Joe Biden: The Leader America Yearns For

For me, I already had my mind made up on who I wanted to vote for when they announced their candidacy on April 25, 2019. That person was Joe Biden. To me, Joe Biden represents a lot of characteristics that we want and need in a President. We need a leader, someone who is a decent human being, someone who understands the severity of the presidency and the problems that lie ahead.
As a young person, I was taught about the importance of the role of government in America, that having power means you can change lives for the better. To progress your agenda is to simply improve the lives of those struggling. That’s what I was taught and when Barack Obama was elected the first African American president in this nation’s history, it stoked my passion for politics. As someone who grew up in a liberal household, it gave me a decent idea of what he stood for, when I was a nine-year-old who didn’t understand much about policies or the deep meaning of politics. When I was a kid, I was an introvert and loved to learn more about different things whether it was about different shows, movies, or even sports. I was nicknamed “the researcher” by my parents because of how much I would research things that interested me and stoked my wanting to learn more. I remember watching the inauguration of President Obama in class and watching my teacher’s eyes with excitement and learning how much progress that this country made with him being sworn in. That’s when I started to learn more about him and his administration and who helped him with his agenda. I stumbled across the name of his Vice President, Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.
I researched him and his career extensively and thought how much of a great choice he was for President Obama. Reading how long he served as a Senator and all of the accomplishments he had in his political career gave me hope. From co-authoring the Violence Against Women Act and working across the aisle with both sides of the political spectrum, his record inspired me to uphold the same ideals and decency that he has. As a key person who helped President Obama turn the economy around and save the auto industry from the brink of death, it gave me another reason to look up to him. When the Affordable Care Act was passed, he was the one that got Republican votes to push it over the top which pushed my affinity towards him as someone who clearly knows how to get the job done.
I also learned about his life before politics and the struggles he has had to go through. With his father having to move his family struggling to get another job, he had to learn the early struggles of life and how much you had to sacrifice in order for your children to thrive. When his wife and daughter died tragically right after he was first elected as a United States Senator, he never gave up and his love for his family proved that. He was a single dad for a few years, raising his two sons who were also badly injured in the wreck that killed their mother and sister. While never forgetting his wife and daughter, he was able to start a family with Jill Jacobs and had a daughter together. When his son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015, it returned him to the same feeling of loss and hopelessness. He never thought he’d have to go through that same feeling again, yet was able to pick up his head and continue doing what he said Beau wanted him to do, and that was to “stay in the public arena”.
In 2015, Joe Biden thought that he would never run for office again but little did he know what would transpire the next year. No one thought Donald Trump would win the Presidency. No one thought a man with little to no decency and vile with his rhetoric would hold the office of the most powerful job in the world. From wanting to ban Muslims from this country and colluding with Russia to undermine our democracy to spouting hateful rhetoric and being surrounded by those who are unqualified, President Trump has proven time and again how unfit he is to serve as Commander-in-Chief. Horrified and disturbed at these actions, Joe Biden knew he had to do what was not in his best interest, but in the best interest of the American people and that was to run for President. While we are in the middle of a global pandemic that President Trump has failed at containing while simultaneously defending white supremacy, Joe Biden is the Democratic nominee. He hopes to “restore the soul of this nation” which resonates with many people across the country who are looking for a leader to act. We are lacking the kind of leadership that stared down our enemies and dictators who were trying to undermine America and worked for the American people’s best interests. As someone who grew up in a working middle class family, Joe Biden understands the need to have a leader who relates to those who are simply trying to get by. He understands how important the future of our country is and how much it is at stake. He understands that we can question the judgement of those in office, but not their motives. He understands how to work with both sides of the aisle and knows how to respect one another. He knows the importance of being kind and decent towards one another. The choice has never been more clear in this election. We truly are, as Joe Biden says, in the “battle for the soul of this nation”. Let’s elect someone who has our best interests at heart. For the sake of our children and of our democracy, we must elect Joe Biden the 46th President of the United States.
Originally published at https://bidenwarroom.org on July 17, 2020.