The case for Trump: policies, not personalities
You hear it from both sides: This is the most important election of our lifetime. Former VP Joe Biden says the country will be fundamentally changed with four more years of
Donald Trump. President Trump says the same about a Biden presidency.
Biden and supporters refer to the president as disruptive, bombastic, exaggerating, coarse, ignoring of political norms, chaotic
… the list goes on. But at Monday’s rally in the Lehigh Valley, when Trump mentioned a person or group that “doesn’t like me so much,” like Big Pharma, people chanted in unison,
“We love you, We love you ... ”
Trump says a Biden election would bring socialism to America and he alone stands in the way. He opposes Biden’s policies of far more open borders. By “socialism” he also means a vast expansion of government in the regulation of the American industrial economy in addition to an expansion of already financially troubled Medicare from 65 to 60, ballooning Medicaid coverage, free public college for many, government payoff of some student debt, a “public option” for health care, a significant portion of the revolutionary Green New Deal, etc.
While we haven’t lacked for political theater (an understatement), discussion of the big issues has not exactly been front and center in this campaign.
First, the economy and related issues: Prior to the pandemic, the U.S. economy was going full tilt with record unemployment across all demographics; low- and middle-income families were experiencing real wage growth after years of stagnation. Income inequality was reduced for the first time in years.
Millions of lower income people were lifted out of poverty and off food stamps. Trade deals were renegotiated to benefit working-class families and American manufacturing. About 450,000 manufacturing jobs were created without Obama’s proverbial “magic wand.”
Billions in investment capital parked abroad in countries with lower corporate tax rates are returning to the U.S. Regulations across the length and breadth of the economy were lessened under Trump.
The Trump reduced-regulation-driven, energy independence policy impacts the quality of our jobs, the price of gas at the pump, home heating, electricity bills, manufacturing in the U.S., and America’s ability to create a more peaceful Middle East.
At the same time, the United States last year had the largest year-over-year reduction in carbon dioxide emissions despite Trump exiting the Paris Climate Accords.
A Biden-Harris administration would, during a terrible COVID-19induced recession, repeal parts of the Trump tax cuts and impose a $4 trillion tax increase on the American people and our economy. Such a tax increase on American jobs, investment and competitiveness would constitute an insurmountable roadblock to recovery of an ailing economy.
Biden’s campaign rails against Trump’s lowering of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. But 21% is competitive internationally and crucial to keeping jobs and investment capital in America.
Biden talks about ridding America of fossil fuels by 2035, including fracking, which will destroy the strength and vitality of Pennsylvania’s and other Midwestern states’ industrial economies. Forget about the Trump-promoted comeback of energy-hungry steel, petrochemical and aluminum industries.
Here are a few other key policies with yawning gaps between Biden and Trump.
Perhaps, most important for the education of our children, is a narrative that undermines our history, the contributions of our Founding Fathers and the essence of the American ideal, the American Dream. “Wokeness” has come to our kids’ and grandkids’ classrooms with a vengeance, and children and parents who push back are too often ignored, derided, or isolated. Statues of some of the greatest Americans are toppled and those acts are too often justified and excused. Biden has cultivated those woke, “cancel culture” proponents. Not Trump.
Biden will get rid of the right of a worker to “not” join a union, which could kill jobs by the millions in so-called “right to work” states, crippling the American economy. Not Trump.
Biden will bail out the poorly managed and enormous, government employee unions’ “pension overhang” to the tune of billions of dollars in non-government employee taxpayer dollars. Not Trump.
Biden has indicated he might support ending the filibuster which slows legislative overreach. And he may be willing to “pack” the Supreme Court which politicizes it. Biden will appoint liberal and progressive judges. Not Trump.
While Biden’s party highlights and I believe, exacerbates divisive issues of gender, race, sexuality and identity politics, Trump sees all of us as Americans and his policies reflect that view. At the same time, of prime importance to minority communities, he has secured prison reform, criminal justice reform, created Opportunity Zones in the inner cities and committed strong funding for historically black colleges and universities.
Biden has talked about “reallocating” police department resources. Not Trump.
This is the most important election of our lifetime. On this, both candidates agree.
Don Ritter represented the Lehigh Valley in Congress from 1979-1993. He spends his time between Afghanistan (pre-COVID-19), helping create a global Museum on Communism in Washington, D.C., and working on his gardens/small farm/nature preserve outside of Warrenton, Virginia.