Biden Needs a Philosophy that Wins the Center
Political values, not policies, truly shape citizens and their republic.
President Joe Biden’s currently shaky path to re-election hinges on his ability to win over more political centrists. But this requires him first to embrace a philosophical vision that animates this decisive group of voters and second to recognize that many left-wing policy priorities simply do not align with the values of centrist voters.
The primacy of culture—philosophy, values, customs, norms, and behaviors—to democracies is an old truth. After his 1831 visit to America, French aristocrat and sociologist Alexis de Tocqueville noted that geography, laws, and customs are:
Three major causes [that] serve unquestionably to regulate and control American democracy; but if I had to range them in order, I would say that physical causes [i.e. geography] contribute less than legislation and legislation less than customs. I am convinced that the luckiest of geographical conditions and the best laws are unable to uphold a constitution in the face of poor customs…The importance of customs is a commonly held truth and we are constantly brought back to it through study and experience. I find that it occupies a central position in my thought and all my ideas lead me to it.
The primacy of values over laws is seen today in the lackluster support from voters for many of Biden’s progressive legislative proposals and “Bidenomics” approach to the national economy. The problem for Biden and Democrats, as Nicholas Jacobs recently argued, is that they tend to speak only about policies aimed at improving the economic standing of rural and middle Americans rather than the equally important values these communities hold dear: self-sufficiency, resiliency, and pride in their hometowns.
In a similar vein, Ruy Teixeira has argued, “Culture matters and the issues to which they are connected matter. They are a hugely important part of how voters assess who is on their side and who is not; whose philosophy they can identify with and whose they can’t.”
As I’ve outlined elsewhere, what is needed is a first principles approach to American democracy that highlights three core philosophical values corresponding to the deeply held beliefs of most voters:
Individual Agency
Equality of Dignity
Effective Association
Consider this: More than 80 percent of Americans in both political parties expect people to work (Individual Agency) and simultaneously wish to take care of the poor (Equal Dignity). Similarly, a large majority of Americans support the idea that, “The people I agree with politically need to be willing to listen to others and compromise,” (a belief in Effective Association).
In contrast, members of the far left often don’t share these philosophical views along with the rest of America. Consequently, the issues many left activists care about—such as student debt, Israel-Palestine, and climate change—rank far lower among the issues that the broader public cares about, both among the young and the working class.
This matters for the upcoming election because although the progressive left represents a tiny portion of the electorate (about eight percent according to More in Common), it often has outsized impact on the branding and image of the overall Democratic Party—driving away the broader electorate. Political party commitment is much more fluid than most people realize: we've seen 20-point swings in political realignment in the last decade alone. Millions of non-white working-class Americans are leaving the Democratic Party due to its left-wing shift. And The Wall Street Journal reported that seven out of eight voters who chose Biden four years ago but have now abandoned him in 2024 are almost all to his right—conservatives or moderates, the non-white and young foremost among them.
The opportunity for a wider coalition thus requires a turn to the middle and towards the broad center-left and center-right of the electorate. The core of the American electorate, some 67 percent, is what More in Common calls the “Exhausted Majority”—a mix of patriotic moderates, passive citizens, and traditional liberals.
By embracing the exhausted majority’s philosophy rather than a laundry list of policies, Biden could win the center—and with it perhaps, the presidency.
What would an embrace of this centrist philosophy look like?
First and foremost, Biden should celebrate Individual Agency. Enthusiasm for free enterprise and the Lockean tradition of natural liberty rule American culture. In the minds of most Americans, it’s not about what the government does for you but what the government makes space for you to do for yourself.
To this end, instead of highlighting the policies of the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden could cast himself as the shepherd of American economic vitality—a leader who helps creates space for individual flourishing. He could emphasize that more than 12 million total private sector jobs have been added on his watch, including some 800,000 manufacturing jobs.
He should especially celebrate the success of small businesses. More than two-thirds of American have a great deal of confidence in small businesses, making them “the most trusted institution in the United States.” Indeed, small businesses create 63 percent of new jobs and constitute 99.9 percent of American companies—and Americans have launched a record-shattering 15 million new small businesses during Biden’s term. These numbers far exceed the number of small businesses started under Trump.
Biden could further demonstrate his philosophical commitment to Individual Agency by embracing the all-of-the-above energy abundance he helped foster. On Biden’s watch, wind power has increased by 25 percent and now generates a tenth of U.S. electricity, while solar power has grown by 80 percent. Both power sources are cheaper for American consumers and less harmful to the environment. He should tout these successes—and equally important, he should also boast about the increased oil and gas production and the numerous jobs and increased income they’ve created for millions of Americans in the last four years.
Biden could better trumpet American innovation. Defense, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors—and nearly every aspect of the American economy—have witnessed explosive gains from ingenuity over the last four years. The president could swell Americans’ pride by boasting about the result of this innovation: America remains 25 percent of the world economy even though it’s just four percent of the world’s population. He can similarly talk about the “Cancer Moonshot” effort he began as vice president to reduce cancer death rates by half, an effort that’s mobilized and organized some of the best and brightest scientists to work together.
Biden should also demonstrate his commitment to ensuring Equal Dignity. Different types of equality abound—economic, racial, some based on outcomes, some on opportunities—but for American democracy in particular, the equality that matters most entails an equal respect for fellow citizens. This means, every American should have the right to be free from violence and degradation, to have work, and to choose their own beliefs. Today, many working-class voters of all races are abandoning Biden and the Democrats, in part in response to feeling a loss of “dignity.”
Yet, each human’s dignity is easy to affirm as long as you genuinely believe in it. Biden has long genuinely celebrated the dignity and story of each individual, connecting with voters and sharing his own personal stories of grief, setback, and growth. He should apply that mindset early and often with voters. He should spend time in rural districts simply listening, not coming with plans to fix things.
He should demonstrate to all Americans that he doesn’t look down on any Americans—particularly those who live outside of wealthy urban and suburban enclaves—by publicly repudiating left-wing American politicians and journalists who minimize these Americans because of their political beliefs or educational backgrounds. When Democratic activists and thinkers deride rural or other Americans as inherently “full of rage” or “racist” for caring about border security or their local ways of life, the president should reprimand these voices for denigrating the dignity of their fellow citizens.
By insisting all Americans deserve respect, the president can demonstrate his belief in equal dignity and be the champion for all who love the American republic.
Biden can also call attention to actions he’s taken to advance equal dignity. Jobs are essential to dignity, and the Biden administration has launched several job training and apprenticeship programs. Biden should speak about his administration’s actions to build a more dignified society by eliminating inequalities in access to unemployment insurance and by reducing racial disparities in pregnancy and postpartum morbidity.
Finally, Biden should celebrate getting things done—or, to adapt the phrase from Tocqueville, Effective Association. Despite centuries of argument and struggling to listen to each other, Americans also have a long history of coming together to solve the nation’s most urgent problems.
In an age when self-righteous acrimony besets the exhausted majority from both left and right, Biden’s bipartisan accomplishments offer philosophical centrists reason to rejoice. Biden’s campaign should highlight his stark contrast with former president Trump, whose institutional animosity and interpersonal incompetence often led to gridlock or worse, while President Biden worked to achieve significant compromises in Congress: an infrastructure bill that improved bridges, tunnels, airports, ports, electrical transmission, and the internet all across the country; advances in American manufacturing and checks on China; gun safety legislation; and vital defensive aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
In sum, Biden’s path to winning in November lies in championing the three philosophical values that matter to the American people’s exhausted majority: Individual Agency, Equal Dignity, and Effective Association. The American people will ultimately elect whomever they believe shares their values—and the road to electoral victory winds through the ideas and ideals that stir the hearts and minds of America’s mighty middle.
Raphael Chayim Rosen is a historian, political philosopher, entrepreneur, and inventor. He is the author of the Substack, Lady Liberty’s Pedestal, exploring political culture, customs, and norms, today and throughout history. His book, Pedestal: What Makes American Democracy Stable and Why Your Everyday Thoughts, Words & Actions Determine Its Success, comes out on July 4th.
It’s too late for this. You’re imagining that Biden can become a different candidate at the 11th hour. It’s inauthentic - suggesting a new mask will work. They should have let RFKjr in the tent instead of the fascist-like approach of ‘here’s the only option’ BS. Progressivism is mostly unconstitutional - not about freedom and equality, but instead control and inequality (equity). I live in Seattle and we’re trying to emerge from the progressivist stronghold. We were/are stuck on emotionally-driven revolutionary policies and programs that use all our money and don’t get anything done instead of pragmatic course corrections known as reform. Literally unfounded, untested concepts non-stop. It’s so disorienting. The best way to stop it is to not re-elect Biden. We should have had a better choice, but the DNC and all its state, county, and local cohorts are mostly zealots who have disdain for logic and debate. Liberal, centrists, bipartisans… they don’t participate, but progressivists do. This is what you get.
But first that requires finding and identifying the "values" that have shaped Joe Biden's career in government and on the political teat. Exhibit A, if you please.