Over five decades in Washington, President Joe Biden has watched seven newly-elected presidents get started. Improbably, he has the chance for a stronger opening act than any of them.

Just 12 days into Biden's presidency, the emerging alignment of forces holds the promise of two giant early legislative breakthroughs. The potential for rapid payoffs in public health and economic recovery exceeds anything recent predecessors managed to find. [...]

[T]he size of Biden's opportunity reflects the unique circumstances of early 2021: a deadly pandemic that could subside with an effective vaccination push, a battered economy poised to rebound when it does, the unfinished business of a disgraced predecessor, and the determination of fellow Democrats to overcome obstruction by increasingly-radicalized Republican adversaries.

All that raises confidence among White House officials that their bare majorities in Congress can unite to enact a Covid-19 relief package close to the $1.9 trillion version Biden has requested. Right after that, Democrats intend to do it again for an even costlier infrastructure plan.

"He's facing the deepest problems but the biggest opportunities of any president probably since FDR," observes Biden adviser Anita Dunn, who opened her career as an intern in the Carter White House. "Even with narrow majorities in Congress, he has the opportunity to build broad bipartisan support for his program -- not necessarily in Congress but with the American people."