Why Settle? A Young Progressive’s Honest Look at Voting for Joe Biden
As children, we are taught to aim high. Work hard. Put in the time and effort, we’re told, and our efforts will pay off in the long run.
We are encouraged to speak truth to power. To make our voices heard. To hold our authority figures accountable for their words and actions.
So why settle?
Joe Biden is not a perfect candidate. As mostly supporters of candidates like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, young adults born in the mid- to late-90s are well aware of this fact.
Many of us were pleased to see Senator Kamala Harris hold Biden accountable for his history of working with segregationists during the Democratic primary debates, and discuss openly her personal history with busing. We were encouraged by Bernie Sanders’ promise of universal healthcare and environmental stewardship.
When Warren confronted billionaire Michael Bloomberg over his tax returns, harassment allegations, and legacy of racism, including the enactment of stop-and-frisk tactics and the redlining of poor neighborhoods, we envisioned the potential for a new era of accountability and progressive policy within the Democratic Party and beyond. At the time, the potential for a Joe Biden ticket failed to inspire hope that an end to the status-quo was soon to come.
Let us be clear: over the last several months, many of us were disappointed to watch as the likelihood for Joe Biden to receive the Democratic presidential nomination grew increasingly great. But we never allowed our vision of the bigger picture — the welfare of all Americans — to be obscured by our personal political interests. Thus, when Joe Biden received the nomination in August, it was clear what had to be done. We had to settle.
It has become emphatically clear that President Trump is the worst president in recent and perhaps all of American history.
In less than four years, President Trump has vilified the free press; disparaged, insulted, and endangered people of color including a proposed “Muslim ban”; empowered white supremacism, attacked reproductive rights, crashed the stock market multiple times, nuzzled up to authoritarians like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, rolled back numerous environmental protections, solicited election interference from international actors to help his re-election bid (and was impeached for doing so), pardoned his criminal friends, removed student loan protections, threatened the healthcare of millions, imprisoned and separated migrant families, severely denigrated the strength of our international alliances, very nearly sparked two separate wars with North Korea and Iran, given voice to dangerous conspiracy theories, politicized science and introduced the concept of “alternative facts,” and made countless false and misleading statements a part of his and his cohorts’ political identity, greatly increasing political polarization and racial tension in our country, and denigrating further the sacredness of the Oval Office with each passing day.
Today, as a result of President Trump’s pride, ignorance, incompetence, and unwillingness to listen to experts, as well as statements made to downplay the severity of the virus and encourage his supporters to ignore pandemic-era regulations and protections, more than 220,000 Americans have died in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus.
So why settle? Put simply, the United States of America cannot endure four more years of Donald Trump.
A vote for Joe Biden comes down to character and integrity. Joe Biden has both, and his opponent has neither. Biden has nearly five decades of experience across a variety of government institutions, and while he does make gaffes while speaking, he is more than capable of thoughtful, well-informed decision making. He is a conscientious leader who cares genuinely about our country, and about making sound decisions based on facts, not on personal opinions or self-aggrandizement. Joe Biden respects our international allies, and recognizes the tremendous benefits of a mutual support network.
Settling for Joe has become an easy decision. To not vote for Biden, or worse, to not vote at all, is to contribute to the further demise of our country and our democracy, and to do so knowingly and willingly. Biden himself may not be the preferred choice for some, but his administration stands to be among the most progressive in American history since President Roosevelt’s New Deal in 1933. Moreover, Joe Biden represents the best hope we have to turn back the tide of hate, divisiveness, and violence brought on and encouraged by Donald Trump.
So why settle? We as a generation will continue to aim high, put action behind our words, speak truth to power, and hold our leaders accountable. But on November 3rd, 2020, the choice is crystal clear. To not vote for Joe Biden, or to not vote at all, is to be complicit with Trump.
The future that we hope to build — a future where we reform our electoral process, uplift the voices of marginalized communities, and where we are stewards of the planet — is at stake here and now.
