about America's monstrous, if silent, majority — tonight deliver data on 11 big topics where polling shows Americans radically agree.
- Smart Brevity™ count: 897 words … 3½ mins. Edited by Natalie Daher and Amy Stern.
1 big thing: A consensus Bill of Rights
Watch the White House, Congress and most political campaigns, and it seems clear we're too polarized and too tribal to find common cause.
- Well, that's a lie, Jim and Mike write.
Why it matters: In this morning's "Behind the Curtain" column, we showed how algorithms and screens hide a more normal and agreeable American public. This actually extends to many hot political debates: Most people agree on most big topics most of the time. The results are striking — and should give you hope. See if this aligns with your experience.
- This notional Bill of Rights synthesizes majority views from polling of U.S. adults:
🗽 1. Government should have no say in what we say, how we pray, how we protest and whom we love, provided we act legally.
- 79% of Americans say the government has gone too far in restricting the right to free speech. Strikingly, this view is held by 88% of Democrats and 86% of independents, showing it's not just a right-wing grievance. (NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll, October)
- A landmark poll of 20,338 adults by the Kettering Foundation/Gallup Democracy for All Project, published in November, found 84% believe America's racial, religious and cultural diversity is a strength.
⚖️ 2. Government should keep the border tight, and settle the status of those who've been here for years.
- A record-high 79% of U.S. adults consider immigration good for the country. (Gallup, June)
- Two-thirds of registered voters say local officials should cooperate with federal immigration authorities on deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. (Harvard CAPS/Harris, January)
- But support for legal immigration hit an all-time high in the 23 years the Chicago Council on Global Affairs has asked the question (49%). And two-thirds of U.S. adults in the poll, out in October, support a path to citizenship for undocumented workers currently contributing to the economy.
🛡️ 3. Government should do its basic job of protecting the nation ... and then do less.
- Just 17% of Americans now say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right "just about always" (2%) or "most of the time" (15%), Pew Research Center said in December.
- Flash back seven decades: In 1958, when the National Election Study first asked the question, 73% of Americans trusted the federal government to do the right thing — 56 points higher than now.
💰4. Government should stop spending money we don't have, on things we can't afford.
- 90% of registered voters are concerned that the national debt's effect on inflation is increasing the cost of living, according to a poll out two weeks ago from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which is dedicated to increasing awareness of fiscal threats.
🎓 5. Government should stop pretending our education system isn't a national embarrassment.
- U.S. public satisfaction with K-12 education hit a record low last year in the 26 years Gallup has been polling on the question.
📝 6. Government should allow guns but impose sensible restrictions.
- 72% of Americans support requiring a person to obtain a license from a local law enforcement agency before buying a gun, according to polling last year by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. One-third of respondents were gun owners.
👷🏼 7. Government should start caring about American workers as much as it cares about the rich and powerful.
- 37% of Americans say "big business" is a bigger threat to the country's future than labor or government, tying the high in Gallup's trend.
- 80% of Americans see wealth inequality as a big problem. (Economist/YouGov Poll, January)
⚙️ 8. Government should stop micromanaging business.
- 51% of small businesses say navigating federal regulations is hurting their growth, with 69% reporting they pay more per employee to comply than their large competitors, MetLife/U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index found.
- Gallup found last year that 62% of Americans say the federal government has too much power. 51% think government "is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses."
🏞️ 9. Government should take its duty seriously to remind citizens that they live in a great nation.
- While trust in D.C. crumbles, 59% of Americans trust their state government and 65% trust their local government. (Gallup, November)
🗳️ 10. Government should prohibit elected officials from profiting from their power.
- The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll surveyed 11 policies President Trump discussed in last month's State of the Union address. The most popular was a stock-trading limitation for members of Congress, with 72% support.
🦾 Bonus Amendment 11. Government should smartly regulate AI and quickly prep the American workforce.
- A Vanderbilt Unity Poll released last week found 61% of Republicans and 56% of Democrats nationwide favor regulating AI, with agreement across all age ranges.
- Across parties, majorities say the government should regulate AI to ensure economic stability (61%) and public safety (68%), a Reuters/Ipsos poll found last year.
📬 Let us know what you think: [email protected].
- 📱 Watch a YouTube with Jim and Mike about our consensus Bill of Rights.
- Share this column.
2. 🏔️ Parting shot: Honeymooners in Ecuador

Congrats to newlywed reader Andrew Mottet!
- Mottet sent us this shot from Cotopaxi, Ecuador, overlooking the capital Quito, taken while honeymooning last week.
🏁 Please invite your friends to join Finish Line.
Sign up for Axios Finish Line




