Biden won’t screw up testing and call scientists idiots.”
Barack Obama
It’s now four days before the 2020 presidential election finally comes to a close. In a year when the difference between the candidates is so clear, it’s hard to believe that anyone is still undecided. But much to my surprise, while texting voters in Florida I learned that some people haven’t made up their minds.
What is their problem? Is it really so hard to choose between the person who invites high-risk elderly people to a maskless, jam-packed rally or the candidate who holds drive-in gatherings where masks are required in order to keep the attendees COVID-free? Are people really pondering whether to vote for the candidate who insists that we are “rounding the corner” and headed for the miraculous end of the coronavirus pandemic while the rates of infections, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise? Perhaps it might be a little smarter to vote for the candidate who has an actual plan to deal with the pandemic.
Can anyone really be conflicted about whether to vote for Trump who, when asked about the Neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville and chanting “Jews will not replace us,” replied that there are fine people on both sides? Especially when that statement was so abhorrent to Joe Biden that it spurred him to enter the presidential race.
I know that some people don’t want to pay higher (or any) taxes so they are willing to overlook misgivings they have about Trump. The truth is, hard-working middle class taxpayers suffered the most under Trump’s tax “cut” plan. I know this because for thirty years I was a tax preparer. Personally, I don’t mind paying taxes to make sure that if I ever need to call 911, someone will answer. Of course, given the option I’d prefer that the person who answers isn’t a racist or misogynist. Anyone who took the time to read the Biden tax plan knows that only people who make more than $400,000 per year will see any tax increase. It is really sad to see Americans who barely earn enough to support their families cheering for the candidate who consistently steals from them to help his rich cronies get richer. If you are undecided, you still have a chance to make a smarter decision.
There’s more. At some point we will have a safe and effective vaccination against COVID-19. Trump has been promising one for months, but he’s already told us he thinks scientists are “idiots.” Honestly, Undecided Person, wouldn’t you prefer that your family takes a vaccine developed by the doctors and scientists Biden has told us he will follow instead of the one developed under the guidance of a president who named his vaccine initiative “Warp Speed”? Trump made clear that his main goal was to have some kind of vaccine available before Election Day. If you haven’t noticed, there’s no vaccine. Election Day is four days away, and based on Trump’s obvious distaste for women and minorities, it’s unlikely when it finally appears that you will get it before the rich, white men who donated to his campaign.
Undecided Person, are you impressed by Trump’s strong talk about immigration and foreign policy? Unless you are an indigenous American, you, your parents, your grandparents or some ancestor in the past came here from somewhere else. They were looking for safety, security and opportunity. Don’t you want to provide those things to others like them? Joe Biden does. He announced that on his very first day as president he will appoint a high-level task force to investigate the more than 500 immigrant children who are still separated from their parents and make an effort to reunite them. Biden cares about these families, but Trump just makes excuses for this tragedy of his own creation.
If you’ve been paying attention, you know the president adores dictators. He’d probably like to be one. He’s talked about his love affair with Kim Jong-Un of North Korea. Biden, on the other hand, has steady relationships with the democracies that are our historic friends. He’s built these relationships over many years, and the heads of these allies trust him. Biden even has a plan for restoring American leadership abroad.
Biden is by no means perfect. The way the Biden-chaired Sentate Judiciary Committee treated Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings was insulting to all women who have been harassed by their employers. But unlike Trump, Biden has admitted he was wrong and called Professor Hill to apologize. This year, Anita Hill says she is voting for Joe Biden.
So Undecided American, have you made up your mind yet? If not, are you still really in doubt about which candidate would be the best president for the next four years? Let’s look at one more thing. During a previous presidential election there was a lot of discussion about which candidate voters would rather drink a beer with. So, if none of the issues listed above have convinced you, think about whether you’d rather be sitting in the Rose Garden drinking a beer with “Uncle Joe” or in the paved-over Roseless Garden with Donald Trump, the man with the gold-plated toilet?
The decision is yours, and the only thing you really need to do is make up your mind and vote!
