Because my most significant promise to my readers is to the truth, I have a small confession to make; during the 2020 primaries, the last Democrat I would have chosen was Joe Biden. However, early in 2017, I was a staunch supporter of Kamala Harris. Her policies, her ideas to serve the people of our country, her age, and the fact that she is a woman reached out to me and supported what I would like to see in America in the 21st century.
I did not dislike Joe Biden. The reasons I did not support him are based on historical facts. I am 75 years old, and I did not want another old, white man deciding the future of a country whose average age is 38.2 years of age, and the population’s majority is female. In addition, I believed that he was too conservative.
I continue to believe that along with Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders would have been great leaders. Their love for this country is incomparable, and their ideas for the future of our country are in line with the advances made by every other developed nation.
That said, I agree that the first eight months of Biden’s administration have been very successful. However, he faces obstruction for the anti-American ‘party of no,’ led by Moscow Mitch McConnell. Two senators who claim to be Democrats are owned by special interests and therefore today’s Republican Party in Name Only: RINOs.
I begin with one issue I adamantly support but has been unfairly attacked by right-wing anti-Americans who continue to obey and serve the worst illegitimate president in history.
President Biden dared to do what his three predecessors did not: remove our military forces from Afghanistan. In 2002 I believed we should have left the country, and have never wavered in my opinion. Our military failed in its mission to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and had no legitimate reason to remain. Our leaders in the Pentagon refused to learn from Russia’s ten years of failure between December 1979 and February 1989.
When Trump was removed from office in 2021, he reduced American forces to approximately 2,500. He also made ‘deals’ with the Taliban, which guaranteed the U.S. military would not be under attack from Taliban forces until a complete withdrawal in May of 2021. It was August before Biden made the final decision.
The actual exit from Afghanistan was a huge ‘mess.’ The primary reason for this failure was Trump’s agreement with the Taliban by offering an exact date when we would be leaving, which resulted in plenty of time for them to plan to retake Afghanistan’s major cities.
The 20-year war never displayed any opportunity for an American victory in a nation that has never been defeated throughout history. As Americans began leaving and the Taliban advanced on cities like Kabul, American-trained Afghani soldiers laid down their weapons. If the people of a nation refuse to fight for themselves, why should we be the “world’s policemen.”
At least for political reasons, Trump claims to be a climate change denier. Although every intelligent person in the world and 95 percent of all climatologists agree that this single issue is the greatest danger to the planet, Trump and his cult deny facts: again. President Biden does not claim to “know everything,” and has pledged that the United States will join the rest of the world and slow or end a problem that affects every man, woman, and child in the world.
In a move of pure retaliation, Trump tried to destroy Andrew McCabe. The President used his power to help McCabe receive some of his retirement funds from the FBI.
While Trump joined other fake Republicans and tried to destroy labor unions remaining in America, Biden is supporting the right of a labor union to strike against John Deere, affecting more than 10,000 workers.
The Trump administration was utterly unprepared to distribute the Covid-19 vaccine. Biden and his highly qualified advisers hurried to create a plan which has saved countless lives in blue states and a few red states which ignore Fox News and extremist members of the Trump Party.
Biden has reaffirmed our relationship with our closest allies and made it clear to our enemies, including Vladimir Putin, that America will not allow additional interference in our elections or spying upon our technological giants.
His actions and policies, including slowing the spread of the coronavirus, are responsible for an economic resurgence.
Suppose the Senate decides to do the right thing and serve the American people. In that case, Biden’s plans for our infrastructure will boost the economy even further by creating thousands of new, well-paying jobs across America. This will result in millions of dollars in disposable income and create a surge in the purchasing power of the American people.
Trump failed to accomplish one thing for our nation’s people in four years. Biden continues to work hard for the American people. He has not traveled to Mar-a-Lago once, and Biden has played golf only nine times in nine months.
America has a working president for the first time in four years.
Op-ed by James Turnage
Sources:
Daily KOS: News Roundup: Biden makes moves on climate; Texas, oh Texas; undoing Trump’s cruelties; by Walter Einenkel
Airforce Times: Military reviewing lessons of Afghanistan evacuation as thousands more seek refuge; by Rachel S. Cohen
Featured, Top and First Inset Images Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image Courtesy of Kenny Holston’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
