Joe Biden Wins The 2020 Presidential Election

It’s done. Over the past four days, the United States has waited patiently as legally-cast ballots were counted in key swing states across the country. On Saturday morning, Pennsylvania was called by most mainstream media news networks, putting Joe Biden above the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency. Kamala Harris is now the first woman to be Vice President-Elect, which shows how far we’ve come as a nation.

This election has served as a decisive referendum against Donald Trump’s failed leadership. After dealing with vast racial tensions, an uncontrolled pandemic, and constant attacks against democracy, the American people chose Joe Biden with more votes than any other presidential candidate in the country’s history.

Honor, humility, empathy, and respect will return to the White House. Competence and dedication will return to the White House. We now have a President and Vice President-Elect who will govern for all Americans, not just for their supporters. Today is historic, and I’m so relieved to know definitively that we’ve made the right decision.

Vice Presidential Debate Analysis

On Wednesday night, Vice President Mike Pence and Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris met on the debate stage in Salt Lake City, Utah. Though Vice Presidential debates historically don’t impact polls or the race in general, this year’s veeps are more significant than usual due to Joe Biden’s and Donald Trump’s age. This debate was much more substantive than the disastrous first presidential debate, where Donald Trump was likely contagious with the coronavirus. There were a few key moments which defined Wednesday’s debate, and there is now good reason to think Trump’s campaign is all but defeated.

Kamala Harris is known for her superior rhetorical skills and debate experience, and while she was less pointed than usual against Pence, those skills were on display Wednesday night. Harris confidently and completely answered the majority of moderator Susan Page’s questions, but refused to answer whether or not a Biden administration would pack the Supreme Court. While many conservative political pundits see this as a dodge, I view this as a strategic tactic to avoid the backlash which would come from either a yes or no. If Biden and Harris were to commit to packing the courts, the entire right and those on the left who oppose it would be upset. If they weren’t to make that commitment, those on the left in favor of packing the court would show dismay. My opinion on the matter is if Donald Trump and the Republican Senate nominate and approve Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court after barring Barack Obama from doing the same with Merrick Garland in 2016, they should absolutely pack the court with diverse, young, liberal justices. Actions have consequences.

Another key moment was Kamala Harris’s opening answer and subsequent condemnation of the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus. Without mincing words, Harris highlighted and scorned Mike Pence for inaction which has led to the deaths of over 218,000 Americans. Pence showed apathetic “sympathy” for those affected by the virus, but couldn’t outline a plan the coronavirus task force is following the lessen the damage the virus is still causing. On the other hand, Kamala Harris outlined exactly what she and Joe Biden would do to finally handle the pandemic which has halted the economy and needlessly hurt so many over the past months.

In keeping with Pence’s inability to clearly answer questions directly, he displayed a new tactic at Wednesday night’s debate. When Susan Page introduced questions related to a new topic, Pence continually regressed and tried to answer the last set of questions which were asked. After doing so, Harris would answer the same question, and Pence would claim he needed time to address the issue as if he hadn’t just given up that time deferring on the matter. This tactic came across as dodgy, and when paired with Pence’s condescending tone and strange physical appearance, totaled in a very bizarre showing for the vice president.

I only like to bring up personal appearance when it is relevant to the discourse. On Wednesday, Pence didn’t appear well. From his swollen lip to his bloodshot eye, concerns arose that Mike Pence was exhibiting early symptoms of COVID-19. After cancelling campaign events to return to Washington, it wouldn’t surprise me if Pence, too, has caught the virus. I would also be remiss not to mention the surprise star of the night’s debate, which was the fly that sat on Mike Pence’s head for over two minutes. I’m not going to read too much into this hilarious coincidence, but we all know what flies migrate toward: steaming piles of incompetence.

Although post-debate polls reflect that the electorate think Harris won the debate, it’s unclear whether or not this performance will be memorable or impactful on the race. With presidential debate two recently being canceled and time running out for the Trump campaign, it’s looking more likely that Joe Biden will have great chances on election day. Who do you think won the debate? Thanks for reading.

Why Joe Biden Should Choose Kamala Harris As His VP

A presidential candidate’s VP choice can make or break their entire campaign. The electorate’s reaction to the selection, the VP’s record and past, and the opportunities for the opponent to attack the eventual selection are vital in determining who wins the presidency come election day. As we all know by now, this year’s upcoming election is unlike any we’ve ever had in this country. November 3rd will serve as a referendum as America decides the direction it wants to continue heading, by either selecting Joe Biden or Donald Trump to hold office for the next four years. To add to the magnitude of this election, we are in the midst of a global pandemic and massive civil rights movement, all while the economy slowly collapses and the United States becomes an international laughing stock. In this post, I’m going to make the case for why I believe Joe Biden should choose Kamala Harris as his VP because of her policy proposals, somewhat progressive ideals, and qualifications met which were set by the Biden campaign.

I need to start by stating I will be voting for Joe Biden regardless of who he selects as his VP, as the shortlist is filled with extremely qualified, intelligent, and determined women. Whether it ends up being Kamala Harris, Susan Rice, Elizabeth Warren, Karen Bass, or any of the other women being considered for the position, I’m sure that the Biden campaign is confident in their eventual selection, and that whoever is chosen has been properly vetted for the job. Joe Biden has already committed to selecting a woman as his running mate, and has received pressure to select a woman of color more recently given the events in the country. Kamala Harris, who for a short time led in polls against her competitors in the Democratic primary race, meets all of the qualifications set by the Biden campaign.

Representation is important. We’ve never had a black woman selected as a vice presidential running mate in this country, which is completely overdue. Kamala Harris has experience running a campaign on a national level, on the debate stage, and as a Senator. While many of the other candidates being considered meet some of these qualifications, none meet all so clearly as Harris does. Harris is also young at only 55 years old, which creates a path in which she could be the first woman president in either 4 or 8 years depending on Joe Biden’s competency and health if he were to be elected.

While not as progressive as some of her colleagues such as Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren (who would be my ideal VP selections), Harris is right about many issues. She co-signed Bernie Sanders’ Medicare-For-All bill, supports the Green New Deal, supports criminal justice reform, and falls on the right side of many more pressing issues going into this election, especially when compared to her counterpart Mike Pence, who is in favor of conversion therapy and criminalizing a woman’s right to choose. Substantively, Harris is more in-line with the majority of the Democratic electorate’s policy prescriptions than the other progressive candidates who could have been selected as the nominee. She and Biden are very ideologically aligned, and Biden selecting her as a running mate doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch, as the betting markets are confident that Harris will soon be announced as Biden’s vice presidential selection.

As the Democratic National Convention nears, the anticipation for who Biden will select as his vice president is increasing rapidly. While my ideal pick for the position would be Elizabeth Warren, I think that Joe Biden should choose Kamala Harris given the current political landscape and circumstances. I’m sure we will find out very soon, and hopefully the selection is favored both now and come election time in November. Who do you think Biden will choose? Let me know. Thanks for reading.