Courtesy of Joe Biden
By Trevor Martindale
Many young voters – including myself – were hoping for a different outcome in the Democratic primary.
The results of each primary contest proved the future of America does not side with Joe Biden’s politics. No surprise.
Biden does not share the same ideals as our generation – the most progressive and ambitious one yet.
Biden does not support Medicare for All, which would guarantee healthcare as a human right – even in a pandemic.
Biden does not believe in a Green New Deal, a necessary step in combating the enormous threat of climate change.
Biden does not support student loan debt cancellation, a policy that would lift the crushing economic weight endured by many college graduates.
Biden does not support ending the war on drugs, although it has proven to be a colossal failure that has disproportionately affected the most marginalized members of society.
Occasionally offensive and insensitive rhetoric, as well as a questionable voting record, only adds to the negative elements that plague Biden’s candidacy.
I could go on, but you get it – Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is not the ideal candidate for a moment that demands bold action.
But when you have a less than ideal candidate challenging a president who is a fundamental threat to the foundation of this country, you choose the less than ideal candidate.
A “lesser of two evils” situation always presents an option which is less evil.
President Donald Trump’s dishonesty is unmatched. The Washington Post has accounted for more than 20,000 lies or misleading claims from Trump.
Trump consistently touts Veteran’s Choice as one of his primary accomplishments, claiming previous administrations failed to pass it.
This is a lie. President Barack Obama passed Veteran’s Choice, while Trump expanded eligibility.
After incessantly claiming he would “drain the swamp” on the campaign trail, Trump has only filled the “swamp” with Goldman Sachs executives and wealthy campaign contributors.
In July, Trump claimed he would be “signing a health care plan within two weeks, a full and complete health care plan.” It is September. There is no healthcare plan.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump attempted to dismantle the Affordable Care Act with no replacement plan, which would have forced thousands of Americans off of their health insurance.
Trump also enacted major tax cuts, with most of the benefits going to our country’s top earners and only serving to increase the deficit that Republicans seemed to care for all these years.
We must also not forget his countless nods to the far-right, including his 2017 “good people on both sides” comment regarding the violence in Charlottesville, VA, calling for the banning of Muslim entry into the United States and most recently, his defense of Kyle Rittenhouse, who crossed statelines with an illegally-owned firearm, killing two people and wounding another.
Trump’s blunders and malfeasance, separate from the COVID-19 pandemic, now feel like a blur for many. The absolute inaction and carelessness he has subjected our country to in the past several months make his previous failures seem distant.
For months, he downplayed the severity of the virus that has now claimed over 185,000 American lives.
Through sheer dishonesty or incompetency, Trump has misled the country, claiming our alarming COVID-19 numbers are only due to the number of tests, failing to mention that we lead the world in COVID-19 deaths and are 11th in deaths per capita.
Trump has also set a new standard in the Republican Party for attacking democracy, challenging the efficacy of mail-in voting with no empirical evidence, half-joking about serving more than two terms, preemptively casting doubt on the November election results and recently encouraging supporters to vote twice.
We must understand – this is not normal. This behavior is unprecedented.
Biden would not commit or allow such atrocities.
If you are unenthusiastic about Biden’s moderate approach to significant problems, think about the past four years.
There has not been a conversation about expanding healthcare, as Trump and the Republicans won’t even allow such conversations to begin.
Trump has reversed many environmental protections and does not believe it is a fundamental threat to our existence.
Trump tolerates Mitch McConnell continuously blocking progressive legislation from even reaching the Senate floor.
How will we accomplish many of the goals our generation hopes for without even initiating the conversation?
A Biden presidency with a majority Democratic House and Senate would allow for the exploration of progressive ideals. A Trump presidency only allows for these ideals to remain ideals.
Register to vote if you have not already. Devise a plan.
Get out and vote for Joe Biden.
You can visit vote.org to register to vote, check your registration status, request a mail-in ballot or find your polling location.
