By Laura Haight
President, DWGC

Last week, it was reported that US Gross Domestic Product hit 4.9 percent for the 3rd quarter of 2023. 

Prior to President Biden’s election, the last time GDP reached or exceeded that level was Q2 in 2014. Over his 2.5 years as president, GDP averages out at 4.3 percent – and that includes two down quarters in late 2021-2022. Those results are surpassed only by President Clinton in his second term. No Republican comes close.

For the past couple of months, we have been laser focused on the City Council and mayoral races in front of us – as we should be. But today, I want to look forward–  to the marque race of 2024.

I am dismayed by the media’s constant coverage of Trump. MSNBC is supposed to be the home of liberal politics and news (as a former journalist, I don’t think that’s great either). But how can they be when the majority of the programming is in some way about Trump? Obviously they’ve forgotten how Trump came to be president in 2016. The media gave him oxygen all day, every day. It doesn’t matter if the stories are negative. Trump has this right: All publicity is good publicity.

When they do talk about Biden it is to explore why his poll numbers are so low, why 50 percent of all Democrats don’t want him to run, why he’s too old, why he can’t win Black voters (or Hispanic voters, or suburban women, or Gen X’ers). 

My question is this: Why do 40 percent of Republicans believe the election was stolen and Biden is not the legitimate president? Or that the economy is in tatters? Because they hear it all day, every day, from every so-called trusted news source. 

Do we think this constant hand-wringing, wondering how we get this doddering old fool to drop out, and through some miracle find a young but experienced, smart, attractive, tough (Black, or Hispanic, or Gen Xer) person to run and manage to beat Donald Trump, does not have a negative effect on Biden’s chances? We Democrats (not Trump) are damaging what should be a stellar reputation and enabling Trump to pull head-to-head with Biden in polling. 

Stop it!

We are not stuck with Biden. We are damn lucky to have Biden and, if there’s any clarity to this message at all it’s this: We need to stop whining like our president is one-step away from a nursing home and start talking – loud and proud – about his futurism, his vision and his accomplishments.

What accomplishments? Take a look at just some of the record-breaking achievements Biden has notched.