That one last phone call Joe Biden always needs to make

[Uncle Joe]

When he has to decide a high-stakes issue, the president hears out his top aides — then picks up the phone and calls a politician

(Illustration by Chloe Cushman for The Washington Post)

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That moment, as detailed by two people familiar with the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation, illustrates a crucial truth at the heart of Biden’s decision-making: There is no one he trusts like a fellow politician. Biden’s staffers have immense experience and expertise, but when he is faced with a complex or volatile decision, Biden is unwilling to take the final leap until he has talked to someone who intimately knows, and is accountable to, the American voter.

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Biden’s life has been shaped by campaigning. He first ran for office in 1970 at age 27, winning a seat on Delaware’s New Castle County Council by a few thousand votes. Since then, he has mounted more than 10 races over 50 years. That gives him an instinctive trust in others who, like him, have had to convince voters, placate crowds, debate opponents and face the consequences of bad decisions.

“He understands and respects that one of the most fundamental principles of a democracy is that you have to stand up in front of your constituents, explain your votes, explain your actions — and then be held accountable at the ballot box,” Coons said. “So he listens to people who have stood for election and who understand the difference between abstract policy and what happens in the real world.”

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Some of Biden’s critics say the president goes too far in relying on longtime politicians, especially because the ones he tends to consult are, like him, older White men who have spent years in the Senate and are likely to reinforce his worldview. Liberal activists in particular complain that Biden is so focused on what seems politically possible that he fails to take the bold steps they say are necessary to confront urgent crises such as racial inequity and climate change.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/08/that-one-last-phone-call-joe-biden-always-needs-make/