Here’s what the Dems should focus efforts on
During the first year of Biden’s presidency, Democrats were engaged in a politically costly and ultimately vain effort to rally members of their caucus around progressive policies that the public either views as secondary priorities, or in some cases, opposes.
Only 1 in 4 Americans (24%), including less than one-half of Democrats (44%), say that enacting Biden’s Build Back Better agenda — a large progressive spending plan that was much-debated but unsuccessful — should be a top priority, according to a Monmouth University poll.
In order to cut their political losses in the midterms, national Democrats ought to dedicate their focus to developing, promoting, and passing commonsense legislation that is designed to address voters’ top concerns and improve Americans’ quality of life. In doing so, Democrats should make a meaningful effort to work with Republicans on issues where compromise is possible.
To that end, there are three broader issues that, if pursued, would give Democrats an opportunity to deliver in a bipartisan fashion while also inoculating against G.O.P. attacks: improving immigration laws, reforming the criminal justice system, and transforming job and vocational training programs.
The Biden administration is facing a multi-faceted immigration crisis, both in terms of the disaster at the Southern border, as well as the unsettled status of millions of undocumented immigrants. Just one-third (33%) of voters overall — including only 26% of independents and 37% of Hispanics — approve of Biden’s handling of immigration, while a majority (56%) disapprove, per a Morning Consult survey.
Americans across the political spectrum — and especially on the right — have read news of illegal border crossings reaching record-high numbers and ICE detention centers overflowing. Republicans have worked somewhat successfully to tie the crisis to Biden’s failed policies.
At the same time, immigration activists on the left are frustrated with the president for not following through on the promises he made during the campaign: making immigration policy more humane, passing a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants, and permanently protecting Dreamers.
Thus, Democrats can work with Republicans on a balanced immigration package that secures the border through technological and physical barriers, requires employers to use E-Verify to certify the legal status of new hires, codifies lasting protections for Dreamers, and creates a pathway to citizenship.
Importantly, by prioritizing immigration, national Democrats can protect electorally vulnerable members of their caucus in the midterms from G.O.P. attacks linking Democratic policies to the border crisis.
Criminal justice reform presents another opportunity for Democrats to pursue a grand bargain with Republicans, especially as crime rates spike across the country. Such legislation should involve funding local law enforcement, while also holding police accountable and making the criminal justice and policing system fairer for Black Americans, who are disproportionately mistreated.
Absent action by Democrats on crime, I anticipate that Republican attacks on Democrats as being soft-on-crime will resonate in the midterms — as 70% of voters believe crime in the country is out of control, while only 30% say crime is mostly under control, per the January Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.
Given the wariness of some on the left toward policies that strengthen police, Biden will need to sell the legislation to progressives by making explicitly clear that ensuring more equitable treatment of Black Americans and supporting law enforcement are not mutually exclusive goals.
I largely agree with other prominent Democrats who say that, in order to connect with voters in the middle who are concerned both about crime and curbing police misconduct, Biden can look to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ approach.
Positively, during a recent public safety summit with Adams, Biden made clear that his administration does not support the far-left “defund the police” movement. The same day, Biden’s Justice Department announced new measures to support local law enforcement and restrict the flow of firearms used to commit crimes.
Though Biden’s latest directives and rhetoric are encouraging first steps, they are just that.
Finally, given the shifts in the workforce and labor market that occurred during the pandemic, it is both necessary and practical for Democrats to prioritize improving federal job and vocational training programs. Focusing on passing the JOBS Act — a bipartisan bill that would expand federal Pell
Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term job training programs — is a good starting point to achieve this end. This legislation was reintroduced by a bipartisan group of senators in 2021, and was passed this week along with the COMPETES Act in the House. When Senate Democrats will take up the bill, they should focus on touting and passing the reforms in the JOBS Act, while also negotiating with Republicans on the broader COMPETES Act.
The JOBS Act would make high-quality education and training programs eligible for federal Pell Grants — thus closing the skills gap by helping more workers afford the job training and credentials that are in demand as industries have shifted during the pandemic.
By promoting a bipartisan bill that helps America’s workers, Democrats can reclaim the mantle as the pro-American worker party, while also deflecting G.O.P. attacks on Democrats’ economic policies as being too liberal or wasteful.
Ultimately, in order to avoid a shellacking in the 2022 midterms, it’s clear that Democrats need to put bipartisan reforms — on immigration, criminal justice and job training — at the center of their strategic pivot.