I proudly voted (early!) for Joe Biden in the first presidential election I have been eligible to participate in. A common misconception among conservatives is that those who are voting for Joe Biden are only doing so because they hate Donald Trump. While I certainly do despise Donald Trump as both a person and a leader that is not the primary reason why I am voting for Joe Biden. There are so many reasons why I am voting for Biden and not a single one is "because I hate Donald Trump".
Larger presence of arts and humanitiesÂ
The Obama/Biden administration was by no means a stranger to the fine arts. Throughout the administration there was a constant revolving door of different workshops, famous singers, Broadway shows, etc. performing at the White House. Some of the most notable performances include the Broadway cast of Hamilton in March of 2016 and the "Broadway at the White House" events that took place in 2010 and 2015. Currently, under the Trump/Pence administration, theatre and the fine arts as a whole are practically dead. Performers all over the country are unemployed and desperately trying to make ends meet, all concerts and live theatre events are cancelled for the foreseeable future, and Broadway is closed until at least June 2021.Trump has killed one of the things I loved most. I hope the Biden's appreciate the fine arts as much as the Obama's did and can bring this beautiful industry back to life and bring fine arts and humanities back into the White House.
Trusting ScienceÂ
Throughout the course of this pandemic Donald Trump has continually not trusted and attempted to silence the experts who are trying to protect the country. During a speech he gave in September, Joe Biden was sure to emphasize the fact that he trusts vaccines and science and does not believe Trump is a credible source of information regarding the pandemic. If Donald Trump had just placed his trust in science perhaps we wouldn't been almost seven months into a pandemic with over 200,000 people dead.
Fixing the 1994 Crime Reform BillÂ
One of the largest criticisms people have about Joe Biden as well as Kamala Harris is their involvement of the passing of the 1994 Crime Reform Bill that has led to such things as mass incarceration, the school-to-prison-pipeline, a racist and classist justice system, and criminalization of cannabis. However, Biden and Harris have both said that they are committed to reversing damage caused by the crime bill. Their plans include decriminalizing cannabis, sending non-violent drug offenders to rehab treatment rather than prison, focusing the criminal justice system on redemption and rehabilitation, etc. I also have a lot of respect for Biden and Harris being able to take ownership over and reversing the negative impacts of their actions.
Rejoining the Paris Climate AgreementÂ
In 2017 Trump made the decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement because of an "unfair economic burden". This was a terrible decision seeing as the U.S. is the second-largest global emitter and by withdrawing he could sabotage the collective efforts to transition to renewable energy, reduce emissions, etc. Biden has made it clear that he fully plans to rejoin the Agreement. Personally, I don't think "economic burden" is an excuse to continue to take advantage of and harm our planet when there are people like Jeff Bezos who could easily help reverse climate change if they donated even a fraction of their earnings. We need to start taking care of our planet before it's too late. There is no emergency room for our planet.
Being a leader for allÂ
Throughout his presidency, many people (myself included) have felt as though Trump has entirely isolated and even started working against those that he is supposed to be leading. If you don't agree with Donald Trump then he quite frankly could not care less about you. If you can't get past personal disagreements as a leader then you should not be in a position of leadership. Period. Joe Biden has compassion and empathy for others which is something Donald Trump quite clearly lacks. Biden has stated that regardless of where Americans stand politically he will strive to be a leader for all.
Pandemic reliefÂ
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have laid out a seven point plan to beat coronavirus and restore the country. The first two points are fixing inadequacies in testing and tracking as well as personal protective equipment. The third point is to provide consistent and evidence-based national guidance for how to navigate the pandemic and resources for families, small businesses, and schools. The next point is planning for equitable and effective distribution of treatment and vaccines. The fifth point is protecting those who are older or high risk. The sixth point is rebuilding and expanding that Trump has dismantled that work to prevent, predict, and mitigate pandemic threats.
LGBTQ+ legislative prioritiesÂ
Early on in his campaign Joe Biden stated that his first legislative priority would be to protect the LGBTQ+ community by passing the Equality Act within his first 100 days in office. The Equality Act will guarantee that LGBTQ+ individuals are protected under existing civil rights laws. Biden also intends to reverse the discriminatory actions of the Trump/Pence administration such as banning transgender individuals from the military and the rolling back of Obama-era non-discrimination protections. LGBTQ+ rights are an incredibly important issue to me because I have many friends and family members who are a part of the community and they should not face discrimination because of who they happen to love.
Values educationÂ
Seeing as Dr. Jill Biden is a college professor and very passionate about educating the future generation of leaders it is quite obvious that the Biden/Harris administration will value education more than the current administration (Betsy DeVos is easily one of the most incompetent Secretary of Education this country has ever seen). Biden's campaign has promised support for educators which includes the dignity and pay they deserve, invest in resources for schools (such as counselors and other mental health professionals) that help students and allow educators to focus on teaching, providing students with a path to a successful career, and ensuring that no child's future is determined by factors such as their disability, zip code, race, or parents' income.
Tax planÂ
Since 2016, Donald Trump has been pursuing an economic agenda that has largely favored large corporations and the wealthy. Joe Biden intends to fix this by requiring corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share. He has been EXTREMELY clear that nobody making less than $400,000 a year will have to pay any more in taxes and will even enact middle-class tax cuts that will help families in need.
Intentions to unite rather than divide the countryÂ
As I previously stated, Joe Biden intends to be a leader for all rather than isolating those he disagrees with. Donald Trump has often had very inflammatory responses to already divisive issues such as when he was asked to condemn white supremacy and the Proud Boys organization he responded by saying "Stand back and stand by". Rather than incite violence and division across the country Biden will unite the country and condemn violence and division.
Mental health advocacyÂ
I'm a fan of Biden's healthcare plan that includes protecting the Affordable Care Act but what I really like is the administration's commitment to changing the culture of mental illness. Under the Biden administration, those struggling with mental illness will not have to suffer alone and in silence. Biden intends to work to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health care and mental illnesses. He also wants to make mental health services accessible to all Americans and to increase funding for mental health services. I am a firm believer that everyone should go through therapy at least once in their life because it can be incredibly beneficial in helping you discover more about yourself or learning how to handle your own emotions so Biden's stance really resonates with me.
Compassion from overcoming own adversitiesÂ
One of the largest reasons why I am supporting Biden in this year's election is because he understands what it is like to struggle due to his own hardships in life. He grew up poor and had to wash windows and weed gardens in order to help his family afford tuition at the prestigious Archmere Academy after spending his early childhood being bullied for his stutter and working to overcome it. The week before Christmas in 1972 Biden's wife and three children were involved in a horrific car accident that killed his wife and daughter and severely injured his two sons. This event greatly impacted Biden and even led him to seriously considering suicide. He was sworn into the Delaware Senate from his sons' hospital room so he could spend time with them and commuted from Wilmington to Washington each day by Amtrak to visit his sons. He suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms in the late '80s (an awful health issue that plagues my family). Complications from brain surgery lead to blood clots in his lungs. However, he was able to recover after seven months and return to the Senate. In May of 2015, Biden's son Beau passed away after a battled with brain cancer. I believe Joe Biden would make an excellent leader because he understands the sudden and life-altering tragedies that many Americans have faced and are facing currently. He understands how important it is to provide support to those who happen to be down on their luck. He has kindness and compassion for others which is something our current leader greatly lacks.
