If you know me IRL, you know I’m anything but quiet about my political views, as we all should be in this climate. I’m not afraid to speak my mind and, usually, that includes denouncing our current POTUS because there’s absolutely no way I’ll be voting for him come Nov. 3 and I’m not about to let someone try to tell me he’s the better candidate. This election is voting for the lesser of two evils — and yes, one is a lot less evil than the other — so I’ve compiled a list of reasons why I will be voting for Biden and why you should too.
To ensure RBG’s legacy lives on.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of my biggest idols, passed away on Sept. 18 due to complications from pancreatic cancer. She was a champion of women’s rights, a feminist icon and a supporter of true justice. Many of the privileges women have today are because of this magnificent woman and her continuous fight for equality. I, among many others, fear what will happen to her legacy and the rights of women if Trump remains in office for another four years. Already, he has suggested appointing Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the succeeder of RBG’s Supreme Court seat. Although a favorite among Republicans, it is quite an alarming choice for women as she has repeatedly denounced abortion and is part of People of Praise, which has a hierarchical system eerily similar to The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s terrifying as a young woman to think that if Trump wins there will be a majority of people in the Supreme Court who will try to reverse everything RBG has given us.
For my young, female cousin.
I’m sure plenty of us have young, female family members who we want to see grow into beautiful, strong women. I know that this is all I want for my six-year-old cousin. Her mother is amazingly strong, and her father is extremely supportive, so I do not doubt that she won’t become an amazing woman. However, there’s a part of me that’s worried about her growing up with a man in power who says such awful things about women. Joe Biden isn’t perfect and you’ll never catch me saying that he is, but at least he doesn’t have an entire Instagram post quoting the disgusting ways he’s described women over the years. Trump is also a predator who has diminished the stories of survivors and continues to get away with his mistreatment of women. No young girl should have to grow up in the presence of a man who thinks women are lesser than him and who isn’t afraid to take advantage of them.
Because Trump is manipulative.
Just putting this out here, but why in the hell would we allow a man to continue his presidency who states he won’t be leaving office peacefully? Trump has said multiple times that there won’t be a peaceful succession of power after votes come in, mainly because he believes that there will be copious amounts of mail-in-ballot fraud. Can he not just come to terms that maybe the American people dislike him and don’t want him representing our country anymore? The succession of presidential power is one of the basics of American democracy and Trump said he isn’t going to do it. He has also said that he’ll negotiate a third term because he thinks he’s entitled to it. Which, no sis, you aren’t and, yes sis, he’s once again completely disregarding all sorts of constitutional boundaries.
Biden has better stances on hot-button issues.
Joe Biden is not perfect, and he’s done some things that make me dislike him quite a bit, but what I will say about him is that he has beliefs and he has morals. Donald Trump does not. If we look at their views on important issues side by side, we can easily see that Biden is the more progressive one and the person who is willing to fight for the rights of others. Biden supports the LGBTQ+ community, believes in climate change and wants to better our country. America has not been made great again by Trump and I don’t believe that it will continue to be great under his power. He is tearing us apart from the inside and playing it off as if we are wonderful. We need change, we need reform, and we need a president who cares about all of his citizens. (Can we also just talk about how Trump didn’t condemn white supremacy and doesn’t believe in science when it comes to climate change, because that’s also a fun conversation to have.)
America is not where it should be in terms of human rights and morals, and another four years of Trump in office might push us even further back. This year we aren’t just in a fight for our democracy, but for our lives and human rights as a whole. I urge you to not just think about yourself when voting for our next president, but about the people you love and those whose lives will be worsened by another term of Trump in office. This is the most important election of our lifetime and we must have our voices be heard on or before Nov. 3.
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