President Joe Biden has not yet formally declared his candidacy for a second term in 2024, but he has stated his intention to do so and seemingly dropped his biggest hint in that regard Friday night.
Biden delivered a speech that had all of the hallmarks of a campaign rally address and declared at one point that "We’re just getting started," Fox News reported.
And, in response to Biden's clear suggestion that "We got a lot more to do" in a presumptive second term, the partisan crowd egged him on with chants of "Four more years!"
President Biden traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Friday to deliver remarks at the Democratic National Committee's Winter Meeting dinner reception and was instantly greeted with "Four more years! Four more years!"
As he launched into his prepared speech, the president touted a litany of various purported accomplishments and economic gains won by his administration over the past two years.
"So, folks, that’s not even all of it, not even close. In fact, let me say something. We’re just getting started," Biden said. Just a moment later, he proclaimed, "But we got a lot more to do. We got a lot more to do," and then added, "I intend to get it done -- more done."
"So let me ask you a simple question: Are you with me?" the president asked of the crowd of Democrats, which prompted another chorus of "Four more years! Four more years!"
While President Biden and his fellow Democrats believe they have done right by the American people in pursuing and accomplishing certain aspects of their policy agenda, Republicans quite obviously disagree, as exemplified by a statement released before Biden's speech by Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel.
"The Biden-Harris economic agenda has caused nothing but pain and misery for American families," McDaniel said. "Their failed policies have robbed workers of their hard-earned money and forced Americans to take a pay cut."
"Inflation has outpaced wages for 21 straight months and Democrats only want to waste trillions more in taxpayer dollars. American families are struggling to keep up with the Biden pay cut and Democrats don't seem to care," she added.
"Democrats had a pretty good year flying the Biden banner over their heads," DNC member Mo Elleithee told Fox News of the president. "This is a guy who seems fired up. He seems ready to keep it going and I see no groundswell of opposition within the Democratic Party. I think Democrats are actually excited to stand behind him."
"I think he has done a fantastic job navigating the treacherous waters of the Democratic coalition. When you are a coalition not everyone is going to be happy all the time. And he’s done a good job of navigating those waters," he added with regard to a potential primary challenge against Biden in 2024. "I don’t think you going to see a heavy Marianne Williamson contingent at this meeting. I think this is a party that is unified behind this president."
Yet, while President Biden may be popular with DNC members and have the approval of committed Democratic voters, the same cannot be said of the rest of America's voters, as evidenced by his still underwater job approval rating in the various polls.
According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Biden currently has the approval of 43.9 percent of Americans compared to the disapproval of 52.3 percent, a negative difference of -8.4 percent -- not exactly the sort of numbers that indicate a nation ready for another four-year term of an unpopular president with an agenda that most Americans disapprove of.
