2020: Another Bad Election Year?
Dear Editor:
2016 offered Americans the worst two candidates for President ever. Until now, 2020 hasn’t looked much better.
It’s not that Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Beto O’Rourke are as corrupt, immoral or unethical as Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump – they aren’t. It’s that their policies are so destructively misguided.
That’s one reason, Joe Biden — a second tier presidential candidate in his prime — has been leading the pack for so long. Despite what their passionate fans at CNN and MSNBC say, regular folks fear that Warren and Sanders can’t beat Trump because of their far-fetched policies. I, on the other hand, fear that they can beat Trump and that their policies would wreak havoc on Americans of all stripes.
Sanders and Warren are ideologues who act like anyone who disagrees with them hates the poor, uninsured or disadvantaged. This sort of divisiveness would be poor leadership even if their policies were realistic. Unfortunately, when it comes to healthcare, equality, college debt, and economic growth, both Senators attempt to solve the wrong symptoms with the wrong solutions. They will make matters worse and undermine the American Promise.
The October debates did provide a glimmer of hope. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg both rejected the socialist purity being demanded by the far left and suggested more balanced approaches to our nation’s problems. They urged solutions that could gain support from citizens across the political spectrum.
I hope that others among the field of Democratic candidates embrace this attitude and promote realistic solutions that unify our country. If not, we may have a repeat of the NY Post’s election day cover of 2016: Hold your nose and vote.
PAUL KING