Biden is Necessary

By: Ela

Even though I am not of legal age to vote, I have followed the election very closely since last year. I knew Biden was a known figure and had high chances of becoming the Democratic Nominee but I hoped that it wouldn’t be him. I didn’t pay much attention to him, because I was inspired by the people of color on the debate stage and by the progressives. For the first time, the candidates running for the highest office in the country were starting to represent the needs of the people and looked like America. One by one, those I was inspired by began to drop out and I was deeply disappointed. Now, Biden is the Nominee and will go up against Trump in the General Election. I still am disappointed but I understand that Biden is necessary. Voting for him is necessary.

In my mind, this is a simple comparison of Biden and Trump:

I didn’t pick a specific issue to address in my comic but here is an example: Biden believes in climate change and has recently developed a 2 trillion dollar plan to address climate change. Until recently, his climate plan was not strong compared to most of the other candidates. After he became the nominee, he began working with Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others to improve many of his policies. If he is elected, and we want to see something more changed in his climate policy, we can protest and tell him. He will listen and can be pushed to do the right thing. Donald Trump believes climate change is a hoax and doesn’t acknowledge the problem. This is dangerous to the safety/health of people of color and is endangering the entire future of humanity. A few days ago, the Trump administration finalized a proposal to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). According to writer Tom McKay, “What NEPA actually does is ensure that all environmental impacts of a federal project are examined and alternatives are considered before construction moves forward, as well as gives local communities the right to have their voices heard during the approval process.” This is just one of the many examples of the Trump Administration’s attack on environmental protection laws.

Yes, Biden is not my first choice but we have to think about the greater good. If I could vote, I would cast my ballot for Biden.

P.S there is more than the presidential election. Senator positions, local government positions and representative positions are up for election. That is a chance to support progressives and candidates of color.