As 2021 draws to a close on an exceedingly sour note for their party, some Senate Democrats conceded in recent days that they need to talk more about accomplishments — and less about aspirations.

“Our greatest skill is not how we sell our programs. We spend a lot of time trying to create programs that really help people,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), a freshman who flipped a GOP seat last fall. “We created a bipartisan infrastructure bill. When I started, people told me it was impossible, it would never happen. So on that level it’s successful. Is it successful on a grander level? No.”

“The true problem is, we haven’t talked about what’s been accomplished near enough, and I think that’s a bigger problem than setting expectations,” added Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). “They’re both dangerous, by the way. Setting expectations too high? I don’t know if that’s the problem, as much as just letting people know what we’ve done.”