Facing a midterm rout, Democrats need easy wins

The Democratic Party is at risk of a historic rout in the November midterm elections. 

A recent Quinnipiac poll underscores the challenges Democrats face in retaining their congressional majorities. Just one-third of Americans approve of the job President Biden is doing (33 percent) — including only 26 percent of registered Independents — while a majority (54 percent) disapprove.

There are a number of major and mounting crises damaging Democrats’ electoral prospects — record-high inflation, rising crime, President Biden’s uneven approach to foreign policy and the failures of the administration’s handling of immigration — all of which have led voters to question the party’s ability to effectively lead.

Moreover, increased confusion and chaos surrounding COVID-19 policies are further complicating Democrats’ chances. Last week, a federal judge struck down the mask mandate on airlines and other mass transportation, which the C.D.C. is now expected to challenge. Further, Democratic-led cities, namely Philadelphia, recently reinstated their mask mandate, only to rescind it days later.

In order to cut their losses in November, congressional Democrats need to focus on crafting, promoting and passing discrete reforms that will give members easy wins to bring home to their voters. At the same time, it is crucial for the Biden administration to project leadership and cohesion in their management of this stage of the pandemic.

With respect to domestic reforms, Democrats certainly don’t have a mandate to pursue sweeping legislation, which was made clear with the failure of the Build Back Better plan last year. However, there are a number of specific reforms within this larger plan that are politically viable, particularly in the realm of healthcare.

Specifically, Democrats can force a vote in the Senate on a House bill to cap insulin at $35. This is a concrete reform that would cut costs for millions of Americans with diabetes and would demonstrate to voters that the party is attuned to their daily financial struggles at a time when rising prices are crushing families.

There is also a clear political opportunity for Democrats here: They will either achieve a quick bipartisan win, or Republicans will go on record against capping insulin at an affordable level, enabling Democrats to weaponize the issue ahead of the midterm elections.  

In terms of additional reforms, the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines and cures underscored the importance of expanded support for research and development in pharmaceuticals, and Democrats have the opportunity to continue to lead in this area. 

Regrettably, some on the left are instead calling for government intervention in these industries, especially when it comes to intellectual property. Make no mistake, this directly undermines American innovation.

In addition to domestic policy efforts, President Biden and Democrats need to show voters that America is leading the world through the future stages of the pandemic, which can be accomplished by ramping up global vaccination efforts.

Global vaccination is one of our greatest modern-day challenges, and it is incumbent on the administration to enhance all necessary partnerships in order to safely distribute vaccines around the world.

Ensuring safe production and efficient distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses should be the administration’s primary priority in this effort. Thus, calls from many of the left-most Democrats to give away formulas for our vaccines to countries and firms that vastly lack the ability to safely manufacture and distribute doses is a dangerous approach that the administration must avoid. 

Instead of giving away our life-saving formulas — which will only complicate the global vaccination and distribution effort — President Biden must continue to work with the industry to increase safe production in the U.S. and Europe and bolster global vaccine distribution.

Ultimately, this is a practical and effective approach that will enable President Biden to lead on an issue of the utmost importance for public health and the global economy at a time when many voters question his fitness for office.

Taken together with the discrete domestic health care reforms I’ve outlined — capping insulin at $35 and increasing funding for medical research and development — President Biden and Democrats can begin to rack up easy wins on issues that voters care about, can digest, and ultimately, can give Democrats credit for.

In addition to health care reforms, Democrats can and should pursue bipartisan cooperation in other areas, specifically, on immigration, which would involve tighter border restrictions and a path to citizenship for those hardworking immigrants here who have played by the rules and paid their taxes.

The risks to President Biden and the Democratic Party of failing to deliver in these key areas are too high, and the future control of both bodies of Congress could not be in greater jeopardy.

Douglas E. Schoen is a political consultant who served as an adviser to former President Clinton and to the 2020 presidential campaign of Michael Bloomberg. He is the author of “The End of Democracy? Russia and China on the Rise and America in Retreat.”