Democrats have plans that 'grim reaper' Mitch McConnell won't be able to block

WASHINGTON — Facing the prospect of grinding Republican roadblocks in Congress, Democrats running for president are emphasizing plans to govern with executive action if they win the White House.On topics ranging from climate change to gun control to immigration, candidates are looking at ways to go around Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.Democrats know they face a shaky path to a Senate majority in 2020 and their approach reflects concern from voters and activists that a president could end up hobbled without a plan to deal with McConnell, who has promised to be a "grim reaper" for any progressive legislation that passes the Democratic-controlled House."If I'm still the majority leader in the Senate, think of me as the grim reaper. Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro has said he'll step up investigations into allegations of police abuse.At the same time, a handful of candidates are running counter to the trend by emphasizing plans to curb the powers of the presidency in certain areas, most notably the use of force.South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, an Afghanistan War veteran, has called on lawmakers to "repeal and replace" the military authorization passed after 9/11 to make it more difficult for presidents to take action without going through Congress.Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo., has repeatedly raised this concern and in last month's debate, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said both parties "have let (presidents) get away with running the military without that congressional approval." Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke has pledged to "only put troops on the ground in places where Congress authorizes it."With Democrats sounding the alarm about perceived abuses of power under Trump, the party also faces a choice as to whether it should treat some of his moves as a precedent or voluntarily renounce them before taking office.The most pressing example is Trump's invocation of emergency powers to find funding to build a wall along the border with Mexico.