When President Joe Biden proposed a massive expansion of federal services for Americans this year, he laid out lofty stakes — not only for his own presidential legacy but far beyond.
The imperative, he said in an April address to Congress, is to show “that our government still works — and can deliver for the people.”
It was an apt pitch for the long-held Democratic vision of government as a force for good, and for the idea that Washington has an obligation to improve the lot of Americans held back.
But five months later, the capital is locked in an intra-party showdown over the president’s agenda that underscores the larger question of whether Democrats can keep their pledge to make government make things better for people.
“For the last few decades, the country has seen that government struggled to deliver in a way that affects their lives,” said Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson, who advises groups that support pieces of Biden’s agenda. “We have to show that there is a role for government in delivering for people who are working for a living.”
