I believe the voters of the United States have gotten lazy. We’ve started to vote for whoever is in our party, move on with our lives, and then complain about who was elected whether we voted for them or not. I believe as citizens of the United States, we (especially us young voters) should at least know a little more than the names of the candidates. For the next few weeks, I will be laying out the candidates’ platforms and biggest critics. In no particular order, Biden will be up first.
Former VP (under Barack Obama) Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.
“The Centrist”
Moderate-Left
Currently in 2nd place in unofficial national polling
Very popular with communities of color and working-class voters
joebiden.com
Immigration
Biden wants to grant citizenship to some undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and focus on undocumented immigrants with criminal records and reduce pressure on those without. He believes asylum seekers should be given a chance to at least speak their case and be heard
Economy
Biden’s U.S. economic goals include increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour and encouraging the competitiveness among the middle class. One way Biden is hoping to pay for his ideas is to increase tax on the wealthy.
Violence
As the original author of the Violence Against Women Act, one pillar of Biden’s platform is to end violence against women. He also has plans to end gun violence by banning and buying back weapons of war and closing common loopholes used to get them. Biden believes the real enemy is gun manufacturers, not necessarily the NRA. He also worked with the idea for “smart guns” that do not allow firing if the fingerprints do not match the owner
Education
For undergraduate students, Biden plans to double the maximum value of Pell grants and open them up to more middle-class Americans, make community college free, erase undergraduate student loan debt of those earning less than $25,000 a year and cap student loan payments at 5% of the individual’s annual income (it is capped at 10% right now).
Biden promises to provide high-quality, universal pre-kindergarten, double the mental health care access in schools, and build better schools in low-income communities and communities of color.
As for the educators, Biden wants to provide a competitive wage and benefits, and help them pay off their student loans.
Criminal Justice
Biden wants to shift from incarceration to prevention and focus on redemption and rehab. He plans to get rid of the racial, gender, and income-based disparities in the system, decriminalize the use of cannabis, eliminate the death penalty, and reform the juvenile justice system to give more children a second chance. Biden will end cash bail and stop jailing people who are unable to pay for fines and fees and ensure humane prison conditions and provide for the needs of incarcerated women.
Healthcare
Biden promises to protect and build on the Affordable Care Act, brought in during the Obama administration, so everyone (especially older Americans and low-income adults) has access to quality, affordable healthcare. Unlike Medicare for All, Biden encourages the use of public and private plans. He also plans to increase accessibility to hospitals in rural areas and stop runaway drug prices and profiteering of the drug industry.
Climate Justice
Biden plans a Clean Energy Revolution as a part of the Green New Deal by achieving a 100% clean energy economy and net zero emissions before 2050, promoting biofuels, investing in wind and solar energy and green infrastructure.
Biden’s Critiques:
Many believe Biden is too centrist. They see him as not liberal enough to align with their views. He was originally thought to be the most likely candidate who could beat trump because he had African Americans’ support and could win white voters. After Iowa and New Hampshire (primarily white states), he is losing footing quickly. Many think he will not be able to overcome these losses.
Overall, he seems to be losing his hold on voters and donors. It’s a common understanding that Biden really shot himself in the foot by not even staying in New Hampshire for the results to come in.
Biden’s biggest setback was when he was accused by multiple women of inappropriately touching them. He has claimed that it was a misunderstanding of societal manners.