I was born in the middle of the Vietnam War, eleven when Saigon fell. I knew families at church who had lost sons and daughters. I remember the guilty gratitude I felt that my dad was too old by then to get drafted.
All these years later, the guilty gratitude is back because the draft isn’t a thing for my sons and daughter. I ache for the mothers who lose children to war. I shudder to think about all the parts of the world where joining the military isn’t voluntary.
This year’s presidential election is consequential in so many ways and on so many levels.
I look at Trump and can’t believe any rational adult would vote for him. He lies like carpet, straight up makes shit up, contradicts himself with a straight face, doesn’t even try to hide his unquenchable thirst for power, and now that he’s running against Harris, appears to be losing his nefarious little mind. His running mate, JD Vance, isn’t any better. And there’s no way I’m ok with him becoming President if something happens to the felon.
It’s not like we don’t know what he’d be like as President. Last time, he:
responded with dismissive/antagonistic rhetoric to racial justice protests (especially following the death of George Floyd,
withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement,
rolled back numerous environmental protections,
repeatedly tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without a clear replacement plan,
imposed tariffs and renegotiated trade agreements like NAFTA (replaced by USMCA), creating retaliatory tariffs that affected farmers and manufacturers,
appointed conservative judges to the federal judiciary, including three Supreme Court justices, which resulted in a wildly conservative court,
lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and reduced the top individual tax bracket by a mere 2.6%,
eliminated deductions for unreimbursed employee expenses, tax preparation fees, theft and personal casualty losses, and other miscellaneous deductions,
gave us the family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border.
As a citizen, I felt guilty by association. I could feel the side-eye from the rest of the world as if they were asking, “WTF have you done, America?!?? This self-important bully is the best you’ve got?!”
Ugh.
When I look at Vice President Harris, I see a capable leader, a rational decision-maker willing to listen to those around her. Her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, has a proven track record of success in enacting important legislation in areas important to me to benefit millions of Minnesotans. I’d be totally fine if he became President should something happen to President Harris.
The best part is we’re not being asked to take her at her word, either. Nope. She’s the VP, so she’s got a track record we can look at, too. The Biden-Harris administration:
steered the U.S. economy through robust growth and recovery from the pandemic recession,
has kept the unemployment rate below 4% for a sustained period, the longest since 1953, showcasing a strong labor market recovery,
managed inflation effectively, with rates decreasing after peaking in mid-2022 and returning to near-target levels by late 2023,
passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, which has bolstered infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing, and clean energy sectors,
exceeded its goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of renewable energy projects on public lands, a move that powers millions of homes,
banned chokeholds and no-knock warrants for most federal law enforcement agencies,
improved the oversight and accountability of police conduct,
strengthened alliances and partnerships, including reinforcing NATO in light of geopolitical tensions and enhancing relationships with countries in the Indo-Pacific region to navigate the challenges posed by global competition, particularly with China,
strengthened the ACA by expanding eligibility and increasing subsidies, which has led to reduced premiums and expanded coverage,
achieved the lowest uninsured rates in history,
outperformed any previous administration (for the same period) in job growth by adding 14.8 million jobs in their first three years,
saw the consumer price index peak at 9.1% in 2022 and plummet at an unprecedented rate to 3.1%, making the resulting disinflation unmatched in modern history and the opposite of the 1970s, when inflation took eight years and five months to subside to 3%,
increased funding for substance abuse treatment and prevention programs,
saw an 11.8% drop in violent crime last year — the sharpest on record.
The sad part is that so much of this list has been glossed over, thanks to corporate media’s focus on Trump’s antics since Jan. 6, 2021.
And don’t even get me started on that!
Are any of these four people perfect? Absolutely not.
But it’s glaringly apparent — at least to me — which pair is willing to do the messy, arduous task of leading our current 346.7 million citizens and future generations and which is after personal power and self-aggrandizement no matter who suffers.
At the end of the day, though, when I’m standing in that voting booth filling out my ballot, there is only one question I need to ask myself to decide who I want as my president:
Which candidate and their leadership do I respect enough to accept — without losing my mind — losing one of my three children to war?
Because this country has been at war somewhere on the planet my entire life.
Guess my answer.
Notes:
https://www.factcheck.org/2024/01/bidens-numbers-january-2024-update/
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-opinion-biden-accomplishment-data/
https://theweek.com/joe-biden/1020727/just-what-has-joe-biden-accomplished-anyway
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/02/06/fact-sheet-the-biden-economic-plan-is-working/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/28/bidenomics-is-working-the-presidents-plan-grows-the-economy-from-the-middle-out-and-bottom-up-not-the-top-down/
https://www.investopedia.com/joe-biden-s-economic-plan-save-the-middle-class-4769869
https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-delivers-historic-milestones-new-actions-clean-energy
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