This story was produced as part of the Daily Wildcat’s “Election Guide” special print edition, published Wednesday, Oct. 21, and available on campus or online.
In March, I made the case to “Vote blue no matter who,” as the democratic candidate race narrowed to Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. I argued that the “Bernie or bust” movement was problematic, as well as Biden supporters saying they wouldn’t vote for Bernie (they just didn’t have as catchy of a name). I would now like to make a new case to you, one that you may have heard before, but it is so important that I had to write a whole column on it: vote blue no matter what.
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And yes, I mean no matter what. Many lay conservatives like to defend President Donald Trump and his actions by saying “well, he’s not a politician!” or “he doesn’t take any bullshit” — to which I say, he spouts so much bullshit he can’t keep up with himself. When your candidate is so problematic that other politicians in their party will stray from the line to vote him out, you know something is desperately wrong.
I would like to clarify that I think voting along party lines for the sake of the party is not helpful to the democratic process, but that’s what it has come to in America.
Some conservatives claim that “leftists” don’t like Trump because he is loud-mouthed, unapologetic, proud of America and rich. I can verify that this claim is not true. I don’t like Trump because he is racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, childish and all around stupid. I don’t like Trump because I have the right to critique my country to help it evolve and he wants me to either agree with everything he says or be subjected to Martial law.
I don’t like Trump because he reversed healthcare protections put forth to protect transgender Americans. I don’t like Trump because he completely disregards the environment for his own selfish gains — including plowing down sacred land to Native American people for his pointless (and expensive) border wall. I don’t like Trump because he said he could “grab women by the pussy” because he’s famous — not to mention his 26 sexual misconduct allegations from women that have been conveniently swept under the rug.
I believe that former Vice President Joe Biden holds a brighter, normal future for America. I say “normal” because yes, believe it or not, I hate waking up every morning dreading what awful things our president has said while I was asleep. Not only is Biden not insane, but he actually has set forth plans for his first 100 days in office as well as policy outlines, which is something that Trump has failed to do repeatedly.
When Trump was first elected, I was 16 and I, too, fell victim to the fear mongering sent to disturb conservative voters; I was happy and thankful he was elected. But when I got to school, I saw so many people who I loved and respected in tears because of his election, and that set off red flags for me.
People should not be afraid to be who they are because of the president. That is not a democracy and that is not a country that should be a “leader of the free world.” We should be able to disagree with the president on policy points, yes. But when the president represents a culture of hatred, who continuously divides the nation, who picks fights for the sake of being in a fight, that is not a person who you want representing your country.
When I watched Biden speak to the country on the night of the first debate and Trump was screaming nonsense from the other side of the stage, it felt different. For the first time in four years, I felt like the United States once again had an opportunity to improve, to right past wrongs and move forward to make positive changes. Biden wants to govern for the whole country, not trick a few folks into thinking he’s doing well while working for the rich. Don’t get me wrong, I know Biden has supported bad policies in the past, but he has admitted he was wrong, which is more than Trump could ever do.
So, I once again plead with you — get off your high-horse, do what’s best for the country and vote blue this election!
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