Most of you are reading this column with one week or less remaining before the Nov. 3 election. As I write this column, former Vice President Biden leads in almost all the battleground states, but the race is tightening. As Yogi Berra used to say, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Two major issues will determine the winner of this election: COVID-19 and the question of character.
Each candidate has a distinctly different approach to the pandemic. President Donald Trump has focused on getting the economy going while downplaying the increase in COVID infections of millions and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans, calling it a political ploy. His strategy has been to downplay the danger for the purpose of his own political gain. That’s why he keeps saying a vaccine is just weeks away and that we have “turned the corner” on the virus.
Trump has passed responsibility for handling the virus to the states. This tactic has resulted in 50 differing approaches. Trump’s motivation has been to shed responsibility – his method of operation when there are hard decisions to be made.
Trump has been criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci, his medical expert, but at the same time is using his words to bolster his political campaign. The good doctor went on “60 Minutes” where he strongly objected to having his name used in a political ad. Fauci complained that his words were taken out of context. The Trump campaign continued to show the ad in spite of Fauci’s objections. As with much of Trump’s statements versus his administration’s stated actions, contradictions are numerous.
Biden’s approach to the pandemic is for the government to act as a facilitator to help the states be more effective in fighting the virus. He wants input from all the governors and mayors of large cities. Biden’s plan requires cooperation and collaboration, balancing the need to get the economy going with keeping Americans safe. This approach requires patience and empathy.
Both qualities are entirely lacking in Trump. Both are character issues.
In the debate last week, Biden kept saying that this election is about another C-word, other than COVID-19: character, and about what America stands for. It is an effective contrast to President Trump’s habit of breaking traditional government norms of behavior and outright lawbreaking under the Hatch Act – using government money and facilities for political use. It’s also about Trump’s continual lying and his verbal attacks on individuals who have the courage to cross him.
Washington Post columnist and Trump apologist Marc Thiessen sounded like the 15th century political adviser Niccolò Machiavelli recently when he wrote in an editorial stating that Trump had erred in the second debate by attacking Joe Biden’s son Hunter, as well as Biden’s brothers, with Trump calling Biden’s family, “a criminal enterprise.” (Machiavelli was a political adviser who wrote a book advising his prince on ways to stay in power. A successful prince must be ruthless and calculating. Morality and ethics didn’t play a part in governing, in Machiavelli’s mind. Character did not count.)
Thiessen told the president he was wasting his time by attacking Biden’s family, because they’re not Joe Biden. During the COVID-19 pandemic, voters care more about their own families than they do about Biden’s, a point that Biden effectively made to viewers.
Thiessen advised Trump that he should instead control his behavior during the two weeks that remained. Trump should warn Americans about what a disaster will be in for the nation if Biden wins. This sounds more like trying to bail water with a bucket as the Titanic sinks into the sea.
Even some of Trump’s own supporters don’t like him. Biden in contrast comes across as warm and caring. Trump’s bluster and bombast against his critics make him look defensive and on the ropes.
Both COVID-19 and the character issues define the election and the future direction of the nation. Are we going to be led by someone with compassion, empathy and a plan, or are we going to have four more years of chaos and confusion and denial of COVID-19? That’s the choice that stands before us. I’m tired of Trump’s immature and narcissistic behavior. I’m ready for a change. Aren’t you ready, too?
The election is only a week or so away. Who wins or loses will depend on the twin themes of handling the COVID-19 pandemic and of whether character and integrity really matter in a president.
It could be a Biden blowout with him winning most states. Or it could be too close to call, ending up before the Supreme Court with Trump recent appointee Amy Coney Barrett helping decide the future of the presidency and the nation. The election could be determined by the House of Representatives where 28 Republican-dominated states could give the election to the President because each state only gets one vote, no matter the size. We’re all going to have to wait until after the election to find out.
As Yogi Berra sagely stated: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
