Editor’s Note: Views represented in this article do not directly represent the views of The Panther Eye, the Sweet Home Central School District or any of its affiliates.

A never-ending parade of scandals. Over two hundred thousand dead from COVID-19. A crumbling economy. Nationwide civil unrest.

Let’s not kid ourselves: Donald Trump’s presidency has been a catastrophe. 

According to RCP, Trump is down 9% on average in the general election polls, and almost every political pundit is predicting he will lose to the Democratic challenger Joe Biden — and that he’ll lose big. 

But what would our country look like under a Biden administration, and will it be any better than the train wreck it is now?

Let’s start with the obvious. 

Joe Biden would be the oldest President ever elected — 82, by the end of his first term. There is speculation he is in cognitive decline. Whether he is or is not, no one can’t deny that his age is a reasonable concern. 

In addition to that, he isn’t a very interesting candidate. Unlike many of his former Democratic challengers, he really has no trademark policy that sets him apart from everyone else. A Biden Administration would look exactly like the Obama Administration. Is that better than the Trump Administration? 

No doubt about it. 

However, is it really that good? Obama deported just as many people as Trump. Obama kept us in the Middle East. One thing that was by far better with Obama is divisiveness. Trump has such a radical personality, he constantly fuels the flames of conflict. Obama never insulted war veterans. He never proposed injecting bleach into the body or referred to himself as “a very stable genius.”

Biden may not have any more than a couple great policies, but Trump has practically zero. Biden would make a respectable president, completely unlike Donald Trump, the man who banned transgender people from serving in the military. The man who smears basic human rights activists as “radical.” The man who believes that those who burn the flag should be jailed — though that is a textbook example of a First Amendment right. The man who refuses to utter the phrase “Black Lives Matter” and tear gasses those who do. 

Biden also threatens to alienate Progressives. Those who want to end war in the Middle East and political corruption and provide basic human rights to every American. Biden voted for the wars in the Middle East. He doesn’t support providing basic human rights like healthcare and education to the same extent as someone like Bernie Sanders or Ed Markey. 

So why should Progressives support Biden? 

That’s up to them. If you look at these two options we have and you can’t ethically pledge your support to either option, do what’s best for you. If you look at these two options, and see one that you believe is the lesser of two evils, again, do what’s best for you. While I’m not old enough to vote, I hesitantly support Joe Biden. I can’t take any more of what’s happening under the incumbent. So much hatred caused by his divisiveness. So much secrecy. So many lies. So little compassion. 

I understand people who voted for Trump in 2016. They wanted to try something new. You thought that Trump would serve the working people. I hate to say that that hasn’t come true. Job outsourcing has gone up, while taxes for the big corporations have gone way down.

This election is unlike any other. The winner will be tasked with the great responsibility of getting the virus under control, fixing the recession, easing tension in the streets, and assuring the American people that everything will be okay. 

No matter who you support, get involved. Support your candidate with pride.

Ryan Burke

Ryan Burke is a sophomore at Sweet Home High School, and a former Co-Editor of the Panther Press Viewpoints Section. He is on the swim team, and likes to write about current news and events.