Over 20 Democratic presidential hopefuls are attempting to remove President Donald Trump from the White House in 2020.
Getting to Know Vice President Joe Biden
When it comes to politics, former Vice President Joe Biden needs no introduction.
For better or for worse, when presidential candidates, especially former senators like Vice President Biden, have long congressional records it has an impact on their bid for the White House.
To many Democrats, Biden stands the best chance to go head-to-head with President Donald Trump.
But his record on racial issues and gender issues, after decades in Congress, might present his biggest hurdle at becoming the 46th President of the United States of America.
Many political pundits have labeled Biden as a moderate Democrat while others have labeled him as a closeted Republican.
Regardless, many see him as the best Democratic candidate because some critics see the Democratic Party as becoming too left of center to beat President Trump in the 2020 general election.
On the contrary, many progressives believe his time has come and gone, believing that Democrats cannot play it safe in 2020.
When Republicans played it safe by nominating Sen. Bob Dole in 1996, Sen. John McCain in 2008 and Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012, the opposing party won the presidency each time.
Republicans did not play it safe by nominating Trump in 2016.
Therefore, many progressives believe that Democrats need to take the approach of nominating someone with radical ideas to move the country in a different direction.
Biden had enjoyed enormous praise from the African-American community after serving as former President Barack Obama’s second in command for eight years.
Nevertheless, his record on school busing in the 1970s, his treatment of sexual harassment claims by Professor Anita Hill against Justice Clarence Thomas in the early 1990s and his working relationship with segregationist in Congress might hurt his chances with minority voters in 2020.
But what Biden has that many of his Democratic rivals might not have is the ability to resonate with middle of the road working class Americans who might not be benefitting from the improved economy.
The American economy began improving steadily under the eight-year administration of President Obama, but many rural White Americans felt left out.
Many of those voters, who had voted Democrat in the past, cast their lot with Trump because he promised the return of factory jobs to rural towns by putting America first.
Some of those rural voters have begun labeling the new wave of Democratic leaders as West Coast or East Coast elitist and they feel left off out of the political conversation.
Biden who has roots in working-class Pennsylvania and Delaware can easily relate to those voters.
Furthermore, Biden’s tumultuous life is something that resonates with voters as well.
Many Americans grieved with him when he lost his former wife and children over the years of his national political career.
On the other hand, his tell-it-like-is mentality often got him in trouble in past years.
Many Americans can still see Obama trying to rein him in as he gave off the cuff remarks.
However, that no holds barred approach is what got Trump elected.
Therefore, the politically correct path to the Oval Office might be a thing of the past, which might fit Biden’s personality perfectly.
Biden is building his 2020 presidential campaign on core American values including equality for all, looking out for the middle class, providing respected leadership on the world stage and inclusiveness.
“This country wasn’t built by Wall Street bankers and CEOs and hedge fund managers,” Biden said. “It was built by the American middle class.”
Biden believes that the middle class is not just an income level or a set number.
The former senator believes the middle class is an American ideal, which includes owning a home, sending one’s children to college, having a decent retirement and not living paycheck to paycheck.
However, Biden believes that the system is set up against the middle class in favor of the richest one percent.
He believes that every citizen should be able to achieve the American dream regardless of where they were born, what family they were born into or what their demographic group is.
Biden wants to do this by reforming the criminal justice system and ensuring that all Americans have the skills needed to obtain a well-paying job.
He wants to defend and build upon the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
Biden believes Americans should have the right to choose between a public healthcare option like Medicare and healthcare via an insurance company.
On Biden’s website, the presidential hopeful says, “We should also offer a premium-free access to this public option for people who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid, but for the fact they have been denied access to it by governors and state legislatures who have refused the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. We must ensure that they are receiving coverage that matches what they would have access to through Medicaid.”
Biden also wants to tackle such healthcare crisis as cancer, mental health issues and the Opioid epidemic.
The climate change crisis is another epidemic that Biden wants to tackle in the Oval Office.
The former vice president wants every American to have access to clean air, clean water and no access to pollutants in the environment.
As for criminal justice reform Biden said, “We need to reform the criminal justice system to prioritize prevention, eliminate racial disparities at every stage, get rid of sentencing practices that don’t fit the crime, and help make sure formerly incarcerated individuals who have served their sentences are able to fully participate in our democracy and economy.
“We have to take action to reduce gun violence and hate crimes, strengthen the landmark Violence Against Women Act, and insist on real community policing that builds trust and makes every community safe.”
Furthermore, Biden prefers a humane immigration policy while also protecting the border and strengthening the American economy.
“Putting people in cages and tearing children away from their parents isn’t the answer,” Biden said. “We have got to address the root causes of migration that push people to leave behind their homes and everything they know to undertake a dangerous journey for the chance at a better life…”
Magazine Topics:
- Introducing Author Marianne Williamson
- Introducing Mayor Bill de Blasio
- Introducing Secretary Julian Castro
- 2020 Democratic Presidential Hopefuls
- Introducing Sen. Cory Booker
- Introducing Sen. Kamala Harris
- Introducing Sen. Amy Klobuchar
- Introducing Businessperson Andrew Yang
- Introducing Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
- Introducing Rep. Beto O’Rourke
- Introducing Gov. Steve Bullock
- Introducing Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
- Introducing Rep. Tim Ryan
- Introducing Rep. John Sestak
- Introducing Mayor Wayne Messam