Joe Biden | Graphic by Dylan Collison | The Wright State Guardian
Forgoing the traditional debate formats, presidential nominees President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden held competing town hall events in Miami and Pittsburgh Pa.
With Joe Biden ahead in the national polls and a strong turnout in the Democratic Party among early voters, Biden’s goal of the night was to sway voters in crucial states like Pennsylvania.
While talking on many topics, Biden focused on the coronavirus, the economy, the environment, racism, social justice and the Supreme Court.
The coronavirus
Biden often criticizes President Donald Trump and his response to the global pandemic, and this town hall was no exception.
He blamed the President for lying to the American people and not acting quickly enough on initial coronavirus information. He also laid out his coronavirus plan which would include a nationwide lockdown “if the science said so.”
Biden also spoke of a vaccine of which he thinks will not be available until the spring of 2021. When a vaccine does come out, Biden is considering making it mandatory for citizens to take. His final action would be to pressure state and local governments to enforce the current mask policies.
The economy
This year, the topic of the economy is even more emphasized, as the US is going through a rougher recession than the one in 2009 and is facing record-breaking job loss. When asked about taxes, Biden pulled out a card with all the different tax cut rates he would make.
One of his favorite tax plans is his plan to raise taxes to 28% on the 1%. Many criticize his economic plan for fear that it would lead to a slower recovery. Biden refutes saying his plan would help bring the US out of the recession quicker.
Biden also focused on his environmental plan and how it would create jobs and help the economy. He finally gave his stance on the Green New deal, roughly saying that he opposes it, stating instead that he wants to invest in clean infrastructure and create one million jobs to weatherize buildings and homes.
Racism and Social Justice
Race was a prominent talking point at the Biden town hall. He focused on how money should be put towards education and home ownership to help disadvantaged communities. He holds the philosophy that wealth will drive racial equality and that “it’s about accumulating wealth”.
He no longer supported the highly contested 1994 Crime Bill and said that cops should not be defunded. Instead, communities should be focusing on community policing.
The Supreme Court
With the confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett this week in the Senate, Biden wanted to clarify his stance on the Supreme Court.
He does not support the president’s decision to fill the vacant seat before the election or the Republican senators who are pushing the confirmation though. He briefly mentioned options the Democrats could take including expanding the court or court-packing.
Biden made sure not to take a firm stance on any one topic as to not alienate any voters. One clear winner of the Biden town hall was civility.
