Hey Conservatives, Here’s My Case for Joe Biden

As we all know, the presidential election is just weeks away! In many states, early voting and absentee ballots are already being processed. If you have somehow managed to avoid news about the election so far, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. The reality is that this election is quite possibly the most important in recent history. The past four years have brought conflict into many of our lives regardless of political affiliation, and I’m here to show you it doesn’t need to be that way. If you clicked the link for this article, it means you’re unsure of where your vote should go. That’s okay! I’m happy you chose to step outside your comfort zone for a minute, to read a case for a candidate who you are probably pretty wary of. Fair warning, this article is meant to be truly informative, so it’s pretty long. I hope you take the time to read and learn, and that you can approach these ideas with an open mind.

Let’s start off with some disclaimers. I’m a full-on Democrat, I do not support our current president, and I could go on a million rants about the political environment of the U.S. right now. So, you might be wondering why any conservative should listen to a liberal college student about the election. Well, I actually know a bit about conservative values. I grew up hearing quite a lot about them, and still speak consistently with conservative family members about their beliefs. While I may not agree with them, that doesn’t mean I can’t see their logic, or understand where they might come from. I’m also a political science major. That means I really do enjoy talking about politics and challenging my own beliefs (crazy, I know). I also have the benefit of being taught by some of the best political scientists the nation has to offer in the form of our UW political science faculty.

 

 Let me also get this out of the way: in my brain, being conservative does not mean being a Trump supporter. In fact, the way I see it, Trump really doesn’t hold a lot of the values of traditional conservatism. So, without further adieu, here is my conservative case for Joe Biden.

Throughout the campaign, you have probably heard Biden characterized as a member of “the radical left.” That sounds pretty scary, especially if you see yourself on the right side of the political aisle. Well, I have good news for you! That characterization is really not true. Joe Biden actually falls pretty close to the middle of the political spectrum. He has an excellent track record of bipartisan legislation, including on efforts such as The Violence Against Women Act and the 2009 financial recovery efforts. To be honest, the thought of any Democrats and Republicans working together in Washington right now seems crazy to me. That just goes to show that at the end of the day Joe is a people person. He will find a way to knit people together to get the job done which is exactly what we need right now. Joe Biden’s history of working together with Republicans means that many Republican politicians actually trust him! One thing I think everyone can agree on is the fact that our government is not great at getting things done. Having a working relationship with seasoned politicians from both parties will only help Biden accomplish his agenda. Notable Republicans that have endorsed him include:

• John Kasich, Gov of OH and former Republican Presidential Candidate

• Cindy McCain, wife of Rep. John McCain who passed away in 2018

• Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director under Trump

• 73 Former National Security Advisors from Republican Administrations

• While not a full endorsement, George W. Bush has refused to endorse Trump

• See the full list from Forbes here

We all know that right now we live in a moment where partisanship is ~everywhere~. The fact that so many high flying (and everyday!) Republicans are outwardly endorsing a Democrat for president matters.

Many people appreciate Donald Trump because he’s a ~political outsider~. Well, Joe is a lifelong politician, there’s no doubt about it. However, I’m here to tell you why that’s actually a good thing right now. In a class I took on the American Presidency last year (taught by one of my favorite professors, Ken Mayer) we learned the ins and outs of the office of the president and the duties that come with it. Among them are appointing agency leaders, filling political vacancies, and setting the agenda for the rest of the government to follow. I know that in 2016, many people felt sick of politicians and their way of doing things. I get that. But, the reality is that the presidency was intended to be occupied by a politician. As a result, you need a lot of political expertise to do the job correctly.

 

Donald Trump, as a self proclaimed political outsider, simply doesn’t have the political connections to get the right support network around him. As recently as April of 2020, journalists at the Washington Post found that “As of Monday morning, Trump had no nominees for 150 of 749 key positions requiring Senate confirmation” (link here) This means that many agencies are thrown into chaos because they have no direction. Those agencies are in part responsible for managing our crisis response as a nation, and that includes issues like Covid-19. I don’t need to explain how the Trump administration has failed during the Covid crisis, because each of us has lived that reality every day for the past six months. So, I’ll leave it at this: the federal government is HUGE, that means it needs a lot of people to run smoothly. Not filling those positions just makes it harder for government agencies to do their jobs. As a politician, Joe Biden has more connections than he could know what to do with. That’s a good thing.

Going hand in hand with calling Joe “radical” are accusations he will defund and abolish the police. I know this is a hot button issue right now, so let’s work through it together. First things first, Joe Biden has actually committed to ~not~ defunding the police. You can see that in this ABC News interview, where Biden actually stated he wants to increase funding to local police departments to help hire more social workers and psychologists to improve the force (link here). Biden wants to help the police force reform so that it can better serve allllll of America’s communities. 

 

When I watched the Republican National Convention, there was an interview with a couple who had been arrested for waving a gun at Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters. If you want to watch the interview, you can find it here, but I can save you some trouble. The couple warns that in a Biden America, lawless protesters will destroy the suburbs and threaten the safety of good, hard working Americans. This sounds pretty scary! Which is why it’s important to talk about why their claims are not true. When you hear of protests, we need to remember that these are protests over the death of Black Americans at the hands of police. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project released a study finding that 93% of Black Lives Matter protests have been peaceful (link here). That is an overwhelming majority. Most BLM supporters actually condemn the violence that occurred. We also need to address that calls of “Defund the Police” DO NOT MEAN there should be no police force at all. As this article by the New York Times explains, they want to take some of the funding that currently goes to police departments, and put it in other community programs. This might include mental health services, education, housing, and many other ideas! The goal would be to rethink the role police play in communities, and to stop forcing them to try to address so many problems at once. In fact, the goal of many BLM activists, even those who call to defund the police, is to have every community function like the suburbs- where police are rarely needed and widely trusted. 

Pivoting a bit, another major pillar of conservative thought is the right to life, or advocating against abortion access for women. Believe me, I understand that! All life is sacred, and we should work to protect it! That being said, I think we should have a conversation about what “the right to choose” really is. You’re correct in thinking that Biden advocates for the protection of Roe v Wade and a woman’s right to bodily autonomy. But, that in no way means that Joe Biden is advocating for more abortions! Joe has personally spoken about how his religion guides his own life and personal beliefs, but that his own religion cannot govern the decisions of others. You can personally be against abortion, you can believe it is wrong. But, we need to respect the right of every individual to choose what happens with their body. If you want a quick rundown on how Trump and Biden compare on abortion, the New York Times put together this guide. In reality, the right to choose is part of a broader scheme of healthcare access that includes contraceptives, sexual education, and prenatal care. The end goal of these is to prevent unwanted pregnancy in the first place, so that abortion is no longer necessary for most women. 

 

Another really, really important thing to note is that eliminating access to abortion does not eliminate abortions. In reality, it eliminates safe abortions. Before Roe v Wade was decided, allowing women the privacy to get abortions if needed, there was actually a public health campaign by the feminist movement that illustrated the impact of unsafe abortion. This article from The Washington Post details the dangers of abortion before Roe v Wade, if you’re interested in learning more. We also need to address that the right to life cannot only apply to unborn babies, it also applies to their mothers. It also applies to children at the border, LGBTQ+ populations, people living in poverty, people struggling with homelessness and addiction, and many other populations. Joe Biden has a plan to address the problems facing all of these groups, which you can find on his website. If the right to life is truly a sacred value, then we need Joe Biden now more than ever. 

Last but CERTAINLY not least, is the climate. If you’ve noticed more news about severe weather in recent weeks/months/years, you know that we’re facing a crisis. The health of our planet cannot be a politicized issue. It affects each of us in ways we might not be aware of. Rural communities facing unpredictable weather are struggling to make ends meet from year to year. Coastal communities facing changing landscapes are struggling to cope with severe storm after storm, destroying entire towns and communities each season. West coast communities facing wildfires grow more threatened every year, as the fires grow in intensity. We need to face the reality that we NEED climate action. It simply cannot be made into a political question. As this article by Reuters shows, Biden has an aggressive climate agenda intended to protect Americans. Trump only cares about making it easier for businesses to abuse our environment. We can’t afford to have four more years of climate crisis denial. Read more about Joe’s plan on environmental repair here. We need this plan, I simply cannot stress that enough. 

If you’ve made it this far, I’ll start by saying thank you. It can be hard to open yourself to new information, especially political information. But we need voters who will vote on their conscience, and I hope yours recognizes that Trump is not what America needs right now. If you have remaining questions, I really, really, encourage you to spend some time looking at our candidates respective websites, Joe’s is linked again here and Trump’s here. If you’re thinking to yourself, “well this all sounds great, but where’s the money going to come from?” you are not alone! But you also don’t need to worry. Under Biden’s tax plan, the only folks who would see a tax increase are those who make more than $400,000 a year. 

 

I know politics is overwhelming, it’s confusing, it’s easier to just ignore it. But right now, we can’t ignore it. We need to fight for the America we want to live in. I don’t know about you, but the last four years have been emotionally draining; we’ve moved from crisis to crisis barely staying afloat. On November 3rd, we have the chance to change that. Joe Biden is not perfect. No candidate will ever be perfect. This is not an exhaustive list of 2020 election issues, or either candidates’ positions. But Joe can help us rebuild our identity, our communities, and our nation. We need Joe, and Joe needs us. Cast your ballot, talk to your friends, talk to your parents, tell everyone you know. Vote. For. Joe. 

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