President Biden's infrastructure train is leaving the station.
In remarks Wednesday pushing for his sweeping $2.3 trillion plan, Biden said he wants to meet with Republicans about it and hopes to negotiate in "good faith" — a political tenet that hasn't been practiced much in Washington, D.C., in recent years.
But Biden is not waiting around.
"We will not be open to doing nothing," the president said. "Inaction, simply, is not an option."
Translation: Get on board or step aside.
This Biden technique is one former Gov. Howard Dean, D-Vt., recently described to Politico as "smiling as he steamrolls."
To be clear, Biden will have challenges when it comes to passing his infrastructure and jobs plan through Congress — and not just with Republicans, but with members of his own party, too. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a more moderate Democrat, has voiced opposition to hiking the corporate tax rate as much as the president wants, for example, while Virginia Sen. Mark Warner has expressed concerns as well.
With His Legacy In Mind, Biden Seeks U.S. Transformation With Infrastructure Plan
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=94a3c618-3129-425c-8966-ad4a87675955
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=5ae4f83a-9136-4d0e-a603-695cbd0229f7
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=5db41661-1d12-4840-99da-12bcb7556548
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=dd108d2a-a751-4de3-9792-dec8fab35746
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=d1e7b837-b974-464f-ba23-c80d532940b9
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=cd9924d0-d4cf-4caf-8128-0b7a59a11ac3
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=3371d17f-4d5e-4e25-836e-111a2b96b775
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=1fe927bf-03ec-4aa3-8665-cef8b9b4f335
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=9c3a2455-b36b-4cc4-833a-63a48579fd12
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=7b41296e-7f4c-46e1-a5b3-1a0a549262f9
With the narrowest of majorities, one defection kneecaps the ability of Democrats to pass anything — even through partisan procedures such as budget reconciliation, which requires a simple majority and was used for the COVID-19 relief bill.
But Biden's overall approach to legislating so far — on a big, bold agenda — is winning plaudits from political strategists, left and right.
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=fdfb4c47-1efa-4678-b309-660cec9b1dbc
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=7f7adbdd-af86-4f35-87c0-b597216a0603
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=4d35763e-d2ad-4e58-9a9d-ed6a61dd7458
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=c97f4dc9-1425-4e71-a385-97a4b9838393
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=dc35402e-8cea-4ad7-aa68-5eb9b2fe4c09
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=bd2d0eb0-1cee-4515-9d1c-7bbb8eb4f899
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=b51b9e7e-0300-4d14-b874-eea01d2ef72e
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=8c7e4c33-f99b-476e-8aba-766204da72cc
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=911cc937-0f8b-46bb-a38f-3f18a7d1aec3
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=6a91167d-f6a2-4b8b-b10c-5a7657c8d146
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=4cb4025c-4346-4b38-b8a6-bdd53be47d45
"I am more impressed with Joe Biden than I ever thought I could be in the last few months," said Jamal Simmons, a Democratic political analyst who worked as an adviser to the Democratic National Committee during Barack Obama's first run for the White House and in the Clinton administration.
Several strategists said Biden has been more organized and disciplined out of the gate than former Democratic Presidents Obama or Bill Clinton, and they said his team's steadiness — so far — resembles someone Biden has almost nothing in common with from a policy standpoint: George W. Bush.
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=c1fa2795-1997-4fb4-8961-22536a070e82
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=451655ae-7826-4993-b05d-4c30237ae7b5
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=34007dc7-78de-4db8-9b29-315b2fb89330
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=c74a56cb-be4e-41cc-ae91-8385960a181f
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=3f34f593-b472-4ef1-a869-2fd2fada328d
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=73e9b8be-2291-4ff4-a122-a2a39f9cea1d
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=8c64cc5a-5e4f-4f88-a847-af2fb0da9b89
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=5953d317-978f-44a9-88ca-73b65ca7b660
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=0ea6d46e-5c06-455b-82a4-a413017381bf
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=5b3b1e5f-a38c-49ee-89f7-a5d8391b8ab3
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=e939f137-d9c5-45db-ab98-79b169887b65
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=c165c608-c411-4585-98a0-eb39ef6b419a
"In contrast to his immediate predecessor and President Obama, the Biden team's policy rollouts have been about as smooth, methodical and drama-free as you could expect, particularly given the polarized nature of our politics," said Brian Jones, a veteran of the 2004 Bush reelection team.
"The Biden team," Jones added, "is effectively taking advantage of D.C.'s Trump hangover by just engaging in straightforward communications tactics."
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=8bc54dbf-bdaa-4e85-8800-c904661c71ba
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=039bc802-6b37-47d0-b88e-2d5bfa02ddd4
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=7aba0858-35c5-4639-9f1d-8a0ec37d40f6
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=44b752f5-8a04-440c-8f0d-a5444b85376e
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=0434a15d-c20d-42cd-bf0a-87c341f0c575
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=7e901269-8006-4cc0-ad70-0eb2536c899c
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=71cabdeb-9339-4908-b861-03ddf342e542
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=5c082489-a98d-4ca4-b7ef-59cdc912b361
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=a8610600-c941-404b-b5bd-c6ce54634fcb
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=fe776550-3a6e-46d1-94b8-4e3db2a8c759
Jones noted that the Bush White House made a point of having "a very focused, businesslike approach when it came to his policy priorities, and he scored some victories early in his first term with No Child Left Behind and his tax cuts. It seems like Biden has taken a page from the Bush playbook, essentially cauterizing the chaos that defined Trump's policy announcements and replacing it with a fact-driven, drama-free approach that's working."
Maria Cardona — who worked in the Clinton administration, on the Hillary Clinton 2008 primary campaign, and served as a surrogate for both Obama elections — agreed and said the early success is in no small part due to experience and professionalism.
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=178bdd3c-7d16-4be1-9026-88d12ea7b371
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=ca6a0144-98fb-49d2-ade2-27fc8e9452cd
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=3e654887-e0b5-4ff3-8118-191e231a9d68
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=25506ad3-46b1-4fe6-9653-5d4abe6b73a4
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=667101b6-824c-4df4-83d6-515e12bc194e
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=3c87c992-0e8e-4821-8b21-ce5382641209
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=850062e0-9c92-4f1f-8f71-921be2a406d7
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=99484ccd-7e51-42e5-95aa-de1044f8a717
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=2d918a06-d2d4-44bf-aeb4-e78ae31fc1de
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=cc2abb5a-0cd2-4832-be85-4add57959cc7
"It reinforces the fact that governing actually does take experience and does take knowledge," she said. "Experience and knowledge are not conspiracy theories against a certain bereaved class that Trump ran on and won. Governing really does take experience. George W. Bush, he got some stuff passed, like No Child Left Behind and tax cuts, and, yes, it was because he had seasoned political people at his side."
"An opportunity to deliver massive change"
Biden clearly wants to do big things. On Wednesday, he made a case for a grand vision when it came to infrastructure. He drew on the past but looked to the future, and he swatted down GOP concerns about the size of the plan and criticism that he should focus on "traditional infrastructure" like roads, highways and bridges.
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=8109b85c-a591-402b-9a86-862f7a3f4ebe
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=99b75351-137f-4249-a8c1-5aa1a1ab0d00
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=fb5b4775-bee3-4df6-a467-7b56f508c33e
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=2e55f0b7-7893-4d14-a9a7-0da2473502f5
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=a5d8dfa0-cc71-4072-b64f-eb137faa9020
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=adf59aa1-c9d8-4ddc-856b-4fb03d26542d
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=931ecd51-fb9a-4709-8c78-6c351f04a8cc
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=403efc38-ec9e-44ec-b131-727be55071f1
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=f86e23c0-22e2-4895-b2d6-8cfc8ceff20e
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=f290d38d-fef9-425b-b441-1f6e4254da2f
"We are America," the president said. "We don't just fix for today, we build for tomorrow. Two hundred years ago, trains weren't traditional infrastructure either until America made a choice to lay down tracks across the country. Highways weren't traditional infrastructure until we allowed ourselves to imagine that roads could connect our nation across state lines."
Biden has been acutely aware of attempting to establish his place in history, even though he's been in office fewer than 100 days. Last month, in fact, the 78-year-old met with historians at the White House. Biden wants to be a bridge to the transformation of the country — and this infrastructure proposal is clearly a big part of that.
"He sees this as an opportunity to deliver massive change, the literal infrastructure of the country," said Gurwin Ahuja, who worked in the Obama administration and was an early supporter of Biden's and worked on his campaign. "His general approach of not being distracted by the day to day is why he is president. It is the singular reason he was able to defeat so many candidates when he was running in the Democratic primary."
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=71f8b1e7-ecc2-41c0-85bd-21ea5561f622
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=fce28043-654b-4918-bb3d-404deeccf0d0
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=47a0f612-fee7-4d56-a204-bd7b5f2ba6e9
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=ac6bc36a-6c9d-4ac4-8789-0aed7110583e
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=c6b1e6c3-8da5-447d-a630-47ea27aefff0
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=cc1542a8-3460-4cc1-8467-3c08af9cb631
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=9df3219f-9cae-49b5-be5c-cb548d228e1b
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=fdc2322f-2ec4-4ded-b2ad-c5de61476fdd
https://connect.aafp.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=053cc18f-3eec-4add-98fc-d2032b8d1811
Biden's tactics are different from Obama's, analyst Simmons said.
"It's the return of traditional politics in a way that neither Trump nor Obama were willing to do," Simmons said, noting that "the Obama people did really good things. I think that they did not sell them very well."
Ahuja sees the difference as something not unprecedented in U.S. politics.
"It's a Kennedy and Johnson-type dynamic," Ahuja said, referring to former Democratic President John F. Kennedy and his vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy as president. "Lyndon Johnson was phenomenal at working Congress, because that's what he did. President Obama was phenomenal at inspiring the public, as did Kennedy."
https://www.atoallinks.com/2021/joe-biden-to-announce-executive-actions-to-address-gun-violence/
Biden has much smaller majorities in Congress than Johnson had, however, and this is a time of embittered partisanship. And while Biden would prefer bipartisanship, Cardona notes that Biden "learned the lessons of the Obama era" — not to wait around for Republican support that never materialized.
"A lot of people in the Democratic Party thought, this guy is living in 'la-la land,' " she said. But despite fears that some of the pitfalls of the Obama administration would be repeated, Cardona sees Biden operating on "parallel tracks."
"He's not giving up on bipartisanship," she noted, "but he is living in a cold and cruel reality. ... These are things Biden has learned the hard way and taken to heart."
Republicans, though, don't see Biden as willing to come around to their positions and say he is instead paying lip service to bipartisanship with the intention of forcing through partisan legislation.
