By: Molly Amick
Our country has grappled with an unpredictably and indisputably tumultuous year so far, one which leaves us on the doorstep of the Presidential election feeling desperate for hope, stability and direction. In this uncompromisingly bipartisan political climate, we see hostile division and charged discourse amongst citizens who are concerned about the direction of the United States of America--and at this point in time, considering the many major events we’ve observed recently--it is safe to say we all fall into this category. Though we each have different stances on political policy, we share the desire for seeking the fundamental concepts of liberty and freedom we cherish. At this moment, I believe reelecting Donald Trump poses a deep danger to the American people and their abilities to reach prosperity. A vote for Democratic candidate Joe Biden is crucial, and I’ll show you why.
Over the past four years that Trump has served as President, he has proven to lack trustworthiness. He has a consistent record of lying to the American people: The “Washington Post” reports over 20,000 dishonest claims made by Trump. He also exhibits a clear absence of care for the American people, which was demonstrated boldly by his knowledge about the severity of coronavirus and simultaneous inaction. While Trump understood the danger coronavirus posed, he continued holding rallies and later admitted to downplaying the virus. Biden has spoken about how he would have made testing and treatment more accessible.
Aside from the falsehoods rendering Trump an ingenuine leader, he is not a President for the people as a whole, but for specific demographics. While he has been rendered as an icon to right-wing extremists and hate groups, he has failed to protect and advocate for the diverse populations our country holds. To begin, Trump has failed to listen to or acknowledge the injustices that indigenous, people of color, and specifically Black people, in this country face.
The Black Lives Matter movement has become one of the largest social justice movements of all time, and the President has responded with threats and hostility. If our own President is incapable of empathizing with protestors, acknowledging the way race contributes to one’s privilege, or considering the ways in which our country’s history impacts communities of color today, how can we expect to build an equitable society and keep peace?
We’re all familiar with Trump’s damage toward the LGBTQ community; he is responsible for the removal of healthcare protections of transgender people as well as the ban of transgender people serving in the military. To pile on these atrocities, the Trump Administration has passed a rule permitting homeless shelters to deny transgender people acsess to housing, directly endangering the lives of our trans citizens, a population which is already significantly less safe than their cisgender counterparts. In a survey conducted in 2017, 30 percent of transgender individuals reported experiencing homelessness at some point.
Scrutinizing the current leadership of this country is an easy task when we look to the inhumane response to the pandemic, ignorance of science and disheartening refusal to listen to the experiences of minority groups.
But how does Biden approach these same issues?
Finding equity in prosperity for U.S. citizens will not be a timely accomplishment under any president’s administration, but while Trump has exacerbated the prejudices of discriminative people, Biden has made no secret of being in support of equal rights. Biden stood for marriage equality under Barack Obama’s presidency, and maintains a position of advocacy now; publicly commenting about the tragedy of transphobic violence and how it is demanding to be attended to.
One of the most pressing issues of our time is the climate crisis. Having a president who listens to scientists and considers the future generations and the impact our current environmental policy has on them is crucial.
A leading climate scientist, Michael Mann, states “four more years of Trump would mean ‘game over’ for the climate,” according to “The Guardian.” The consensus among scientists is that the deregulation of environmental protections, removing climate change from the list of national security threats, and cutting Environmental Protection Agency funding have worsened the already pertinent issues that climate change poses. Biden has a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. To do this, he will create millions of jobs while reforming the electricity sector, as well as providing zero-emissions public transportation to large cities. Biden has also stated he would rejoin the Paris Agreement, as well as fight environmental injustice and environmental racism, pledging to hold polluters accountable.
The next four years are going to be intense, carrying the momentum of a hectic time and a stressful election season. It is crucial to our wellbeing as a country that we elect Joe Biden and Vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris to attend to viscous environmental threats, to take the voice of the people seriously and act upon the social inequalities. We need Biden so that we may meet this whirlwind of disorganization and divide with consideration for the future generations.