Biden Announces COVID-19 Relief Plan

Yesterday, President-elect Joe Biden unveiled his COVID-19 relief plan. Costing around $1,900,000,000,000, this plan would approve another round of stimulus checks, raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour, increase unemployment support, and more. While some on the left are already criticizing Biden’s plan, I’m thoroughly impressed with the proposed relief package that will help millions of Americans through this seemingly never-ending health crisis.

One of the biggest points of criticism Biden is receiving is his proposed $1,400 checks, which would complement the previous $600 stimulus payments to bring the grand total to $2,000. It seems that some were expecting a new set of $2,000 checks, but I never interpreted the proposed plans that way. Additionally, adult dependents will receive this payment, unlike previously. A large group of people previously forgotten will be assisted by this plan assuming it passes the Senate.

Biden’s plan will also provide $400 of unemployment insurance to Americans through September, which is roughly around the time I imagine enough Americans will be vaccinated to bring things back to a semblance of normalcy. If things go in the Democrats’ favor, which they should because they will have full government control, the federal minimum wage will be increased to $15 an hour. Finally, the minimum wage on a full-time schedule will be above the poverty line.

Importantly, the eviction and foreclosure moratoriums will be extended until September, ensuring that individuals and families struggling to make end’s meet won’t face the grim reality of homelessness in the coming months. A combined $70,000,000 will be spent on testing and vaccine funding, which will help mitigate further spread when paired with mask wearing, social distancing, and constant sanitization.

President-elect Biden is showing initiative early-on by announcing these proposals and his cabinet selections prior to even being inaugurated. I voted for Joe Biden because he was clearly the favorable choice when compared to Donald Trump, but I am now excited that Biden’s plans, including this one, are far more progressive and ambitious than I expected. Hopefully this plan does in fact bring relief to the millions of Americans desperate for help from their government.

Presidential Debate (09/29/2020) Analysis

The 2020 election is underway. As tens of thousands send in their absentee ballots or prepare to vote early in-person, many are waiting until November 3rd to cast their ballots to decide the next president. While the country is historically partisan and divided, there are still some who are undecided as to who they will vote for, if anyone. Last night, as I’m sure you know, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden met onstage for the first time to debate the many issues which the next president will need to address. These included the pandemic, race relations, and climate change among others. Unfortunately, the debate quickly went downhill, eventually highlighting the most divisive and toxic elements of the current political landscape. Verifiable lies, name-calling, and interrupting were consistent throughout the event, none of which were addressed by moderator Chris Wallace in any real way. While I believe Joe Biden “won” last night’s debate, if we can even call it one, I more so believe that America lost last night.

Historically, presidential debates are respectable and substantive conversations from each party’s nominated candidate that allow the American people to assess the policies, judgements, and personalities of said candidates. In a country as divided and damaged as the one we are living in now, however, most of the general electorate is aware of both Trump and Biden, and as polling reflects, they’ve already made their minds up. Very few supporters of either nominee were either encouraged or dissuaded from their candidate of choice last night, but instead ended the evening exhausted from the verbal cage-match they had just witnessed.

In a night full of nightmarish moments, there are a few that stand out in particular. Firstly, Donald Trump simply won’t admit that he has underpaid his federal income taxes over the past decades, but is simultaneously claiming that taking advantage of tax loopholes makes him smart. I would counter, however, that this admission is electorally numb-skulled, as Trump is revealing he has no desire to personally help fund the military, schools, police, hospitals, or roads among countless other services and facilities - not very American if you ask me. Another moment which stood out was the sheer hypocrisy displayed by Trump in defending his choice to nominate and potentially fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat while the election is already taking place. I thought that Biden should have attacked this moment more pointedly by highlighting how Republicans stalled on Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in his final term in office. Additionally, I found it disgusting when Donald Trump impugned Joe Biden’s son Hunter who has openly overcome a cocaine addiction, all while acting dismissive when discussing Biden’s late son Beau.

But that’s not the worst of it. The Trump presidency stooped to an all-time low last night, which says a lot coming after mishandling the coronavirus which has killed over 210,000 Americans, crippling the economy, mocking disabled reporters, and putting kids in cages, among so many other despicable acts. Last night, Donald Trump failed to disavow white supremacy. Even the most charitable interpretation of this exchange needs to note that Trump told the white supremacist group of Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”, as if to await further instruction from the Commander-In-Chief himself. This comes at a moment of peril for many minority communities who are being openly discriminated against and killed by a broken, racist, unjust system, which they have faced throughout the country’s entire history, but that is just now getting national attention. Instead of giving Trump’s supporters, even the passive ones, the benefit of the doubt anymore, this needs to be recognized for what it is. There is a vile man who represents the worst of this country in command because he was voted for by the worst people (not a majority, either) that this country has to offer. It’s really that simple.

Today, my absentee ballot was accepted and I am proud to, again, be voting on the correct side of history. It’s going to be difficult to sit through another two presidential debates if they’re anything like the first last night. Hopefully Kamala Harris can bring fresh energy to the stage next week in her debate against Vice President Mike Pence. Until then, we continue to push forward against the fascist regime which is revealing itself in front of our eyes. Thanks for reading.

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Hindsight In 2020

Many, including myself previously, have referred to the 2020 presidential election as the “most important election of our lifetime.” Recently, I’ve reflected on that sentiment and have come to the conclusion, while still recognizing the severity and importance of this year’s election, that the 2016 presidential election was actually the most important of our lifetime. In this post, I will explain how America’s course of history changed permanently four years ago, and why it’s imperative we redirect it back in the right direction in November.

There are many reasons why one can reasonably call the results of the 2016 election a fluke. Various predictive election models overwhelmingly expected Hillary Clinton to become the 45th president in the last election. Foreign meddling, voter suppression, Democratic overconfidence, and third party disruption culminated in the perfect storm which allowed a former reality TV show host to become the president of the United States. While many of Donald Trump’s supporters downplayed (and still do) the negative consequences of choosing an inexperienced candidate for this job, his opposition has consistently warned of the potential failings we are now facing, including the mishandling of the coronavirus, the permanence of racial injustice, a potential Conservative majority Supreme Court, and a crippled economy. The sheer incompetence and brazen attitude Trump has adopted has caused nearly irreparable damage in just four years — damage which could’ve easily been avoided if Clinton had instead been elected.

Hillary Clinton was easily one of the most qualified candidates for the presidency of the United States in the country’s history. Clinton would’ve kept in place Barack Obama’s pandemic response protocols, swiftly addressed and disavowed police brutality, and would’ve kept things moving in a more progressive direction generally, such as maintaining the Affordable Care Act and decriminalizing nonviolent crime, among other issues. Instead, Donald Trump became president and did nearly the opposite on all of those issues. While many say that Trump is simply a symptom of deeper, underlying ignorance, bigotry, xenophobia, and racism in the country which would’ve existed either way, I believe three consecutive Democratic presidential terms would’ve fully suppressed the regressive and vile ideologies which have now been platformed by Trump.

As a progressive, I still recognize that there is so much further this country needs to go. We need to systemically address racial injustice, offer healthcare free at the point of use under a universal single-payer system, address climate change, and constitutionally secure the safety of basic human rights including a woman’s right to choose and the LGBTQ+ community’s equal treatment. No systemic change takes place overnight in this country. The Women’s Suffrage Movement, Civil Rights Movement, and every other substantive movement in this country has been a slow but steady effort. The 2020 election has already started, and it’s imperative we don’t let the same apathy we saw previously compound with the obstacles we know we will be facing yet again. Electing Joe Biden as the next president will help turn things around, partially nullifying the damage caused by 2016’s election, which was the most important in our country’s history. Get out and vote.

Thanks for reading.

Election 2020: The Red Mirage Theory

The 2020 presidential election is going to be here before we know it. After months of keeping up with headlines, polls, and speculation, we are only weeks away from officially casting our votes on November 3rd. Many, including myself, plan to vote early to remain safe from the mishandled coronavirus pandemic which is still spreading rapidly. Recently, Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric has implied that the upcoming election will be the most fraudulent in the country’s history. These unsubstantiated claims paired with what will likely be a record amount of absentee ballots cast have led me and others to speculate on how election night will look, and spoiler alert: it could get ugly. In this post, I’m going to describe the “Red Mirage Theory” and what it could mean for the country post-election.

It’s simple, really. Come election day, the ballots cast by in-person voters on November 3rd will immediately be processed and tallied. Absentee ballots, which are still eligible if they are addressed by election day but not received yet, will likely require days to be manually added to the popular vote count. Recent polling has shown that registered and likely Democratic voters are significantly more likely to cast absentee or early votes than their Republican counterparts who highly downplay or disregard the pandemic in large part to Trump’s admitted lies regarding its severity. Trump, who is desperately looking for an excuse to call foul play, may appear to be winning handily on election night, but in reality, will be losing according to absentee ballots and recent favorable national and state polling for Joe Biden. The theory is that if Donald Trump is falsely perceived to be winning on November 3rd, hence the “Red Mirage” theory name, he will declare victory and claim fraud if and when Joe Biden overcomes him in the electoral college as mail-in votes are counted. This would not be good.

Donald Trump’s rhetoric has incited violence in the past, and if this scenario were to take place, I imagine it would lead to significant violence yet again. What’s equally terrifying is the notion that Trump could go state-by-state and insist judges, who he has appointed, determine the path forward in counting incoming votes in the following days after the election. If judges in swing states such as Wisconsin, Florida, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina rule in Trump’s favor, similarly to how Florida judges ruled in George W. Bush’s favor in 2000, he could steal an election he was never supposed to win, and civil unrest would be at an all-time high.

I don’t like to read too much into the “what-ifs” which are completely out of my control, but I see the validity of this theory. Hopefully Joe Biden wins in such a popular and electoral landslide that none of this comes to fruition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if election “night” turns into election “week” or even “month” as the results are tabulated. I would, however, rather wait for correct results than immediately receive false ones. What’s important is that we get out and vote. To make sure you’re registered, use the link below. Thanks for reading.

VOTE: https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

2020 Presidential Election Map Prediction As Of September

We are now a mere two months away from the most impactful presidential election of our lifetimes, and debatably in American history. The ramifications this election will have are going to directly impact generations not only domestically, but all around the world. Recent polling has shown that the race is tightening up slightly, but this was to be expected as we neared closer to election day. Donald Trump’s favorability continues to poll miserably, but the nationwide gap between him and Joe Biden has shrunk slightly, sitting at +7.0 for Biden according to FiveThirtyEight, who still give him a 69% chance of winning the election. In this post, I’m going to forecast how I think things would go down if the election were held today. Let’s jump into it.

The states we can classify as solidly Democratic or Republican leaning haven’t changed and won’t change much leading up to November 3rd. States like California, Illinois, New York, Wyoming, Mississippi, and Alabama, for example, are almost guaranteed to go to their respective preferred candidates. The likely states, such as Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, Montana, Utah, and Missouri haven’t changed much, either, demonstrating the polarization and steadfast voting habits of some states in the country. Things do get interesting, however, when we look at the lean and tilt classifications, which actually have changed slightly in Donald Trump’s favor after recent events such as the Republican National Convention and unrest after the police shooting of Jacob Blake and the ensuing protests and riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Whether moral and logical or not, the disruption and uncertainty related to the protests and riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin have led the state’s recent polls to tighten up somewhat significantly. I only feel comfortable categorizing Wisconsin as a tilt state which I believe would go to Joe Biden if the election were held today, but it’s going to be interesting to watch this state as the election approaches. Similarly, polls in the state of Arizona have tightened significantly, allowing me to only classify this state in the tilt category for Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. This rightward slide of recent polls is reflected in other tilt states as well, such as Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, all which have started to move right in the aggregate. Joe Biden’s camp and supporters shouldn’t panic yet, as they still maintain a fairly sizable lead in the Midwest and particularly the Rust Belt, which would be enough to win the election if nothing else changed from 2016’s electoral map, but it’s too early to take the foot off of the gas pedal, especially when considering the circumstances we find ourselves in nationally. Racial tension, COVID-19, the economy, and the upcoming Presidential and Vice Presidential debates will likely have a significant impact on the direction of the race as we approach November 3rd.

We knew polls were going to tighten when Joe Biden was dominating Donald Trump earlier this summer. Now that it’s September, it’s likely that the race is going to continue to evolve and change as new headlines and developments find their ways into our lives, as 2020 has proven time and time again already. If the election were held today, I predict Joe Biden would win with 290 electoral votes to Donald Trump’s 248, the closest prediction I’ve made so far. Who do you think is going to win the presidency? Thanks for reading.