Biden Kicks Off Campaign With Economic Populism – By Newser Editors and Wire Services (Newser) / June 17, 2023
Wealthy need to pay their share in taxes, president tells Philadelphia rally
President Biden delivered an unapologetically economic populist message Saturday during the first rally of his reelection campaign, telling an exuberant crowd of union members that his policies had created jobs and lifted the middle class. Now, he said, is the time for the wealthy to “pay their fair share” in taxes, the AP reports. Biden spotlighted the sweeping climate, tax, and health care package signed into law last year that cut the cost of prescription drugs and lowered insurance premiums—pocketbook issues that advisers say will be the centerpiece of his argument for a second term. “I’m looking forward to this campaign,” Biden said to cries of “Four more years!” before adding, “We’ve got a record to run on.”
His choice of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania for his first official campaign stop reflected their crucial role in his reelection effort. The city was the site of his 2020 campaign headquarters, and the state was one of a handful that had voted for Republican Donald Trump in 2016 but flipped back to Democrats four years later. Until the rally, Biden’s primary reelection campaign activity had been fundraising. On Saturday, he spoke to more than 1,000 union workers representing such occupations as carpenter, airport service worker, entertainer, and heavy service equipment engineer. Most wore T-shirts bearing their union’s logos and chanted “Let’s go, Joe!” and “We want Joe” and blew whistles hours before the president arrived.
Biden did not mention any of his potential Republican opponents by name but said many in the GOP “oppose everything I’ve done.” Pointing to high inflation rates, Republicans have criticized “Biden-omics,” a term the president tried to turn back on his opponents on Saturday. “I don’t know what the hell that is,” he said, “but it’s working.” Several of the nation’s most powerful unions—including the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees—officially endorsed Biden on Friday. The joint endorsement was the first of its kind.
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