2020 Presidential Election Trump vs Biden

Outline

I. Introduction

A. Fascism v Communism

B. Issues

1. Reproductive Rights

2. Gun Control

3. Healthcare

4. Economy

5. Law Enforcement

6. COVID-19

C. Thesis: Therefore, the real key to election 2020 may be which candidate can convince more people in the middle that, regardless of where they stand on policy issues, the voters can expect that candidate to consistently try to act in the best interests of all Americans.  

II. Candidates

A. Donald Trump

1. Republican

2. Incumbent

3. Impeached but acquitted

B. Joe Biden

1. Democratic

2. Former VP

III. Reproductive Rights

A.   Trump is pro-life/ anti-choice candidate

B.   Biden is pro-life candidate

C.   Vacancy on Supreme Court makes this issue more critical.

IV. Gun Control

A. Biden is for gun control

B.  Trump is against gun control

V.  Healthcare

A. Trump wants to eliminate the ACA and replace it.

B. Biden wants to expand on the ACA 

VI. Economy

A. Trump has had a strong economy 

B. Biden was VP when the economic upturn started

VII. Law Enforcement

A. Trump has consistently supported law enforcement 

B. Biden wants changes to law enforcement to reduce misconduct

VIII. COVID-19

A. Biden supports CDC and WHO recommendations including masks

B. Trump has not supported restrictive measures

C. Trump currently hospitalized with COVID

IX.  Conclusion: Election remains a toss-up

Title: Decision 2020: Trump Versus Biden

Hook Sentence: The 2020 Presidential Election contest between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden is considered by many to be a battle for the soul of America and for democray, itself; with people on one side suggesting that the wrong vote will push the country towards fascism, while people on the other side are suggesting that the wrong vote will push the country towards communism.  

Introduction

While the Constitution’s system of checks-and-balances may have been designed to prevent exactly the type of democracy-threatening scenario described by pundits and party leaders on both sides of the aisle, the increased polarization of the American political process, as well as the commitment to a two-party political system has resulted in a scenario where this hyperbolic statement may have some elements of truth.  Voters are concerned about some major issues that have played a role in the American political process for quite some time, including reproductive rights, gun control, access to healthcare, and the economy.  However, two other issues are playing a critical role in the 2020 election because of current events: a candidate’s response to law enforcement and how each candidate would handle the current global pandemic.  While the issues may be important to voters, the reality is that election 2020 will probably come down to personality because of perceptions by voters on both ends of the political spectrum that the other side has been engaged in long-term wrongdoing.  Joe Biden is considered by many, including lifelong Republican politicians and government workers, to be the more trustworthy and reliable of the two candidates.  However, Donald Trump has a well-established base of voters who not only believe that he is the more reliable candidate, but even believe that he has been divinely sent to rescue the soul of the country. 

Thesis Statement

Therefore, the real key to election 2020 may be which candidate can convince more people in the middle that, regardless of where they stand on policy issues, the voters can expect that candidate to consistently try to act in the best interests of all Americans.  

Body 

The Republican candidate is incumbent President Donald Trump.  Trump won an electoral college victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, but not the popular vote.  He has been a controversial President.  He has faced allegations that Russia was involved in his 2016 election, which even led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives, followed by an acquittal in the Senate.  Although Trump was not the GOP’s favored candidate in 2016, he has spent much of his presidency shoring up political support from his party, and even people who were once his largest detractors, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, now work with him to accomplish party goals. 

The Democratic candidate is former Vice President Joe Biden.  Joe Biden served two terms as Vice President under President Barack Obama, who won both elections with both popular vote and electoral vote victories.  Biden was a Senator for years before becoming Vice President and played a critical role in passing bipartisan legislation such as the Violence Against Women Act, which has helped shore up his reputation as a man who can reach across the aisle.  However, Biden’s overly familiar physicality has made some uncomfortable and his stuttering is often misinterpreted as cognitive decline, which may impact voter confidence.  

One of the major issues in the 2020 election is reproductive rights, specifically the access to abortion.  While most Americans consider themselves middle-of-the-road when it comes to reproductive rights, there is a group of one-issue voters that consistently identifies with the “pro-life” candidate.  The official position of the GOP is that it wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that ensured abortion access as a constitutional right.  While always an issue in national elections, this issue has become more prominent because, during his term Trump has been able to nominate two Supreme Court Justices and there is currently a vacancy on the Court.  If Trump’s current nominee, pro-life judge Amy Coney Barrett is placed on the Court and Trump remains in office with a GOP Senate majority, people expect restrictions to abortion rights (Biskupic).  On the other hand, if Biden takes office, it is expected that his administration will continue to facilitate reproductive rights.  One complication to this issue is that, while the GOP is identified as the pro-life party and the Democrats as the pro-choice party, actual abortion rates decline during Democratic administrations, suggesting that the issue is more complex than access to abortion. 

Because of the prevalence of mass shootings and the proliferation of gun violence in America, gun control has been a hot button issue in several of the last national elections.  However, one side effect of the 2020 global pandemic is that there have been far fewer gatherings of people.  This has led to a reduced number of highly-publicized mass shootings.  As a result, the gun control discussion is not playing as central of a role in the 2020 presidential election as it did in previous elections.  However, gun control and differing interpretations on the Second Amendment continue to influence many voters.  Biden recognizes gun violence as a public health epidemic and supports a ban on assault weapons.  In 2019, Trump supported stricter gun laws, but his administration has not supported restricting gun rights in any way.  

Another big difference between the two campaigns is their position on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known colloquially as Obamacare.  In 2016, Trump successfully campaigned against the ACA and promised to unveil a healthcare plan.  While his administration has had some successes and some failures in challenging the ACA, he still has not unveiled his healthcare plan.  Biden is a supporter of the ACA, though he acknowledges that the law is an imperfect solution to America’s healthcare problems and plans to expand and build upon the structure of the ACA.  Proponents of the ACA point out that it ensures access to healthcare coverage by many Americans who were previously uninsured including those with preexisting conditions.  Opponents of the ACA highlight that the system is flawed, it places a financial burden on people by penalizing those who do not purchase insurance, and that it resulted in higher healthcare costs for some people. 

The economy is always an issue in elections.  Historically, the economy as a whole performs better under Democratic economic policies, but does better for the wealthy under Republican economic policies.  Despite this historic reality, there is a common belief found in voters from both parties that Republicans are the more fiscally conservative party and are better able to grow the economy. In election 2020, this common belief seems to be bolstered by wide-scale stock market growth and growth in other parts of the economy under Trump.  However, Biden can point to the fact that these gains began under the Obama administration.

While the above issues are important in the election, their importance has been diminished in light of current events.  In 2020, there were several instances where police officers were accused of using excessive or inappropriate force, leading to the deaths of African Americans.  This began with the killing of George Floyd, a death that was caught on video and the result of an officer kneeling on his neck and choking Floyd to death.  There were protests, some of which turned into rioting.  Black Life Matters (BLM) organized some of the protests, with support from people who identified as Antifa (a name collectively used by people on the left who identify as anti-fascist).  Right-wing groups including white supremacist groups came to counter-protest.  The response by the candidates has been very different.  Trump has provided blanket support for law enforcement and has refused to condemn any law enforcement officers or counter-protestors for their involvement in the events, even sending in federal troops to some cities experiencing protest (McEvoy).  There is significant evidence of violent aggression by federal law enforcement agents against peaceful protestors.  However, these actions may have stopped significant property damage in the most at-risk areas.  In contrast, Biden believes that law enforcement agencies need more training and greater resources in order to avoid the type of police violence that is being protested.  He supports peaceful protests by BLM and does not believe that federal troops should be deployed against American citizens.