By: Jordan Hasty – Staff Writer
As the 2020 Presidential Election becomes imminent, taking action is incredibly important granted this is the election of a lifetime. The election will be held between the two parties – the Republicans and the Democrats on Tuesday, November 3rd. The Republicans are the conservative political party, currently represented by President Donald J. Trump, who is hoping to secure another four years in power. Supporters among this party stand for lower taxes, gun rights, and tighter restrictions on immigration in recent years. In regards to the Democrats, they are the liberal political party whose corresponding candidate is Joe R. Biden, previous Vice President for Barack Obama during his two terms. Individuals who politically identify as liberal can be best defined by their stances on issues such as civil rights, immigration, and climate change. Said party believes the government should play a bigger role in the lives of the American people, for instance providing health insurance.
45th and current President, Donald J. Trump serves as the Republican party candidate for the 2020 Presidential Election. He assumed office on January 20, 2017, and filed to run for re-election on the same day. The focal point of Trump’s re-election campaign is “America first” – focusing on the economy, jobs, immigration, and foreign policy. After making promises to those in favor of the pro-life movement in 2016, Trump took executive action to remove taxpayer money flowing towards Planned Parenthood, which is the largest abortion clinic in the country. He reinstated and enlarged the ban on American’s tax funds going towards abortions in foreign countries, also known as the “gag rule,” which says overseas groups recieving U.S. assistance cannot provide abortions or discuss abortion as an option to patients. Essentially, the rule meant that Planned Parenthood had to terminate abortion services and stop referring women to other abortion providers. The Trump administration’s plans and migrant notions have thrusted immigration into the 2020 spotlight. In August, a new rule was announced that lifted the restrictions on how long the government can detain migrant children, immigration advocates, and critics blanched. According to the Trump Administration, “it was a necessary step to curb the number of migrants appearing at the border and to enforce immigration policy. This triggered a nuance in the critic reaction. Since taking office, immigration has been Trump’s signature issue. Trump had kicked off his initial campaign taking aim at DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program), and made a vow to “terminate President Obama’s illegal executive order on immigration immediately” during his presidential announcement speech on June 16, 2015. He restated similar claims again during an August 31 rally in Arizona. Trump officially ordered an end to DACA on September 5, 2017, giving Congress six months to pass a bill to salvage the policy. Shortly after, Trump prompted Congress to “get ready to do [their] job – DACA!” via Twitter. Whilst the date of Dreamers losing their protection was nearing, a terrorist attack occured in New York City, inflicted by a suspect reportedly in the country on a green card. On the rise of this occasion, Trump hastily took more drastic immigration measures: on November 1, 2017, he set forth his intention to end the Diversity Visa Lottery (or the green card program). The next day, the President ruled out addressing DACA on a year-end bill which had the potential to extend the Dreamers’ protections. His administration has rolled out a list of policies aimed at both restricting and reforming immigration in the U.S., all of which have been enacted while divisive claims about immigrants themselves have been voiced. As the 2020 Presidential race heats up, Trump shows no signs of backing down from his immigration vision and border wall progression. Climate change has been moved to the forefront of the election as various activists have protested in light of the crisis. From 16 year-old Greta Thunberg to the Green New Deal, to the near two-thirds of American’s who agree that immediate action must be taken to resolve the serious problem, candidates are prompted to share detailed plans concerning the issue. Amongst the increasing attention towards climate change, the Trump administration has continued to try to expand fossil fuel industries and loosen environmental regulations. With health care poised to be yet another significant campaign issue in 2020, Trump signaled an interest in reviving health care reform and repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While Republicans fell short on tackling health care since the 2017 repeal efforts, Trump has focused on other areas concerning bipartisan appeal, such as decreasing the cost of prescription drugs and ending surprise medical billing. Frequently, the President detests the ACA, likening it to socialism. Following his views, he issued an executive order that expands Medicare Advantage, which is the private version of Medicare for seniors. The purpose of the order is to switch individuals from public to private plans. Relating to Trump’s stance on the foreign policy, his relations differ between countries. In recent history, Trump’s correspondence with China has plateaued over a wide range of issues. Trump began a trade war with China before reaching a partial Phase 1 trade deal in January. Since, he has shut the door on Phase 2 negotiations, showing unhappiness with Beijing’s method of handing the pandemic. Subsequent to Trump’s questioning of how beneficial U.S. military interventions in the Middle East are, he pulled out of a nuclear deal reached with Iran, European nations, and Russia under President Barack Obama. After Iranian proxies and U.S. forces clashed in Iraq, Trump ordered the January strike, killing powerful Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. After three meetings held between North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jung Un in 2018 and 2019, efforts have stalled to get Kim to abandon the country’s nuclear weapons program. Similar to past presidents, Trump has pledged to secure peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Yet, as before, this goal has been proven elusive. The Trump administration moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, a show of support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, angering both the Palestinians and their supporters. In the following year, the administration formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, which reversed a long-standing U.S. policy and irked other countries. The President has also angered NATO members, including other U.S. allies while refusing to criticize Russian leader Vladimir Putin, even when U.S. intelligence officials concluded Russia’s military had interfered in the 2016 Presidential Election. Moving towards social justice issues, the racial unrest within America was put in the limelight as a result of the spur of events following the brutal, unjust police killing of George Floyd. Trump initiated a controversial and militarized response as police officials reacted using rubber bullets, tear gas, and arrests to disperse occasionally violent crowds. According to a statement from the National Guard Bureau of Public Affairs, on the Sunday morning following Floyd’s death, Trump administered approximately 5,000 Guard Soldiers and Airmen, activated in response to civil disturbances in over 15 states, while another 2,000 waited in preparation if needed. Many agreed that the President should have instead focused on unifying the nation, rather than making divisive references within the media. The national political debate surrounding gun control and gun rights has taken on a weighted role in the 2020 election. In late August, Trump seemed to contradict his former promise to enact more strict gun laws on gun buyers. Later, he solidified his agreement of closing loopholes in gun laws already passed, as he worried any new laws could cause a ripple effect, leading to a total ban on handguns. The state of the economy and labor issues has been a significant focus in Trump’s individual campaign. Going into his first Presidential term, Trump inherited an economy that was in the midst of a historically long run of expansion; he managed to latch on to its continued strength, becoming a primary selling point for voters. Trump oversaw a tax cut which put America’s wealthiest in favor and lowered tax burdens, providing a small boost for the economy. Although there are signs the economy may be weakening due to factors such as trade war and others, thus far the economy has remained somewhat adaptable. Though President Trump has not outlined a detailed plan centering his agenda for battling COVID-19, his administration has taken action on battling the virus. Federal social distancing guidelines were issued in March, The White House has pledged to create 300 million doses of a vaccine by January 2021, and there has been talk amongst the Trump administration to expand COVID-19 testing in partnership with the private sector.
Decision-making responsibility has been shifted to states, leaving testing plan development, procurement of personal protective materials, and decrees on mask mandates and stay at home orders to the governor. Despite granting states the authority, Trump still urged states to reopen beginning in May, though the amount of cases of COVID-19 in many areas remained high.Working alongside President Trump is Michael R. Pence, the 48th Vice President of the United States. As previous Governor of Indiana, Pence established his philosophy of limited government and lower taxes. In 2017, Pence became the first Vice President to establish his own political action committee within his first term, named the Great America Committee. Over the course of 2 years, Pence raised $4 million, which likely will be deployed during the 2020 election season.
Opposing Presidential candidate and former Vice President, Joseph R. Biden strives to “bring back better” as the Democratic nominee in the 2020 election. Biden has evolved on abortion – withdrawing his former opposition of Roe V. Wade’s legislation to enshrine abortion rights. Former VP acknowledges his religious beliefs and says he “accepts my (Catholic) church’s position that life begins at conception,” but does not think that religious view should be imposed on others. Following the June outcry, Biden voted no on legislation to define a fetus as a child for the purposes of the health program SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) as Senator. Simultaneously, he voted in favor of a bill which banned late-term abortions. As an increasingly important issue for voters, immigration has stood tall as a determining voting factor for many. Joe Biden supports the path to citizenship for young adults and/or children who came to the United States without legal status with their parents. As President, Biden hopes to secure the border, while ensuring the dignity of migrants and their legal right to seek political protection. In enforcing laws, he plans to steer clear from targeting communities, violating due process, or tearing apart families. Biden firmly asserts that bringing our nation together, reclaiming our core values, and reforming the current immigration system will require strong leadership and actual solutions – each Biden believes he can offer confidently as President. At the moment of a profound crisis, the Democratic nominee states that we have the opportunity to build a more resilient, sustainable economy, creating a more sustainable and equitable clean energy future. Like Michael Bennet, Biden wants to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 through the Green New Deal. The ideal outcome of this plan is to harness our energy, talents, and innovation to create an opportunity to revitalize the U.S. energy sector and boost economic growth nationwide. He would invest $1.7 trillion over 10 years in clean energy, covered by funds eliminating certain corporate tax breaks. Biden also pledges to end new oil and gas leasing on federal land, and will not accept contributions from oil, gas, and coal corporations or executives. In terms of health care, Biden wants to expand on the Affordable Care Act, as well as create a public option similar to Medicare. His plan ensures that no family, regardless of income, spends more than 8.5% of their earnings on the individual marketplace, as tax credits would increase. On top of that, Biden’s plan will also help cover the 4.9 million Americans who do not have access to financial aid due to over a dozen states refusing the expansion of the low-income program. The individuals not granted access will be covered automatically under the public plan and will not have to pay premiums. Health care is a vital aspect in Biden’s campaign as his commitment to ACA has become integral to him as his son Beau Biden died from brain cancer in 2015. Biden states that through his presidency, America can focus on supporting health above wealth. Going forward, international issues will impact every American, providing an appropriate justification to raise focus towards foreign policy opinions when indicating your final vote decision. Biden argues that China finds joy in a chaotic Trump administration, his rejection of U.S. leadership roles in global institutions, and his alienation of American allies. The democratic candidate says that he will correct this by inviting multilateral pressure on China through rebuilt relations with U.S. allies. Upon Biden’s opinion, the strike that killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani “put the United States and Iran on a collision course” and proposed a more narrow focus for the U.S. military in working with local allies and specializing in counterterrorism. Unlike Trump, Biden has said he would not meet with Kim without preconditions, including that Trump has given away U.S. leverage over the North Korean regime for little in return. Biden would rejoin the Paris climate agreement and strengthen alliances such as NATO, which he claims would undo the damage to American leadership and credibility inflicted by Trump. Standing at one of the main priorities in the former Vice President’s campaign, rebuilding the middle class, which Biden often refers to as the “backbone of the United States” begins with higher education. Biden intends to eliminate the cost of tuition and fees at community colleges, including erasing student loan debt for people making $30,000 or less. He would also establish an income-contingent repayment plan capped at 5% of an individual’s income. Joe Biden has made himself well-aware that gun violence is a public health epidemic. As President, Biden ensures that he will pursue constitutional, common-sense gun safety policies. Along with universal background checks, Biden favors an assault weapons ban, and “smart guns” – technology that blocks a gun from firing, unless the holder’s finger is on the trigger. Additionally, Biden opposes gun licensing as he believes it is ineffective. Many of Biden’s economic and labor plans feature an education aspect, including a plan floated under Barack Obama, former President of the U.S., to offer two years of debt-free community college or other quality education programs. He has also developed proposals, some containing more details than others, targeted specifically towards supporting rural and older Americans. To combat COVID-19, Biden outlined a plan to mount an effective national emergency response with life-preserving results, protects frontline workers, and minimizes the spread of the coronavirus. Biden plans to take federal measures to offer interest-free loans to businesses who qualify through the duration of the crisis. The proposal will be coordinated with the Treasury Department and the Small Business Association. The plan also calls for a new program that gives states funding, directly increasing lending to small businesses. In order to provide employer assistance for job maintenance, a State and Local Emergency Fund would be created, which Biden says could help keep workers on the job. Further, the fund would also allow cities and states to create new job initiatives to address declines in employment. Lastly, to tailor to low-income individuals, cost barriers for prevention of and care for COVID-19 will be eliminated. As the first Black and Indian American woman to represent California in the United States Senate, Kamala Harris serves as the current Democratic vice presidential nominee for the 2020 election and Joe Biden’s running mate. Harris prides herself for her dominant belief in the promise of America, and fighting to fulfill that promise for all Americans. Since the candidate was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Kamala introduced and co-sponsored legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15, support the middle class, reform cash bail, and defend the legal rights of refugees and immigrants. As stated on Harris’ campaign site, “her first priority as vice president will be to give working and middle class families an overdue income boost. Under her plan, she’ll reverse President Trump’s trillion-dollar tax cut for big corporations and the top 1% and use that money to give a tax credit of up to $6,000 to working families each year.” Families earning less than $100,000 annually will be provided a refundable tax credit up to $6,000 under her proposed legislation. Harris plans to utilize her determination to perform successfully as vice president.
Eligibility to vote consists of two factors: you must be a U.S. citizen and be 18 or older. This voting cycle, there are two methods to vote: in person (strongly suggested) or by mail. If you are a registered voter, you will be sent a ballot in the mail no later than 29 days prior to Election Day. If you are too young to become a registered voter and are of the age 16 or 17, online pre-registration is available at registertovote.ca.gov. Each applicant must meet the following criteria: must be a U.S. citizen and California resident, not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court, and not currently on parole for the conviction of a felony according to the California Secretary of State, Alex Padilla. Once individuals have gone through the pre-registration process, the registration will become active as they reach the age of 18. The first method of voting is in person. Depending on voter preference, this can be completed as an early vote, or Election Day vote. If in person is your desired voting approach, it is important to note that although this election season differs due to the current pandemic, most election agencies maintain consistent polling locations to avoid confusion. Competent election administrators will send a postcard a few weeks prior to Election Day as a reminder to registered voters where to cast ballots, pertaining to early voters as well. Polling locations could also be found online by visiting the Secretary of State’s my voter status tool. If you plan to vote early, keep in mind that the voting period runs from Monday, October 5, 2020 to Monday, November 2, 2020. Early voting and vote-by-mail ballot drop off destinations are included on the Secretary of State’s Early Voting website. If you are a first-time voter who registered via mail, and did not include proof of identification such as driver’s license number, the last 4 digits of your SSN (Social Security Number), and California ID number on your registration, it is likely you may be prompted to show ID when you vote. Acceptable forms of ID include: U.S. passport, driver’s license, student ID card (displaying name & photograph), or the sample ballot booklet you received from your county’s election office. Suppose you do not provide a form of self-identification, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot. It is highly encouraged that every individual who has the ability votes properly this election season. Every vote matters and is especially vital in shaping the country. This is your opportunity to champion for a systemic change and make a decision that will draw the change that you want to see.
