Elizabeth Warren: This is a time for Democrats to be aggressive

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President Joe Biden presided over the best midterm elections for the party in the White House in 20 years — despite Washington insiders predicting that Democrats would be wiped out.

Former President Donald Trump did his party no favors with his preening and support for downright awful candidates who lost. Nevertheless, this electoral success belongs to Biden, who ignored ivory-tower economists and out-of-touch pundits claiming that bold action to help families was bad politics. Instead, Biden delivered significant economic progress for working people.

Voters rewarded Democrats for protecting the lives and livelihoods of struggling families in a pandemic; modernizing infrastructure, not just talking about it; allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices; capping insulin costs for older Americans; making tax-dodging corporations pay up on billions in profit; lowering carbon emissions and reducing utility bills, and canceling student debt for more than 40 million Americans. [Star Tribune opinion editor's note: Biden's student debt forgiveness plan is on hold after being blocked by a federal judge last week. The administration has appealed the decision.]

Despite global inflation, progressive policies helped Americans counter high costs and created well-paying jobs. Unemployment is at an astonishing 3.7%, and the economy is growing. Unlike in recent Democratic administrations, the scope and aggressiveness of Biden's policies were not arbitrarily limited by a desire to demonstrate "independence" from progressive Democrats or to play nice with giant corporations. And name-calling from Fox News commentators and financial news analysts did not shake this Democratic administration's resolve to help working families.

For each of the president's decisions, the punditry was relentless, but the American people — Democrats, independents and Republicans — validated the president's agenda with their votes. Passing the American Rescue Plan coincided with the president's highest approval ratings. The national media heralded passage of the Inflation Reduction Act as the best stretch of the Biden presidency and his approval ratings jumped. The president's leadership on issues from student debt relief to long-awaited climate action helped motivate young people to vote in near record numbers.

Americans understand that the economic well-being of families is inextricably linked to democracy and to individual rights, even if too many cable news gurus do not. A majority of Americans know that abortion is a kitchen-table issue that is central to both health and economic security, not a distraction. Americans understand that prices are rising in part because of corporate greed, and want a government on their side. Tuesday's results confirmed those views: across America, every ballot initiative to protect abortion rights passed, along with many proposals to tax the wealthy and put money in workers' pockets.

The so-called experts who called Democrats' messaging incoherent were just plain wrong — and candidates who ignored their advice won. John Fetterman embraced populist economic policies and called out corporate greed, and won. Raphael Warnock took a central role in urging the president to cancel student debt, and is strongly positioned to win in Georgia. Many Democratic candidates leaned hard into protecting abortion rights and democracy while also aggressively supporting popular economic plans.

The president's critics remain unchastened by the election results. Lobbyists are already calling for Democrats to pass unpopular policies and to help their wealthy clients avoid taxes. Some in Washington are back to insisting that "responsible government" requires responding to voters' rejection of Republican extremism by holding hands with the extremists. Nonsense.

If Republicans take the House, their majority will be stacked with election deniers who have embraced one overriding goal: the restoration of Donald Trump as president in 2024. They believe economic chaos weakens President Biden, so they are itching to use their leverage to hurt working families. This is the same strategy Republicans used after the 2010 midterms when they set off a debt-ceiling crisis, then demanded family-crushing austerity.

Democrats should fight back by making this lame-duck session of Congress the most productive in decades. We can start by lifting the debt ceiling now to block Republicans from taking our economy hostage next year. Democrats must then continue delivering for families. Where we can pursue legislative action, we should fight aggressively. When Republicans try to obstruct such action and the president can act by executive authority, he must. Most of all, the Democrats should be aggressive in putting Republicans on the defensive, pressing hard on why they are blocking much-needed initiatives to help Americans.

It's the unfinished business of the Biden agenda, and the way to help families and win elections.

The 2022 midterms proved that Democrats can beat Republican extremism. Instead of capitulating to election deniers, we should keep fighting for working families — because when we fight for working people, we win.