After victory, Biden seeks political rebound
By Amie Parnes and Morgan Chalfant - 11/06/21 05:00 PM EDT
President Biden is hoping to rebound from a challenging few months that saw the American public turn negative on his presidency by building momentum on the House passage on Friday of a bipartisan infrastructure bill.
The White House and its allies see the pathway to a political recovery through passing his sweeping domestic policy agenda and helping the country turn a corner on a pandemic that has exhausted and ravaged the nation.
Part one came in Friday's vote, when the House passed the long-stalled bipartisan infrastructure bill, paving the way for billions to be spent on projects around the country.
The House also set up part two, it hopes, by approving the rule that sets up debate on the larger social spending and climate change bill, which it hopes to approve the week of Nov. 15.
Democrats, however, say the political rebound depends on more than just passing bills. They argue that it is critical for Biden and his allies to better communicate to the public how the measures help the middle class.
Quickly and effectively implementing the measures will be key as well, Democrats say, in addition to addressing voters’ concerns about inflation and other frustrations.
“There’s a lesson from the 2010 midterm elections. Democrats were in the majority and passed TARP, a major stimulus bill, the affordable care act and a blizzard of bills,” former Rep. Steve Israel said. “The problem was that people didn’t see and feel the results until after the midterm election where they were routed. So the imperative for Democrats is get stuff passed, fast-track implementation and show tangible results in alleviating people’s anxieties.”
Biden reveled in the victory on Saturday, making it clear he saw an opportunity to turn his fortunes around following a week that began badly, with Democrats losing a gubernatorial contest in Virginia and just winning the state mansion in New Jersey.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/580346-biden-seeks-rebound-from-bad-political-run
