Everyone has advice for Vice President Biden, as he prepares to debate Donald Trump this Tuesday. What is your advice for him? The comment line is open…
Here is my advice, topic by topic, on what Joe Biden should say.
On Biden’s Record in Office
I’ve given my whole heart to my country. Unlike my opponent, I put the country’s needs over my own. But my record isn’t an issue in this campaign. Donald Trump’s performance is. He always puts his own interests before those of the country.
When a normal President takes office, that person puts his own wealth in a blind trust, so that it will not influence his decisions and he will not personally profit by those decisions. Donald Trump didn’t do that. And, for nearly four years, he’s profited at taxpayer expense. He’s enriched himself off the office the people pay for. Every time he’s made a buck off his office, he’s ripped off the people of this country. He stole from you, the voters. He also used funds appropriated by law to Ukraine to try to bribe and bully the government of that country into helping him win this election. And he put his own re-election ahead of the public good as he made critical decisions about the COVID response.
My record is excellent, and I stand by it. But it isn’t the issue at hand. The issue at hand is Donald Trump’s defective performance since the day he entered the White House.
On the Supreme Court
For years, Republicans have systematically attacked the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. At every opportunity in modern history they have tried to place the most extreme partisans on the Court. Democrats have opposed this violent extremism, and we have been successful at times, like we were in stopping the appointment of Robert Bork. But if the Republicans succeed in putting another justice on the Court this fall, a solid majority of justices will have been appointed by Presidents who did not receive the majority of the popular vote. Further decisions by the Court will be minority opinions on the law. This attack on the legitimacy of the Court must stop, and we must return to justices confirmed by overwhelming majorities in the Senate.
On COVID-19
The right response to COVID was to quarantine everyone coming from China as soon as we found out there was a virus we had no way to treat. And when it was obvious people with the infection were coming from other countries, we needed to quarantine those people, as well, as soon as they came to the U.S. We should have immediately started to ramp up production of the COVID test available from the World Health Organization as soon as it became available, which was roughly in February this year. We should have immediately invoked the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of that test and any other effective test, using the full power of the federal government. We should not have tried to put this off on individual companies and states. We should have informed the public of all the essential facts we had. That it was easily spread through the air. That it had a high infection rate. That it was significantly more deadly than other viruses. We should have told people to stop congregating in large groups, keep their distance from each other, and wear masks. We should have informed governors about steps we thought they should take to protect the public safety.
Donald Trump did none of these things, and as a result he is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. Those deaths and the suffering around them is his burden to bear. And the public should render its judgment on his performance in this election by turning him out of office.
On the Economy
I took personal responsibility for fixing the economy in 2009 after Barack Obama and I took office. That resulted in one of the biggest expansions of history, one that lasted well into the Trump Administration and for which Donald Trump is all-too-eager to take responsibility. But that expansion was an expansion for the wealthy that barely touched the workers of America.
We need to use growth in wages as our primary indicator of a good economy. Is that average outpacing inflation? Is it keeping pace with the level of productivity? The reason most people in this country don’t feel like the economy is good for them is because it isn’t. We need to make it good for everyone. My policies are the policies that will transform the nation and make it work for everyone, not just return it to a time when it helped a privileged few. The Republican Party stands for the haves. Our party also stands for the have-nots. Both need to do well for America to be great.
On Race and Violence in Our Cities
The whole policy of the Trump Administration is to incite more violence in our cities. When the City of Portland, Oregon, took steps to reform police and was able to reach peace with Black Lives Matter protestors, the Trump Administration illegally sent federal agents into Portland to battle protestors. This act touched off night after night of violent clashes. Instead of addressing the root of the problem by helping police across the country reform and eliminate the deep-seated racism in many agencies, Trump has stirred up white supremacy and sought to give it legitimacy.
Donald Trump is a racist. For months, he demanded a birth certificate from Barack Obama. That was not an attack on Barack Obama. That was not an attack on Obama as much as it was a racist message to every minority person in the country. The message was clear. He was saying: “It does not matter to us racists what you accomplish. You can even become President of the United States. We will never accept you.” Donald Trump is a racist. We will never have peace in our cities with an unrepentant racist in the White House.
On Integrity of the Elections
Despite repeated attempts by Republicans to game the elections, with lies in social media, voter suppression, and election fraud, our system of elections is very resilient. Its broad basis in local boards across the country, with widespread participation by the public, make it difficult for even the Russians to gain a foothold. I expect to win this election. Once that result is certified, I expect the normal law enforcement processes of the country to assure I will take office. Please help me reaffirm the commitment of all Americans to the most basic foundation of democracy, the integrity of elections, by the simple act of voting.
In Summary
Donald Trump is ruining the Office of the President and ruining the United States. The American people have an opportunity in this election to stop him and return us to normalcy. But Donald Trump didn’t reach the White House on his own. The Republican Party helped him every step of the way, and the Republican Party kept him in office when it was clear he was not fit for it.
Until the American people stop electing Republicans, we will continue to have the same problem. That’s why it is important to take a look at Democratic candidates and see if you can find it in your heart to support them. The reason we have Donald Trump in office is because Republicans did everything in their power to get him there and keep him there. They are responsible for Donald Trump, and the public needs to hold them accountable in this election.