The current state of the Democrats is like a baseball team. It’s the seventh inning, and they are in a serious slump. They failed to impeach and remove President Donald Trump from office, and in-fighting left the political party divided and unsure of what to do next. To beat their opponents, the Republicans, they are in dire need of a win. If they want to step up their game, they need to support Joe Biden.
Every other candidate who tried to run for office is pledging support to Biden, including Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigeg and Bernie Sanders. Progressives and moderates in the Democratic Party have been split on a number of policy issues, which has caused a lot more fighting within the party itself. Since Sanders gained a lot of popularity from his progressive policies, his support shows that compromising on policy ideas is key if they want to get anything done.
Besides, Biden is someone both progressives and moderates could trust to get something done. Biden himself is listed as a moderate, but that does not necessarily mean he is totally adverse to progressive policies. Biden wants to, among other things, raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, provide paid leave to employees and erase the first two years of college tuition, all things that progressive-leaning Democrats have pushed for, including Sanders.
Critics have noted Biden’s struggles to garner the youth vote compared to other candidates, which is a valid concern. It is probably the biggest challenge he faces in the upcoming presidential primary. He should also probably work on strengthening his debate skills, since his performances during the electoral debates last year were rather subpar. But this alone shouldn’t automatically dismiss him as a candidate.
He also has very recent working experience in handling crises, which is particularly relevant now. He was vice president to President Barack Obama, who came into office when the country was in the midst of economic turmoil. We are seeing similar problems appear today. Over 22 million Americans are unemployed as a result of the virus. No one knows how much time it will take for the country to recover, or if they will be able to find work again once the pandemic has calmed down.
If Biden wins, he has the chance to turn the country around for the better. He has already laid out what he intends to do to help America recover after COVID-19. His plan includes stabilizing the economy, providing money to hard-hit families and workers and pushing for a global effort to combat the disease.
Democrats need to support Biden at all costs because, at this point, he is the only option left. Everyone else, from Bernie to Booker to Buttigieg, has dropped out, leaving him and Trump as the only possible candidates on Nov. 1. For the Democrats, it’s now or never. At the same time, though, the Democratic Party needs to be united in its support of Biden, or risk creating more political divide.
When President Trump came into office, either you supported him or you didn’t. The political divide this has caused is unlike anything ever seen in U.S. history. Whether you supported Trump or not would make or break your chance to have a debate with some. Instead of actual policy work getting done, politicians and everyday people stuck to one side and refused compromise. This is not an inherently bad thing—you have to be decisive in your opinions, after all— but the gridlock that has occured as a result has largely been not worth it. America needs to move forward, and it can’t do that if politicians are still at each other’s throats.
Many people are tired of this country being so divisive. If Biden wins, there’s a chance for political unity amongst both Democrats and Republicans at long last.
