Republican and undecided friends and family, this is my final plea for you to vote for Joe Biden

A practical appeal to your enlightened self interest

This isn’t a piece for most of us.

Most of us already decided a long time ago whether or not we think Donald Trump is a good president, worthy of our vote in 2020.

This is for the person who still isn’t quite sure.

The person who might have a nagging doubt in the back of their brain.

Who might be inclined to vote Republican and can’t imagine voting for the Democrat, but hasn’t totally written off the possibility.

It’s for the person who might be thinking, “I don’t like either one of them.”

Or “voting is a pain in the butt.”

Or “my vote won’t matter anyway.”

If you are one of those people, here’s my final pre-election pitch: I am here to BEG YOU to vote for Joe Biden. And give you a few reasons why you should feel good doing so.

This isn’t some pollyanna b.s. column about the inherent righteousness of one party over the other — if you’re still undecided, you don’t believe that anyway. I agree with you: politics is a dirty business and there are no angels.

And I’m not writing this as a “socialist” or “liberal” or “the left” who is trying to convince you of the benefits of one ideology over the other. (This Medium post isn’t going to undo 30 years of calculated communication strategy to turn those labels into curses for many in this country.)

I was raised in the most conservative part of California and even worked on GOP campaigns in my youth. I am not registered or affiliated with any party. But I think everybody, regardless of political affiliation or inclination, should check “Joe Biden” for president.

Here are three reasons to appeal to your practical mind. Your decency. And, yes, your self interest.

1. Balance

If you’re a member of the undecided middle, I think you’d agree that both parties are full of shit. They make promises they don’t keep. They say one thing and do another.

But, for better or worse, our politics are driven by a two-party system. If we want to get this country working together toward common goals, we need two FUNCTIONAL parties.

Trump has broken the Republican party. It now functions mainly to support him, personally, instead of any party platform. (Heck, the GOP didn’t even bother to write a platform this year.) And while, yes, it has ushered in lots of ultra-conservative judges, it’s abandoned lots of core Republican values. (Look at the deficit. International relations. Trump’s failure to confront the Russian Bounty scandal. Um…basic human decency? OK, I digress.)

Bottom line: You need to vote for Biden to start to help fix the GOP. They need to get their shit together. They need to re-build the party not on top of crazy conspiracy theories, but as a legit alternative to the Democrat vision so we can have the healthy debate and back-and-forth that leads to better government.

2. The Next Covid-19

It’s bonkers that mask-wearing and common-sense protection measures got so political. I too want things to get back to normal, but the way we do that is to take steps to mitigate the transmission of this thing while we work toward a vaccine.

And the reality is that Trump’s failure to lead in this area has resulted in a lot of death. This study from Columbia University estimates that Trump could have avoided 130,000 deaths with a more robust response.

I understand if you lean conservative and like GOP tax policy or conservative judges…but the pandemic has illustrated that this man and his administration are not really capable of handling a major crisis and keeping Americans safe. We’re gonna have another…something in the next four years. I don’t trust him not to botch that one, too.

A vote for Biden is a vote for sober leadership and a “re-stocking” of the cupboard with qualified professionals who can help use better navigate the next crisis.

3. Peace & Quiet

If you’re not the rabid fringe on either side of the political spectrum, I’m betting you’d like to see the return of the moderate middle.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this about Trump but he is a shit-stirrer. He loves chaos and creates drama. That’s great for reality TV…it’s less great for our country.

Don’t you just want to not think about politics for a while? Wouldn’t it be lovely to go a day or a week without having to worry about what the president said or did?

Joe Biden isn’t perfect. But he’s not going to tweet us into a frenzy every day. In 2020, Biden is pretty much the definition of the moderate middle. Yes, the progressive wing of the party is going to lobby and push him (in the same way that the arch conservative wing of the GOP has lobbied and pushed Trump.) But he’s also a measured leader who truly believes in hearing from all sides on an issue.

Can you imagine four more years of Trump? Don’t you want some peace and quiet?

OK, there are plenty of policy reasons to vote for Biden too. Trump’s corruption and the danger that he can be manipulated. Reversing the damage done to the economy. Protecting healthcare. Making sure we, you know, have a planet. Creeping authoritarianism??! But I’m guessing you’ve heard those.

Please vote for Joe Biden for president. And let’s start to calmly and methodically get this country back on track.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Kovacevich lives in San Francisco and is in a place of high-anxiety about the 2020 election. 93 days ago he wrote this and it almost seems quaint now.