Vote, vote, vote. Election Day is on November 3. Photo by Markus Winkler, Unsplash
By Iracema Navarro, Politics Editor
As I watched tonight’s presidential debate and listened to uninterrupted plans and comments from the candidates, I finished the debates with a sense of clarity. Tomorrow, I plan on submitting my mail-in ballot in one of the secure ballot dropbox and join the over 47 million mail-in votes already received.
I usually wait until the last presidential debate to finalize my mail-in ballot because I have more clarity on what to expect for the country. NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker moderated a successful debate with the help of the candidates knowing they could be muted. My father and I made a pact to vote together at the polling place, a tradition but this year will be our first to mail our ballots because of the current pandemic.
It didn’t take much but one disaster of a presidential debate for the Commission for Presidential Debates to realize there is a mute button. A button that students, parents, and businesses have been using since the beginning of the pandemic where most of life has transitioned into the virtual world. A technique introduced to the debate for the first time but something many eligible voters were imaginarily hitting on the first presidential debate, or even on their remote.
In this debate, however, people were muted and civilized.
President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden debated for over 90 minutes about the current issues affecting the country such as COVID-19 response and healthcare, foreign affairs and interference in political elections, and issues about race and immigration. Biden had more direct messages with eye contact and looking straight to the camera, whereas Trump was once again in the offense position by questioning Biden’s financial and political dealings.
The position Trump was holding didn’t help him. There are Americans who want to know what another four years of Trump’s administration will look like than Biden’s son’s international dealings.
Biden informed the public of his healthcare plan being Obamacare plus a public option because he supports private practices. His plan would be “competition” to insurance companies. Over 20 million Americans are covered under the Affordable Care Act and Trump wants to terminate it and make a more “beautiful” one.
Trump continued ensuring the public that a coronavirus vaccine is coming, soon, and he will release all of his taxes, soon. Nearly 300,000 coronavirus deaths to date, Trump presumed strongly when stating he was “immune” after contracting the virus. He questioned Biden’s many years of political service stating actions talk louder than words.
The question then is, when? Is there a timeframe? What is the developed plan Trump managed to create in these past four years in the White House for a healthcare plan? Biden wants to piggyback from Obamacare and change it to Bidencare but the Obama/Biden administration also promised an immigration policy that was never delivered.
With over 12 million out of work, Congress was mentioned in the debate with Biden demanding the status of the HEROES Act proposed earlier this summer. Democratic-led House of Representatives passed the act in May but the bill has not been moved by the Republican-led Senate. With the majority of unemployed being women and people of color, Americans have had to survive on unemployment benefits and a $1,200 check that was passed in March through the CARES Act.
Responsibility and character were mentioned by both candidates. Trump removed himself and Biden from the fault of the virus but taking full responsibility for the impact.
The final question asked by Kristen Welker on how the candidates will address Americans on Inauguration Day, summed up the debate. Trump’s message was his plan would prevail and Biden’s wouldn’t. Biden’s message was that he will be an American president for all, not only to those who voted for him.
Tonight, voters won and now they must vote.
Vote.
