The country has been moving in a progressive direction for the last 10 plus years. In fact, as the voting base gets younger it also gets bluer, which is a problem for the GOP. The Republican Party is aging and generations of young people have become disillusioned with conservatism.
Instead of enacting policy, the GOP has resorted to trying to become a firebrand of controversy. However, with their current tactics, they are driving away more voters than they are attracting. They simply aren't reading the room, they are shrinking their base rather than growing it.
This has left Biden with an opportunity to secure a Democratic hold on the country for years to come. To do so, he should start with the following 3 things:
Provide federal funding for childcare starting at birth
Half of all families in America struggle to find affordable childcare leading to more parents, mothers, in particular, having to stay home with their children rather than earning an income. For families who struggle to find daycare, it is often the mother who stays home, sacrificing her career and employment for her children.
This leads to less money in the home and causes many families to struggle to make ends meet. It makes sense, if you earn less than the cost of daycare it makes financial sense to simply stop working. However, by providing a government childcare option for free, or by providing a stipend or tax credit for the cost of daycare we can keep more Americans employed and pull many families out of poverty, virtually overnight.
If the Biden Administration were to enact universal childcare it would benefit Americans from all political backgrounds and would serve as a concrete piece of legislation that independents could get behind. This legislation would be difficult for Republicans to fight against and it would likely be tremendously popular.
Provide a universal basic income
Andrew Yang has popularized Universal Basic Income, or UBI. The proposal was that all people get $1,000 a month or $12,000 a year as a base salary. For a family in poverty, $12,000 is a substantial amount of money, in many areas this would essentially guarantee rent money each month. All citizens, wealthy and poor would the same benefit, however, as a percentage of income, UBI benefits poorer families more.
UBI is better than raising the minimum wage because a raised federal minimum wage will always be playing catch-up with the poverty line. It also provides this benefit regardless of employment status so all can benefit, not just the employed.
Similar to universal childcare, UBI helps all Americans, and probably actually helps Republican voters more. Conservative voters tend to face poverty more or are solidly in the middle class, this plan could give them the opportunity to send their kids to college or help them to pay off their mortgage creating generational wealth. UBI is another concrete benefit that the majority of Americans will applaud.
Make companies pay their fair share
This is another win-win proposal for Biden. Corporations have avoided paying taxes through tax loopholes and paid favors in legislation as a result of lobbying and paid efforts that only the wealthiest in this country can afford.
By closing these loopholes, and making companies pay their fair share in taxes, Biden can give the average American another win while also adding some tax revenue to pay for other programs designed to help the average American.
Looking ahead
The Republicans have made it easy for Democrats and Biden to win nationwide elections for years to come. All that Joe has to do is throw the working class folks in America a bone, so to speak. By providing universal childcare, a universal basic income, and making corporations pay their fair share Biden can lock up key independent votes for years to come especially as the GOP is catering to their far-right base instead of mainstream America.
If Joe can get these things done, there is a good chance that Democrats will be in control for a long time.