No endorsement:
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A few for Donald Trump:
Policy. On that basis alone, undecided Coloradans should cast their vote for President Donald Trump.
Oh, we get it. Trump’s personality and character traits nauseate a significant segment of voters from the far left, through the middle and to the far right. Colorado’s mostly white-collar population finds no charm in Trump’s brazen, crude and unconventional demeanor (see Winston Churchill).
Yet, never has a presidential candidate’s persona been less relevant. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, as shown in the first presidential debate and throughout a lifelong political career, offers no improvement in terms of personality and character.
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Four years ago, Donald J. Trump presented himself to the American people as a brash, vulgar, gold-plated reality star seeking a political career in which he promised to bounce the entrenched Washington political set off the ropes of a pro wrestling ring and pound them into the canvas. It all seemed so self-serving and absurd.
Sure, he had built a massive real estate empire and lent his name to gleaming skyscrapers. But he had no track record whatsoever in the political world. We had no reason to trust that Mr. Trump would be a good steward of the economy, a fierce defender of our homeland or even a protector of our most cherished constitutional liberties.
For the first time since our founding in 1982, this paper declined to endorse anyone in the 2016 presidential election.
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All this, of course, ignores the fact that pre-COVID-19, Donald Trump’s economy was going gangbusters. Last year, the jobless rate dropped to 3.5%, its lowest reading in 50 years. The jobless rate for Hispanics hit a record low of 3.9% in September 2019, while African Americans maintained their lowest rate ever, 5.5%, according to CNBC.
The Dow hovered around 19,000 when Trump was first elected — last year it hit above 26,000 — good news for everyone with a 401(k). Trump didn’t spend his way to a robust economy — he cut regulations and got tougher with trade negotiations.
He’s against defunding police, for holding China accountable for COVID-19 negligence and putting America first on trade, defense, the courts and, again, the economy.
He’s what America needs right now, decisive action to get us back to pre-pandemic strength — not an unfeasible spending spree in the name of a progressive utopia.
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For Joe Biden:
The most compelling argument in favor of the candidacy of former Vice President Joe Biden, at least for some people, is that he’s not Donald Trump. And if shove came to push — which we fervently hope it does not, especially outside the polls on Election Day — that would be more than good enough for us, given the depredations of Trump’s four-year reign of error. But there is so much more to like and respect about Biden as a long-tenured public servant and, just as important, as a man, that we give him our endorsement without reservation.
Support for Biden does not discount the fact that a number of other Democratic candidates had much to offer. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders single-handedly changed the national discussion about health care and economic fairness, among other issues, and deserves credit for energizing an entire generation of young people to become politically active. He has also been a model of consistency during his decades in public office while others have gone where the winds have blown them. We’ve been big fans of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren ever since she built the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the wake of the greed and corruption that caused the 2008 economic meltdown. Smart, focused and unafraid of detail (or bullies, like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell), Warren gave hope to millions of girls and young women that the toughest glass ceiling in America can and will be broken. Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, while lacking national political experience, demonstrated in our conversation with him a command of the issues — not surprising for a former Naval intelligence officer — along with eloquence and humanity. We hope to see more of him in the future: As has been noted before, he could run again in 2056 and still be younger than Biden is today.
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A vote for Biden, most urgently, is a vote to change course in how we address a pandemic that has so far infected more than 8.4 million Americans and killed 223,000 people. It is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer, a ranking higher than in nearly all other countries of similar population and wealth.
Biden pledges to work closely with infectious disease experts who’ve been ostracized by the current administration at various times over the past eight months. We do not expect a Biden administration to sway key decisions about the country’s COVID-19 response, such as how ventilators and personal protective equipment are allocated, based on mercurial politics. Massachusetts was on the losing end of that this spring, with shipments of PPE to the state literally diverted en route. It should not be so again, when vaccines for COVID-19 are distributed.
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Joe Biden says he entered this presidential race because Donald Trump equivocated when asked to denounce the white supremacists in Charlottesville. Biden was not the first (or likely second) choice for many Iowans in February. Yet as we have seen the challenges of 2020, from the pandemic to the resulting economic recession, to the protests shining a light on the racial inequality our country has never fully dealt with, it has become clear that he is the candidate — the president — we need.
We can talk about Biden’s policies. He will implement a science-based response to the pandemic. He understands that addressing this COVID-19 pandemic rather than ignoring it is the way to restore our economy. He will put the country back on the right track with regard to climate change. He will work to ensure that every American has access to affordable healthcare by improving the Affordable Health Act rather than eliminating it. He will restore the United States’ reputation with our allies on the global stage. He will re-establish strong and stable leadership.
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Joe Biden is probably nobody’s idea of the perfect presidential candidate. Lacking the charm of a John Kennedy or the star power of a Franklin Roosevelt, no one is expecting him to usher in a New Frontier, let alone a New Deal, if he’s elected. And, at 77, few would expect him to serve two terms.
Furthermore, the former senator and former vice president has been around Washington for a very long time, long enough for him to have accrued an extensive record, some of which is problematic. It’s the main occupational hazard of a Washington insider, which he certainly is.
People on the far left tend to see Biden as a “same old, same old” figure, part of the problem rather than part of the solution, and they long for a candidate more like Bernie Sanders. At one time or another, Biden has taken positions — on Social Security, on the NAFTA trade agreement, on the second Iraq war (“a mistake,” he now acknowledges), and on the controversial 1994 crime bill — that have been widely criticized by Sanders and others. (Even so, Sanders has strongly endorsed him.)
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It’s time to heal and work to unite the country. To stem the spread of the coronavirus, rebuild the economy, honestly confront racial and economic inequality, aggressively address climate change and reestablish the nation as a respected world leader.
For that, the United States needs a president who will put the country ahead of personal and political self-interests. Who believes in science. Who cares about people of all economic and racial backgrounds. Who has a history of reaching across the political aisle rather than demonizing those who disagree with him.
It’s time to elect Joe Biden.
He’s the candidate who wears a mask and recognizes that the pandemic will not magically disappear, supports the House extension of full unemployment benefit subsidies as the country faces massive unemployment, selected the first woman of color as a vice-presidential candidate for a major party and has a plan to reduce, not increase, the nation’s use of fossil fuels.
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Character matters with the office of the president of the United States. Trump fails here as well. While some pass off his “style” as “straight talk,” we see it as demeaning, racially charged, misogynistic and sophomoric.
Biden and Harris have opposed all the Trump policies we believe will hurt the Mankato region.
We do not tell our readers how to vote. We only try to lay out the facts through the lens of the public good and overall well-being of the country.
We urge everyone to vote.
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American voters can do much better than Trump.
We strongly support Joe Biden for president. The former vice president and U.S. senator from Delaware has the vast political experience and moderate views that should allow him to be able to bring together all Americans.
For the past four years, Trump has tried to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which has brought access to health care to more than 20 million Americans. If Trump is re-elected, tens of millions of Americans could lose health insurance coverage.
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Trump supporters applaud his work to reduce regulations and lower taxes for some Americans. He also gives them a strong voice as changing demographics shape America's future.
But, they admit, Trump's style at times drives them crazy and is not very presidential.
Biden must end blue state-red state politics. A united America is a worthy, noble cause for the next president.
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More to come...
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