This upcoming election is one that will be marked down in the history book. A fiercely divided country will go to vote on November 3rd, deciding who will be the Commander In Chief for the next 4 years. The 2 main contenders include incumbent Republican Donald Trump against the challenger and the Democrats nominee, Joe Biden. The box that millions of American will check come November is of the utmost importance if we seek to preserve our democracy and the institutions we hold dear. When we assess our choices we must understand what it is we seek in a leader. To most Americans a leader is a balance of empathy, morality, kindness and sharp witted policy and ideas. By these metrics there is a clear winner in the race for the Presidency and that is Joe Biden , a man that stands out with his future plan for america yet still shows compassion and care for the average american.

We need a man like Joe Biden in the oval office once again. A man with compassion, empathy and the understanding of what it’s like to live a difficult life. Joe can relate to the average American far better than Donald Trump ever could. Biden was born on November 20th 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania to a middle class family. His father worked as a used car salesman and worked cleaning furnaces to put bread on the table for his family. At 13 years old, Joe moved to Delaware, where he would later serve as senator for over 30 years. Growing up, Joe had a stutter, prompting kids around him to give him nicknames such as “Dash”. In order to help him with his speech, Joe would recite long passages of poetry out loud to build up his confidence and help with his stutter. This was one of the earliest struggles he had experienced, yet the perseverance his parents had instilled in him, helped him overcome the stutter. After graduating from highschool, Biden would attend the University of Delaware where he studied political science and history. Joe would then later go to law school at Syracuse University. While in school In 1966, he would marry Neilia Hunter. Then in 1972, the Democratic party would encourage the young 29 year old lawyer to run for the Delaware senate seat that was up for reelection. After high turnout for the young challenger, Joe Biden would go on to beat incumbent J. Caleb Boggs and he became the fifth youngest senator ever elected. Although, shortly after the upset victory, tragedy struck. A week before Christmas, Biden's wife and three kids were involved in a car accident. The crash killed his wife, daughter and severely injured his two sons. Biden then went on to say that he had become suicidal saying "I began to understand how despair led people to just cash in; how suicide wasn't just an option but a rational option ... I felt God had played a horrible trick on me, and I was angry." After plenty of convincing from close family, Joe would go on to serve as Senator for the state of Delaware. In order to spend time with his sons, Joe would take the Amtrak from Delaware to D.C. and back everyday to tuck his boys into bed and make them breakfast in the mornings. After serving in the United States senate for over 30 years, 2008 presidential nominee Barack Obama would select Joe Biden to be vice president. After winning the election comfortably, the Obama-Biden administration entered the White House in 2009. Although, in his second term as Vice President, tragedy struck again in 2015. His son, Beau Biden, died from brain cancer. While experiencing another tragedy, Joe would go on to finish his term as VP and run for president in 2020. This is a man who has experienced countless tragedies and managed to persevere through all. These experiences make Joe the right man for the moment. From the loss of his wife, daughter and son, Biden can relate to the American who has lost someone to the Covid-19 pandemic. He’s been there. He knows what it’s like to have your life flipped on its head. He can also relate to the average American middle class family. He can relate to the American who has recently lost his job as when he was a kid, he recalls countless times the night his dad sat him down and told a young Joe that he had lost his job. We need a figure who can relate, who can be passionate and understanding in the White House, not some billionaire who inherited millions from his father. This is an important trait for a President to have. Someone who knows what it’s like to struggle in times of hardship. Joe Biden will lead with this experience and work for the average American. 

Throughout the many examples of Joe Biden's character, one moment sticks out for me. This moment occurred at a Biden campaign event on February 4th 2020. Joe came in contact with Brayden Harrington, a 13 year old who also struggles with a stutter. During the initial interaction, Joe spoke with the young boy about the impediment they both shared. He then offered to bring Brayden backstage to discuss some of the methods he used to conquer his stutter. Joe showed Brayden how he marked up speeches and gave him methods to practice such as reciting poetry that would help with his stutter. These were the same methods that Joe Biden used many years ago when he was a young teenager. This heartwarming action resonated with Brayden as 7 months later, he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention using the methods Joe taught him to mark up his speech. This event proves that Joe is a compassionate figure. He willingly gave time to help Brayden with his stutter, displaying the character a President should have. You won’t see Donald Trump doing this. 

We’ve seen how disastrous the Trump presidency has been. Our democracy, our people and our country can’t handle another 4 years of Donald Trump. The incumbent has been weak on every aspect. Joe Biden brings bold new policy ideas that will put America on the right track. According to the Pew Research Center, among the top issues that matter to voters most, health care, Covid-19 and the economy are some of the most important to the average voter. Biden beats Trump in all 3. 

Health care is a hot topic for the 2020 election. As of August 26th, 12 million Americans have lost employer-sponsored health insurance as a result of the pandemic and the large spike in unemployment. While Donald Trump has no plan for health care, Joe Biden has created an intricate proposal which is necessary to insure millions of Americans. The Biden plan looks to build off of The Affordable Care Act, something Donald Trump has looked to destroy. In the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trump administration is in court trying to overturn Obama Care. This would be disastrous for millions of Americans. The act covers 20 million people and protects patients with pre-existing conditions from being discriminated against by health insurance companies. If the act is overturned, millions of Americans will suffer. It’s crucial we elect Joe Biden as he and his administration will build off Obama Care, not dismantle it. The main goal of the Biden plan is to ensure that regardless of someone's pre-existing conditions, race, sexuality, religion or gender, they have access to affordable health care and can become easily insured. An important fact about the Biden plan is that, according to the campaign, 97% of Americans will become insured. While there are many sections to the plan, one of the main aspects of the Biden health care proposal is reducing drug prices. The plan has outlined many ways of lowering drug prices, such as “Repealing the outrageous exception allowing drug corporations to avoid negotiating with Medicare over drug prices” as stated on the Biden website. This would allow medicare to negotiate with drug corporations on the prices of prescription drugs. It would be extremely effective in reducing drug prices as medicare has the leverage in the deal as it covers millions of Americans. Another terrible practice that the Biden plan would eliminate is surprise billing. This occurs far too frequently. Surprise billing is when a patient goes to an in network provider, which is to attempt to reduce expenses,but, some patients are treated by an out of network doctor. This then leads to surprise billing which drastically drives up the cost. Biden plans to eliminate this unjust practice. As the main goal of this plan is to get as many people insured as possible, the Biden plan would cover the millions of Americans who live in states that have rejected the Affordable Cares act expansion of medicaid. This hurts 4.9 million people. As written on the Biden website, “Biden’s plan will ensure these individuals get covered by offering premium-free access to the public option for those 4.9 million individuals who would be eligible for Medicaid but for their state’s inaction, and making sure their public option covers the full scope of Medicaid benefits.” These are just a few of the many examples of how the Biden plan will guarantee millions of Americans affordable healthcare. While Biden tries to expand coverage, Trump sues to reduce it. Health care is certainly on the ballot this november.  

Currently, the American economy is in shambles. Unemployment is at 10.2%, at least 30 million Americans are at risk of eviction by the end of september and millions have lost a job that isn’t coming back. This is due to the failure of Trump's economy and his response to Covid-19. While Donald Trump tries to paint the economy as a rosy picture, Biden knows the realities. Joe and his campaign have put out a plan which deals with the setbacks of the pandemic, but also pushes us forward as a country and builds back better. 

Biden knows what it’s like to struggle economically. This is the reality for millions of Americans today. That’s why the Biden economic recovery plan proposes a living wage. Joe wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour to help the average working family. This is crucial in the time of pandemic and struggle. Allowing American workers to take home adequate pay to cover for their expenses is a necessity for this great nation. Biden also plans to energize the American workforce by investing in products that are made in America. Instead of accepting the outsourcing of jobs and globalization that the Trump administration has allowed for 4 years, Joe wants to bring manufacturing and technology back to the United States. With millions out of work, the revitalization of American industry will provide employment opportunities for millions of Americans. In the plan, the Biden campaign writes “In addition to bringing back the jobs lost this year, Joe Biden’s plan to ensure the future is made in all of America will help create at least 5 million new jobs in manufacturing and innovation.” Also, Biden plans on investing billions into the American economy. Joe plans on making a $300 billion dollar investment into research and development. This could provide for high quality jobs in manufacturing and technology. Additionally, Joe plans on investing $400 billion in his first term for products made in the United States. This prioritizes American products Also, Biden wants to bring critical supply chains back to the United States. This would allow the U.S. to be self sufficient and not rely on manufacturing countries, such as China, for necessities. Joe also wants to expand on workers benefits. For all companies receiving procurement contracts, the Biden website says “Biden will require that companies receiving procurement contracts are using taxpayer dollars to support good American jobs, including a commitment to pay at least $15 per hour, provide paid leave, maintain fair overtime and scheduling practices, and guarantee a choice to join a union and bargain collectively.” If elected, Biden would greatly benefit the average American worker and the economy. 

It would be foolish to not address the racial inequalities this nation faces today, especially within the economy. Nationwide outrage and protests as the result of George Floyds death has put the ugly stain of racism and discrimination into perspective. While many minority communities face crippling economic hardship, Republicans give billions in bailouts to big corporations. That’s why Joe Biden has created an economic plan to invest and build upon minority communities and businesses. In the Biden plan to advance racial equity, Joe plans on making crucial investments into minority owned businesses and providing these entrepreneurs with the assistance they need. The plan says it will “Spur more than $50 billion in additional public-private venture capital to Black and Brown entrepreneurs by funding successful state and local investment initiatives and making permanent the highly effective New Markets Tax Credit.” In addition to this, the plan will “Expand access to $100 billion in low-interest business loans by funding state, local, tribal and non-profit lending programs in Black and Brown communities”  These are crucial investments to ensure Black and Brown entrepreneurs and workers advance economically. 

The Trump administration's response to covid has been lackluster, fueled by downplaying the virus. On February 26th, Trump said “You have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero,” Experts disagreed. In may, Trump said that covid-19 “is going to go away without a vaccine.” Which prompted Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist, to say “It is completely fanciful and not evidence-based to state that SARS-CoV-2 will ‘go away’ without a vaccine,” The unscientific rhetoric from the White House has been damaging. Trump and people within his administration also looked to undermine the top infectious disease expert, Dr. Fauci. On June 13th, a White House official created a list containing instances where Dr. Fauci had been incorrect, although it's worth noting that these comments by Fauci were made with the best available information at the time. Also, the Trump administration blocked Fauci from testifying before the house on the virus scheduled for May 6th. Trump said the reason for this is because the House of Representatives is full of “Trump haters”. The silencing of professionals and the overlooking of facts won’t happen in a Biden administration. Recently, in an interview with ABC which aired on August 23rd, Biden was asked if he would shut down the country if scientists recommended it. He immediately responded with “I would shut it down; I would listen to the scientists,” In his DNC speech, Joe also said “We’ll put the politics aside and take the muzzle off our experts so the public gets the information they need and deserve.” This displays the stark differences between the candidates. One who listens to professionals and allows scientists to speak, versus one who looks to undermine professionals and silence those who speak against him.

180,000+ Americans dead, millions out of work and unsure if they’ll have a house next month. The failed policy of this administration has led the country into a dark phase. One that’s filled with uncertainty and hurt for many. That’s exactly why we need new leadership. The Biden covid response plan is what the country needs to lift ourselves out of this crisis. The plan addresses the key responses needed to battle this pandemic such as nationwide testing, funding for a vaccine and protecting our frontline workers.

Testing is a necessity. Without a strong testing plan the country cannot fully combat this virus. The Biden campaign understands this fact. That’s why Joe is looking to make testing widely available and free. A Biden administration would establish 10 mobile testing sites and drive through facilities per state to ensure testing is easily accessible. Joe also believes that nobody should have to pay to be tested. In their plan, the campaign states “Individuals should also not have to pay anything out of their own pockets for the visit at which the test is ordered, regardless of their immigration status.” If tests are expensive, it could very easily prevent low income people from getting a test, regardless of if they have symptoms or not. 

Joe also understands that it’s crucial to protect our healthcare workers. Under the current administration, acquiring PPE has been a challenge for all states. Since the supply was limited, states would have to bid against each other to buy PPE. The Illinois governor described it as a “sick Hunger Games”. In a Biden administration, protective equipment would be widely available. Within the Biden Covid-19 plan, it states that Joe intends to “Give all frontline workers high-quality and appropriate personal protective equipment – and enough of it and appropriate training to use it – so they don’t become infected.” Biden also plans to “Direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to keep frontline workers safe by issuing an Emergency Temporary Standard that requires health care facilities to implement comprehensive infectious disease exposure control plans”. It is vital that we keep our frontline workers safe and healthy. While the Trump administration has failed to do so, a Biden administration won’t.

A vaccine would be a huge step in defeating Covid-19. Bidens plan looks to accelerate the research to achieve this goal as soon as possible. The plan looks to “Ensure the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority are swiftly accelerating the development of rapid diagnostic tests, therapeutics and medicines, and vaccines” This would greatly advance our research and could potentially produce a vaccine faster to save more lives. The plan also says Biden wants to “Ensure the FDA is working with the NIH to prioritize review and authorization for use of COVID-19 countermeasures and strengthen regulatory science at the FDA to make certain it has the needed resources to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new tools” While Biden wants to ensure the FDA is working with the NIH to combat the virus, Trump looks to undermine the FDA. On August 22nd, Trump tweeted “The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics.” A simply ridiculous  and baseless claim. 

The choice in the 2020 election cannot be more clear. We need to elect Joe Biden and end this dark period of American history. We must save our democracy and our people. And, as Joe Biden would say, we need to restore the soul of this nation. 

https://joebiden.com/covid-plan/

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https://joebiden.com/healthcare/