Though the candidates change, every election cycle the American people hear the same refrains: complaints about “gridlock” in Washington and promises to break through and deliver substantive changes. And yet, year after year, substantive legislation has largely eluded both presidents and Congress. However, after a string of legislative victories this summer, perhaps President Biden has developed a model for producing results: sincerely reach across the aisle, but if necessary, go at it alone and get things done.

Indeed, Biden articulated such a vision throughout the 2020 campaign. As a candidate, more than anything else, and more than any singular policy initiative or legislative agenda, Joe Biden promised to “restore the soul of the nation.” Biden cast himself as a steady hand, righting the ship after four years of riding the rough seas. He also played up his centrist credentials, a Washington veteran looking to restore the era of gladhanding and dealmaking that had proved illusive in the age of increasing partisanship.

However, while this commitment to restore normalcy to the presidency was unquestionably the prevailing drive of the Biden campaign, it was far from the only promise Biden made as a candidate. Evoking FDR during his speech at the Democratic National Convention, Biden promised to pursue a litany of liberal policy goals from vastly expanding the social safety net and investing heavily in sustainable energy to student loan forgiveness.

During the campaign, these dueling promises, centrist certainty and liberal reform, served candidate Biden well. Forming a coalition of progressives, independents, and some Republicans, Biden secured the presidency, earning the most votes ever by a presidential candidate. While these campaign commitments certainly broadened Biden’s electoral appeal, they have made Biden’s job governing all the more difficult.

To progressives, Biden’s presidency was the best chance to enact meaningful, transformative change. Anything short would be squandering a great opportunity. To moderates and independents, Biden’s election was not a mandate for transformative change, but rather a rebuke of the chaotic Trump years. As Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) told the New York Times, “Nobody elected [Biden] to be F.D.R., they elected him to be normal and stop the chaos.”

Almost inevitably, every action he took would surely upset a portion of Biden’s electorate. As the first year of Biden’s presidency unfolded, the American people watched these complicated dynamics play out in real-time. When Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan by a party-line vote, Republicans derided Biden as just another partisan Democrat. Later that year, when Biden appeared dead set on reaching a bipartisan deal on infrastructure investments, some Democrats grumbled that negotiating with Republicans was a fool’s errand.

And yet, though it has taken time to come to fruition, perhaps Biden’s theory has been vindicated: work in a bipartisan fashion whenever possible, but don’t be afraid of doing it alone. Over the past year and a half, Biden has walked this legislative tightrope on his way to a litany of legislative wins.

On the one hand, Biden has not shied away from encouraging Democratic colleagues to ram bills past unified Republican opposition. At Biden’s urging, Congressional Democrats passed The American Rescue Plan, delivering much-needed relief to struggling families. This summer, Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, making the largest-ever investment in clean energy, and extending health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. While, of course, progressives wish that these bills had gone even further, they represent substantial moves forwarding the Democratic agenda.

Perhaps more impressive, however, has been Biden’s ability to work across the aisle and deliver Republican votes for substantial legislation. Last year, 17 Senate Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joined Democrats in passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, an investment of a trillion dollars in improving our nation’s infrastructure. This summer, Biden’s bipartisan streak kicked into high gear. The most consequential gun safety bill in almost three decades. Funding that will invest in semiconductor chip manufacturing and help the U.S. compete with China. Expanding VA benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits. All of these bills passed with significant bipartisan support.

Of course, the President’s penchant for dealmaking should not come as a surprise. This President is a 36-year veteran of the Senate, who made a career forging friendships across the aisle. Indeed, he often reminisces, almost whimsically, about his Senate days when he’d “fight like hell” with segregationists, but then go to lunch with them. As Vice President, Biden was often dispatched to Capitol Hill to bargain with McConnell, a task that President Obama seemed to loathe, but one that Biden relished. Needless to say, working across the aisle is truly at the core of Biden’s political identity, and as president, it has resulted in several victories for the American people.

While it may not be reflected in poll numbers or coverage of the administration, Biden deserves credit for doing what many deemed impossible: delivering big wins on Democratic priorities while working across the aisle to find common ground. Indeed, maybe just maybe, after nearly 50 years in Washington, President Biden knows a thing or two about how to get things done.