- On gun control: "It's a matter of timing."
- "[S]uccessful presidents — better than me — have been successful, in large part, because they know how to time what they’re doing — order it, decide and prioritize what needs to be done."
Zoom out: Since his comeback in the South Carolina primary more than a year ago, Biden has been shockingly disciplined, with a robot-like focus on the virus and the economy. It is a no-brainer strategy because absent growth or virus-eradication, his presidential power wanes
- This gives him a narrow band to focus his mind and time. You saw this in his 62-minute press conference. He'll continue to push the idea of compromise — until he doesn’t, which aides tell us is inevitable.
- "Here's the deal," Biden said. "I'm a fairly practical guy. I want to get things done," the president said in explaining why he's not pushing now to eliminate the legislative filibuster, even though he sees it as a Jim Crow-era relic.
- "Successful electoral politics," Biden said, "is the art of the possible."
What to watch: His comments on voting rights were harsh and striking, and signal his appetite to fight this out, even if it means chucking the filibuster to get it done.
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2FmHm8k5AJbypYk7qJHPaMOwTtS7g%3D%2F2021%2F03%2F26%2F1616751148949.jpg&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.axios.com&s=71&h=27123fe4084ea6ae793d26038e2a346c8171a20d8502f50336c2e2333ecd5ac2&size=980x&c=2540200483 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252FmHm8k5AJbypYk7qJHPaMOwTtS7g%253D%252F2021%252F03%252F26%252F1616751148949.jpg%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fimages.axios.com%26s%3D71%26h%3D27123fe4084ea6ae793d26038e2a346c8171a20d8502f50336c2e2333ecd5ac2%26size%3D980x%26c%3D2540200483%22%7D" expand=1] Biden's photo guide to reporters in the room. Photo: Oliver Contreras/Sipa USA via Reuters
