The Final Case For Joe Biden
Recently, I wrote The Final Case Against Donald Trump, for those who still — somehow — need persuading that Trump is a danger to democracy and an affront to American ideals. It is not enough, though, to make the case against someone, without giving folks a reason to vote for someone else — in this case, Joe Biden. Just saying, “he’s not Trump” is not incentive enough to bring voters out. So, here is the final and definitive list of reasons that Joe Biden should be chosen by every civil, moral, rational, and ethical American voter.
He’s Not Trump
No, seriously. This simply has to be one of the reasons. In the vein of addition by subtraction, there are quite a few things that a Joe Biden presidency won’t bring, which will be just delightful.
A Biden presidency won’t bring:
- A president that watches seven hours of television and tweets 200 times per day. No matter your political persuasion or preferences, no American president has that kind of time to devote to traditional and social media. The country is too large; the problems are too complex; the world is too dangerous. A president who is a self-professed couch potato is either unaware or unconcerned about the gravity of his job. That is an embarrassment to a great nation.
- A septuagenarian president that calls people names. The names Trump has for Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Kim Jong-un, Joe Biden, Marco Rubio, Hillary Clinton, etc. will not get any ink in this piece. Suffice to say, it is beneath the dignity of the office and is an embarrassment to a great nation.
- A president who is capable of making 20,000 false statements. Trump eclipsed that mark in July — before campaign travel ramped up in earnest. No doubt he has long left 20K in the rear view mirror. CNNs Daniel Dale clocked him at 66 separate false or misleading claims in a single October weekend. When Trump is gone, there will be no one to pee on the nation’s leg and tell us it’s raining — 20,000 times.
The Climate
America and the globe are in a climate crisis, no matter how many of Trump’s most ardent supporters believe it to be a hoax. Biden will confront the crisis head on — starting with rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, taking the west coast wildfires seriously, and developing a plan for carbon emissions. Green New Deal or no, the nation can not continue to bury its collective head in the sand when the planet needs our help and protection.
The Pandemic
In short, Biden will take the Covid-19 pandemic seriously. Trump is trying to scare his snowflakes by alleging that Biden will — gasp — enforce a national mask mandate or shut the entire economy down. The truth is more sophisticated — and more effective — than that. A Biden presidency will develop a national testing and tracing strategy (which we needed months ago), provide sufficient PPE for healthcare and front-line workers (which we needed months ago) and yes — listen to the scientists’ advice on what the next steps should be to get the virus under control (which we needed months ago).
As NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted in his book, American Crisis, when all 50 states have a problem — by default — it is a national problem that requires a national response. Biden will develop that national strategy. He won’t panic and he won’t run when it gets too hard or he gets too much criticism. That alone is reason enough to make the change — in memory of the 200,000 plus lives that have been lost.
National Unity
Biden’s promise to return us to a kinder, gentler time in our nation’s history is as corny as Trump’s Make America Great Again salvo is cruel. “Hope, not fear. Unity, not division. Love, not hate,” Biden opined during a recent speech in Warm Springs, Ga. It seems almost fanciful in a nation that is so fearful, so divided, and so hateful. But if — just if — Biden could pull it off. If, as has been reported, his cabinet will be a collection of diverse people and ideas. If he reaches across the aisle in an effort to “heal this nation and unite this nation,” perhaps we could become a hopeful people again, and not this angry, small, and divided lot we have become under the Trump presidency.
The Economy
It is a myth that Trump was good for the economy. He inherited the longest economic recovery in American history. His tax cuts and regulation rollbacks benefited the wealthy and big corporations — main street and small businesses, not so much. He increased the trade deficit with China to a 14-year high and put American farmers on welfare.
It is quite different to manage an already strong economy than it is to rebuild a post-pandemic one. Each of Trump’s attempts to “liberate” the economy have failed. The market is shaky; unemployment is high; small businesses are shuttering for good. This is a time for expert leadership, not for Trump to bring his tried and true file-for-bankruptcy-and-walk-away approach to the American economy. Joe Biden will listen to the experts. He will make wise decisions. How do we know? He was the vice president who left the longest economic recovery in place for Trump in 2017.
The Border
Kids in cages. Parents who are separated from their kids, perhaps forever. Reports of forced hysterectomies. Human rights violations and abuses — all on American soil. It is still hard to wrap one’s mind around the fact that these atrocities alone did not end the Trump presidency. That Americans have allowed this with little to no pushback remains a shock to the conscience. Biden will restore humanity to this situation in short order, one must believe.
National Security
America has escaped a serious, large-scale international conflict during Trump’s four years in office. It should not gamble on being so fortunate again. We need a commander in chief that is smart, strong, strategic, listens to experts and tells the American people the truth. We need a commander in chief who can distinguish our enemies from our allies. We need a commander in chief who does not owe $400 million to unnamed lenders. We need a commander in chief not mired in financial conflicts of interest. We need a commander in chief who doesn’t call our service members suckers and losers and our generals dopes and babies. We need Joe Biden.
Joe Biden is not perfect; we can stipulate to that. But he will mark a vast improvement over the current incumbent, in every area. The best thing that America can do on November 3, to save lives, to restore our honor and dignity, to heal our nation — is to elect Joe Biden to the presidency.
Next: Read Flouting Ginsburg’s Dying Wish Puts Trump’s Own Life — And the Nation — In Grave Danger
