(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Democrats were given a gift this week. The question is: Will they recognize it?
As warning signs go, the resounding electoral defeats they suffered could hardly have been clearer. With just 1,172 days remaining in President Joe Biden’s first term in office — and quite possibly only a year left with a Democratic Congress — a course correction is urgently needed.
In Virginia, which Biden carried by 10 percentage points in 2020, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democratic stalwart Terry McAuliffe for governor. In New Jersey, which Biden carried by 16 points, Governor Phil Murphy barely eked out a win over Republican obscurity Jack Ciattarelli. From Seattle to Buffalo, Minneapolis to Long Island, Republicans exceeded expectations, moderate causes largely prevailed, and voters rejected progressive overreach and administrative failure.
No doubt, it’s normal for a president’s party to lose ground in such elections, especially if the incumbent is as unpopular as Biden currently is. And these were state and local elections, mostly hinging on state and local concerns such as public safety and schools. Yet the breadth and scale of this refutation is overwhelming. What lessons should national Democrats heed ahead of the midterm elections next year?
One obvious problem is that, even with unified control of the federal government, Democrats so far have precious few accomplishments to campaign on. They spent much of the past year pushing an expansively partisan voting-rights bill rather than negotiating a compromise. They’ve been unable to enact a popular bipartisan infrastructure bill — which has already passed the Senate — due to arcane internal squabbling. And they have been caught flat-footed as Republicans have used culture-war politics to their advantage.
As for the party’s top legislative priority: It’s an expensive and unwieldy grab bag of partisan social policies — some worthwhile, some bewildering — that has yet to garner even the simple majority required to pass the Senate under budget-reconciliation rules. And they have paid little attention to what Americans of all parties want: schools that are open and performing at high levels.
Biden himself bears no small responsibility for this malaise. His signature campaign commitments, to restore normality and competence to the White House, haven’t materialized as hoped. Rather than moderation, he has repeatedly promised transformative change, now routinely measured in the trillions of dollars. His long experience in the Senate hasn’t translated into any notable deal-making. The less said about his most visible foreign-policy action — the withdrawal from Afghanistan — the better.
In fairness, Biden inherited a difficult situation. Covid-19 continues to exact a serious toll on public health, despite the administration’s best efforts. Likewise, the economic disruptions imposed by the pandemic defy easy fixes. But all presidents face trials and tribulations — the difference between success and failure lies in the ability to lead despite such setbacks.
It’s not too late for Democrats to turn things around. As a start, Biden needs to remember that he wasn’t elected merely to arbitrate disputes between the warring factions of his own party. The infrastructure deal — a relatively modest measure, commensurate to the ultra-thin majorities Democrats currently hold — offers a far better approach. Seeking compromise on similar nuts-and-bolts issues, in particular on resolving the supply-chain havoc that has beset businesses in recent months, should be a priority.
As for the party’s other leaders? They could do worse than to emulate Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Despite unrelenting pressure from activists — including a tense standoff outside his home — Frey refused to support an amendment to the city’s charter that would’ve eliminated the local police department in favor of a new, hazily defined public-safety agency. He stuck to his principles and focused on pragmatic reforms. This week, voters defeated the amendment and Frey won re-election over more than a dozen challengers.
Most Americans aren’t longing for a revolution. They’ll settle for a little help.
Editorials are written by the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.
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