This article is part of a dueling viewpoint series. The opposing viewpoint can be found here or listen to the writers debate on the Beach Weekly Podcast.
I’ll come clean: I don’t like Joe Biden.
But come November I’ll gladly vote for him because the alternative is almost apocalyptic.
And I swear if die-hard Bernie Sanders supporters don’t do the same, they are enabling every horrible thing that will happen in the next four years.
You didn’t get your way? Too bad. Politics suck. Vote for the lesser of two evils, and stop acting like spoiled children.
Not voting is a political act, and voting for a third party is useless: by throwing away your vote you are throwing away your voice as well. I would vote for a soggy noodle if it was the Democratic nominee, and you should too.
Biden is far from a perfect candidate. His voting history contains some serious missteps, and although he wants to expand health coverage, he is against Medicare for all, one of the best tent poles of the progressive movement.
Add onto that recent sexual assault allegations against him and his perceived lack of mental acuity, and I understand why people are reticent to vote for him.
That being said, the “Never Biden” crowd needs to grow up. Sure, Biden is a sub-par candidate for a lot of people, but he is up against a man who has consistently abused presidential power and set himself up as a tyrant.
I get it. Our system sucks. The two-party system has produced two candidates who, for many, are utterly distasteful and who do not represent their best interests.
But this over-generalized, false-equivalency forgets one thing: One of these men is actively malicious.
Liberals cannot throw another childish tantrum because their favorite toy was taken away. Are there problems with our system? Yes. Do I think that Bernie would be a better president? Definitely. Is that an excuse not to vote for Biden? Hell no.
I am terrified of the 2020 presidential election. If the Democrats don’t get it together fast, Donald Trump will spend another four years in office, giving him ample opportunities to further erode our democracy. This is a man who, in just the last few days, has defunded the World Health Organization during a pandemic and encouraged conservative protesters to break quarantine for armed demonstrations against social distancing.
LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
Mentioning “Liberate,” and “Second Amendment” in regards to state legislators would trigger an FBI visit for anyone else, but here the president is encouraging dangerous, possibly violent, actions that will only make the pandemic last longer and kill more people.
These two crazy, dangerous decisions were made in the last few days. We can’t survive another four years of this.
By refusing to vote for Biden, you are enabling these abuses of power, enabling a litany of racist, regressive policies. Not voting is a political act in and of itself. We can’t afford to be apolitical at this point.
If you are still unconvinced, look outside of your privilege and think about how a “Trump Part 2” could affect more vulnerable people. There are people left destitute, children in cages, and people drawing their last breaths in hospitals because of the decisions of this man.
The President doubts the experts at every turn, even tweeting out fringe “miracle cures” for COVID-19 that have no basis in science, or reality. People who followed his advice have been getting sick.
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. The FDA has moved mountains – Thank You! Hopefully they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2020
There is a lot of blood on this administration’s hands. Blood that wouldn’t be there under sane or even semi-competent leadership.
And if Bernie-bros don’t show up in November, they will be culpable for all the bloodshed by the Trump Administration for the next four years.
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Nice p