Ron Klain says ‘season of substance’ could save Dems

The White House suddenly has a lot to brag about. And the president’s aides, led by chief of staff Ron Klain, are reaching deep into the 20th century to make the case that Joe Biden is a transformational president with “historic achievements.” Here’s the litany from Klain: “We now have a presidency where the president has delivered the largest economic recovery plan since Roosevelt, the largest infrastructure plan since Eisenhower, the most judges confirmed since Kennedy, the second largest health care bill since Johnson, and the largest climate change bill in history. … The first time we've done gun control since President Clinton was here, the first time ever an African-American woman has been put on the U.S. Supreme Court. … I think it’s a record to take to the American people.” On Thursday, we ventured over to the White House and sat down with Klain in the Roosevelt Room to review the last 18 months of the Biden presidency and talk about what’s next. When Biden is out of town, as he was on Thursday, the vibe in the West Wing is a little different. Aides are more relaxed, but often busier. Klain sleeps in a little later, but powers through more work. (“I definitely get more done when he's not here,” he told Playbook. “No question about it.”) It’s also noisier: there’s an ongoing refencing project outside the White House that revs up whenever the president is away. At the start of the summer, this conversation would have been vastly different. Now, gas prices have dropped, the last CPI report hints that inflation may finally be trending down after hitting a peak. Election forecasters are writing pieces at least entertaining the idea that Democrats might not suffer the long-predicted midterm wipeout. And there’s that burst of legislative victories that were squeezed out of Congress in July and August that had Biden, a lover of alliteration, calling this period “a season of substance.” Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO. Ron Klain is the White House Chief of Staff. Afra Abdullah is associate producer for POLITICO audio. Kara Tabor is producer for POLITICO audio. Brook Hayes is senior editor for POLITICO audio. Adam Allington is senior producer for POLITICO audio. Jenny Ament is executive producer for POLITICO audio.