Because times are tough, Democrats should resist the urge to tell voters that everything is fine. According to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in a recent New York Times opinion piece, Democrats need to think big and act boldly.

Democrats have made significant progress, but voters expect and deserve more. The Biden administration has helped to create millions of jobs while also lowering the risk of a COVID-19 pandemic. However, the majority of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, and the president’s job approval rating reflects this harsh reality.

Democrats should convince Americans that their party is capable of overcoming obstacles with the help of voters in 2022, such as fighting for better-paying jobs, defending democracy against tyranny at home and abroad, and defeating Republican obstruction. That means taking firm stances that call attention to Republican efforts to obstruct economic relief, the right to vote, and access to abortion.

The midterm elections will be held in seven months. That’s a lot of time for a lot of surprises. Democrats still have time to pull themselves together. Here are some ideas for policy planks in the party platform for the 2022 election that would demonstrate the party’s toughness.

President Biden has done an outstanding job of reviving the economy, which had collapsed under former President Trump’s administration. Almost 8 million jobs have returned since he took office, and the unemployment rate has dropped from 6.3 percent to 3.6 percent. Voters, on the other hand, want even more. They want their pay to keep up with the cost of living. The math isn’t nearly as difficult as algebra. Wages increased by 5.6 percent through March of this year, which is great, but inflation increased by 7.9 percent.

While the millions of new jobs are nice, they aren’t enough to support families as gas and grocery prices skyrocket. Democrats must continue to push hard and do everything in their power to create good jobs with higher pay and to combat corporate greed. That is exactly what Biden’s big and bold Build Back Better bill would have done. However, not a single Republican member of Congress has risen to the occasion to support assistance to hardworking families in the United States.

Reversing Trump’s 2017 tax law, which provided large tax breaks to the wealthy and big businesses, would go a long way toward covering the cost of the inflation relief package. The administration should also advocate for a reduction in oil industry subsidies, which are raking in record profits at the expense of cash-strapped consumers.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has exposed the widening chasm between freedom and tyranny in the United States and around the world. While Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to suffocate democracy in Ukraine, his Republican supporters want to restrict Americans’ freedom of choice and voting rights.

Several red states have taken steps to make it more difficult for people to vote, while Trump refuses to accept defeat in a free and fair election. Republican governors and legislatures have limited women’s access to health care, and the Supreme Court may overturn Roe vs. Wade, putting undue strain on women’s health and welfare worldwide.

There has been far too much focus on Democratic infighting and far too little on GOP obstruction. Democrats must shift their narrative. Not the two Democratic centrists, but the 50 GOP Senate obstructionists should be the focus of our message. Rather than eating our own, we should pursue the Republicans in Congress who have obstructed Biden’s efforts to save the country from Trump’s disastrous policies.

Soon after Trump left office, Biden and congressional Democrats overcame Republican opposition to improve Americans’ health, wealth, and well-being. The American Rescue Act, also known as COVID-19, received unanimous Democratic support in the House and Senate. The law provided much-needed financial assistance to parents for child care, police departments for crime prevention, and state and local governments for combating COVID-19 and saving jobs. The life-saving legislation was defeated by every single Republican member of Congress.