Daily Times

Dickens called it the “best and worst of times” in his Tale of Two Cities. His great novel contrasted the relative stability and prosperity in London with the chaos and confusion in revolutionary Paris. In some ways, this mirrors the profound differences between our two political parties.

The US public appears irreversibly divided on virtually all issues whether vital or trivial along party lines. On those few issues that are supported by a large majority, gun control and a woman’s right to choose, progress is blocked by small minorities.

Some 75% of Americans don’t want either Joe Biden or Donald Trump as president; the Republican party in Congress is imploding; the wars in Gaza and Ukraine are worsening; China is flexing its economic and military muscles; an unnamed gunman kills over 130 Russians at a Moscow concert; and parallels with 1914 are being drawn. To many Americans, this is not the best of times.

Can anything be done to reverse this dire outlook? If the answer is yes, that depends on the willingness of President Joe Biden to throw away the traditional way of doing business. Biden must not think outside the box. He must discard any box.

Biden must understand that the presidency will likely be decided on whether he can convince Americans he is fit to serve another term AND/OR if Trump suffers a self-inflicted mortal wound possibly through the legal cases he faces.

Biden’s overarching message must be that this can be the best of times. To start, the economy is far better than most Americans believe. But Biden must convince Americans why that is the case and how the crippling increased costs of living will be controlled. Unless he can do this, he will not relieve the source of much of the political disenchantment that infects the country today.

The US public appears irreversibly divided on virtually all issues whether vital or trivial along party lines.

Next, Biden must address the immigration crisis even if this is a political volte-face. Yes, he will be attacked for a flip-flop. But so what? And if his executive actions are overturned by courts, he was right that only Congress can fix immigration with new laws.

Focus on domestic issues is made imperative by the November election. But international crises cannot be ignored. This is what House Republicans are doing by refusing to pass legislation to aid Ukraine and Israel unless or until the border crisis is addressed. And if America is not capable of dealing with more than one issue at a time, these will be the worst of times.

Internationally, the US has many advantages. The expansion of NATO to include Finland and Sweden and the now some 800-mile border Finland shares with Russia and Sweden’s dominance in the Baltic present Russia with a huge strategic problem. How does Russia counter these new geographic challenges? Politically, Biden can use these arguments to demolish Trump’s “let Putin do whatever the hell he wants.”

The revision of the US-Japanese treaty and the restructuring of the command relationship will not be missed in Beijing. Along with the AUKUS partnership in which the US and UK will provide nuclear submarines to Australia and share technology, these mini-alliances serve as a further bulwark to China. And other Asian states should be incorporated as part of the AUKUS Pillar 2 technology initiative.

Regarding Ukraine and Gaza, Biden must prepare the public for negotiations that are the only way to resolve these conflicts, despite the current seemingly immovable obstacles to peace. Friends of Israel cannot allow Israel to act in self-destructive ways. To end the Ukraine war, both sides must make concessions.

A good way to connect to the public is for Biden to emulate FDR’s “fireside chats” that reassured the nation amid a deep depression. A series of major policy addresses will be given. His theme: “This can be the best of times if.” And his job is to fill in the “if.”

Ironically, Trump’s “Make America Great Again” that plagiarized statements of past presidents could have worked if properly executed. They were not. And anyone who thinks we were better off four years amid Covid is wrong. Biden’s team must make clear, that Trump’s reach always exceeded his grasp.

Presidents do not easily accept advice, especially political advice. After all, they were elected. If Biden wants to win, he must not ignore the current polls. But he needs a winning message and a way to connect with the public. A series of fireside chats can accomplish both.

The writer is a senior advisor at Washington, DC’s Atlantic Council and a published author.