On November 7 2020, it was announced around 11:30am EST that Joe Biden won Pennsylvania, pushing his electoral votes over the 270 mark. According to the Associated Press, Biden won the electoral votes 290-214. After a long 5 day wait for the president elect, Biden managed to flip many swing states that were essential in Trump's election in 2016.Many people were thrilled with this news, and went out to celebrate after four exhausting years of Trump's presidency. Kamala Harris is the first female POC vice president in America, and notes that "while I may be the first woman in this office. Later Saturday night, Biden gave a victory speech in Wilmington, Delaware, stating that "this is a time to heal in America". Kamala Harris is the first female POC vice president in America, and notes that "while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last", empowering young girls to fight for their rights. Biden will face extraordinary challenges when entering office in January, with a pandemic, economic decline and the issue of racism and police brutality unresolved.
Earlier this year, many states in the US started giving the option for mail in ballots, to give as many opportunities for US citizens to vote, while keeping them safe in a pandemic. While democrats initiated this opportunity, Republicans opposed this, with President Trump accusing democrats of trying to "steal an election". With this reasoning, Trump once again accused Democrats and made swing states within 1% of the popular vote recount their ballots. Personally, I don't think this is necessary, as Trump has no evidence of voter fraud and states have been counting ballots efficiently. This could also be an act of frustration from Donald Trump, since he was most likely well aware that he was losing by a decent amount, and could not accept the loss. As of writing this article, Trump has yet to concede and congratulate Biden, but rather continues to tweet about how he is winning and that the election was rigged.
I think that Democrats winning the election is a good thing, since we will now have a leader that takes issues in America seriously. It is unfortunate that basic human rights (women's rights, lgbtq+, equality etc) that so many people in the land of the free have become political. This election was more about maintaining and building these rights, rather than fighting for Democratic or Republican values. Not only am I excited for change, I am also excited for Biden and Harris, as they have faced hardships throughout their path that have helped them grow to be the best leaders possible for this country.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/07/politics/joe-biden-wins-us-presidential-election/index.html
https://www.vox.com/2020/8/11/21358960/trump-mail-voting-sabotage-explained
1. Why do you think Donald Trump is refusing to concede?
2. Within these last few months, America has shown its true colors to the world. How do you think Biden plans to combat issues such as racism, police brutality, sexism etc.?
3. Are you excited Biden won or not and why?
1. I would conjecture Trump is refusing to concede out of some sort of pride/refusal to admit being wrong. Even in 2016, when he won the election, but lost the popular vote, he insisted that "I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally." Trump has already begun doing what he has done so many times over the course of his presidency, and is trying to discredit the result as a "hoax."
ReplyDelete3. I am happy that Biden won. Biden is, to me, unquestionably better than Trump. Some Trump actions I disliked, which will be reversed under a Biden administration include leaving WHO and the Paris Climate Accord. I also dislike how much Trump lies and equivocates. I dislike how Trump has in effect, legitimized more fringe groups. I'm optimistic Biden will be able to better control the pandemic (he will not undermine health guidelines, like Trump has, he will encourage mask mandates). Biden will also work to combat climate change, though perhaps not to the extent I would have liked. Biden has also proposed policies to reform criminal justice, which are steps in the right direction.
1. I definitely agree with you that Trump is refusing to concede because of his ego. He often likes to accuse others for his mistakes, such as blaming China for the growing coronavirus cases in the US, when in reality, it's actually his fault for mishandling the virus. I also believe that Trump is refusing to concede because he's waiting on his lawsuits on margin states, but this most likely isn't reason.
Delete2.Although I believe that there could've been a better democratic candidate, I agree that Biden is much better than Trump. My hope is that Biden tells the truth to the American people and we can finally can a handle on this virus. I'm glad that we will have a president that cares and will combat present and futuristic issues.
On the point of America showing its true colors to the world, it has been a national and international devastating change to say the least. America is a world leader and without her being that, there have been effects on other nations and in our own nation, division, so Biden is going to have a lot to fix, but I think that he is already on the road with his VP elect Kamala Harris. In her speech on Saturday evening, she said that Biden was bold to have chosen her to be his running mate. Choosing a woman of color made history, but really it was the presidential ticket being white males being history; America has clearly moved on from being that. And I was and am excited Biden won because if we kept living with division, systemic racism and this pandemic, just to name a few, untouched and with no effort for a cure, that would detrimentally effect our and future generations who think this is normal. I think Biden and Harris, as they are well experienced diplomats and politicians, are going to combat these issues which is very hopeful for I think everyone's future. Also, talk about California pride, we're going to have our senator in the White House!
ReplyDeleteWith a little less than half of America voting for Trump, it's sad to see how divided our country has become. As you mentioned, I think most Americans are progressive, and some are opening up to the fact that our vice president is a woman of color. Although some people dislike Kamala Harris' past, I believe that people grow and change their perspective, which will make Harris a wonderful leader. It does seem by the way Biden and Harris address each other that Harris will play a much bigger part in changing America as a vice president than Mike Pence. With a president that is more focused on America than himself, he will hopefully reconnect us again.
DeleteI agree with Tristan. I think that part of the reason that Trump is unwilling to concede is because of his pride. He has claimed time and time again that there was fraud during the election and that he won the election with no reliable evidence to back it up. I’ve lost track of how many lawsuits he’s filed at this point, it’s ridiculous. I also believe that the concerns regarding his taxes and other potential legal issues that he may have to face after his term play a part in his refusal to concede. He may be thinking that if he has enough support among voters that otherwise vote Republican, the Republicans in office will prevent any criminal or other investigations against Trump after he leaves the White House. Based on how major Republican politicians have not called him out for not conceding and passively lending support to his allegations of election fraud, he might be right.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump is refusing to concede as he had boasted proudly throughout his campaign trail that he would never lose and is unable to face the fact that he lost both the popular vote and electoral college vote. In addition, Trump could potentially face criminal charges when he steps down from presidency next year, based on the charges that were found to be true during the impeachment trial. He was later identified as individual-1 in the campaign finance case. On the question about America showing its true color to the world, I feel Biden will be able to properly address these issues as he has already taken steps to do so in his campaign trail. In addition, he has faced similar issues during he vice presidency, and successfully helped former President Obama make informed decisions. Biden has also said that he is going to be a president for all Americans, instead of only the people that voted for him. This is in contrast with Trump who seemed to care only for the people who vote for him, which resulted in deep divisions in the country. Based on the reasons above, I am excited Biden won, in addition, to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first woman of color in that post.
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