Democrats believe that if the domestic spending measure and a $1 trillion infrastructure bill can win approval, and some benefits start to kick in at least by next spring, voters could reward them next November, especially if the pandemic recedes and the economy continues to recover.

Republicans had a similar belief four years ago, that if they cut taxes for most voters then they would be somewhat inoculated from political pain in the 2018 midterms…

Democrats made a similar calculation in the winter of 2010 after the Senate seat, held by the Kennedy family for more than six decades, tipped to Republican Scott Brown in a stunning upset.

“It is time for us to come together. It is time for us to act. It is time for those of us in Washington to live up to our responsibilities,” Obama said during a late February radio address, signing the ACA into law a month later.

Key pieces of the tax cut in 2017 and the health law in 2010 were also very popular. But the overall packages seemed too massive for most voters, and many independent voters felt those legislative efforts did not match their priorities at that moment.