Hard truth for Democrats: If the midterm elections were held today, Democrats would probably lose control of the House and their Senate majority would be endangered.
Hard truth for Republicans: Contrary to GOP propaganda, Democrats have tremendous majority support on a wide range of the most important issues facing the electorate. If they play their cards right, Democrats can increase their majorities in the House and Senate.
Big truth for President Biden: He did some things brilliantly well with dramatic results that included a landmark bill that was a historic recovery act, a landmark bill that was a bipartisan infrastructure plan, and will soon achieve a landmark Build Back Better bill. He is not remotely getting the credit he and Democrats deserve because he failed to make the powerful public case, alerting voters to the great benefits they receive from Democratic programs, and calling on voters to deluge Congress to urge members to support Democratic plans.
President Biden needs to spearhead, coordinate and execute a political war plan. Make no mistake, the midterm elections are a political war with incalculable consequences for the future of his presidency, his party and the nation.
On major issues in the leading bills that Biden and Democrats have already passed, and will soon pass, public support for the major provisions ranges from 60 percent to above 80 percent, from West Virginia and Arizona to Michigan and New Hampshire, in red, blue and purple states across the nation.
The biggest communications challenge, but the best kind of challenge a president can confront, is the sheer number of highly popular proposals that have been passed, and that Biden and Democrats are battling to pass.
A Biden war plan, to mobilize support to enact Democratic plans and receive well-earned credit for what Democrats have already accomplished, would include:
First, Biden should give a series of short fireside chats, each focused on one or two major plans at most. Lasting two to three minutes each, they should inform voters about how they are helped by important and popular proposals that have been passed and urge voters to deluge their members of the House and Senate to urge support for those that have not yet been passed.
The topics could be child care, paid family leave, lowering prescription drug prices, jobs building infrastructure, climate change, voting rights and other priority issues.
Critically, each of these fireside chats should be organized and coordinated with advance notice to major groups of voters that benefit from these proposals such as women, seniors, labor and minorities who should mass notify their members of these fireside chats to understand how they benefit, and if needed, to contact Congress en masse.
Second, there should be coordinated saturation of television, radio, and internet ads to supplement the fireside chat mobilization to convey the simple, clear, understandable message of how voters benefit from them, and if necessary, could contact Congress to support them. This could be organized by the Democratic National Committee and/or other organizations.
Third, President Biden should address the nation from the Oval Office in prime time when Congress returns from recess to inform voters of how they benefit from these plans and urge them to contact Congress en masse to support them. His words should be clear, specific, descriptive, forceful and uplifting and aimed to inspire voters to deluge Congress.
Fourth, this midterm election war plan should be accompanied by high-profile small donor fundraising backed by leading champions with strong grassroots support such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). And — this is critical — include presidential outreach to major players such as former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and wealthy liberal donors who made invaluable large donations in previous elections. They could do so today with seismic issues from climate change, support for women, voting rights and the preservation of democracy at stake in the midterms.
If Biden pursues this midterm war plan he could confound the experts, empower his presidency, and win stronger congressional majorities in November 2022.
Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Rep. Bill Alexander (D-Ark.), who was chief deputy majority whip of the House of Representatives.