Moderates blame liberals for promoting socialism and proposals to “defund the police.” Liberals are warning Biden not to cozy up to Senate Republicans, who might retain their majority. Latino leaders are raising alarms about Biden’s poor performance in some of their communities.

While Democrats were upbeat about Biden’s lead in the presidential race, they were also engaging in soul-searching. Because both Biden and the GOP can claim successes, the outcome defies simple theories about the electorate and potentially leaves Biden without full control of Congress or a unified direction for his party.

“There are lessons,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “I’m not sure what they are just yet.”…

“Joe Biden has his own brand as a moderate, but the Democratic Party brand for much of the country seemed too far left,” said Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at Third Way, a center-left organization. “The terms ‘socialism’ and ‘defund the police’ and ‘Green New Deal’ were anchors around the necks of many Democrats.”