WASHINGTON — Joe Biden will encounter an angry and impatient public when he assumes office Wednesday, one that has endured a tumultuous year of crises that have torn at the nation’s social fabric.
If the new president wants to build an enduring base of political support, Democratic lawmakers and senior political strategists say, he’ll need to swiftly deliver tangible results or face a backlash that could cost his party their slim congressional majorities.
“Keep it simple is my message,” said Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, an early supporter of Biden’s presidential bid. “People out there are desperate to see their elected lawmakers work together and pass something that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, doesn’t tear down the system, it just makes things a little easier on them in a moment of crisis.”
