Not Voting Is Disservice, but So Is Voting Without Knowing the Candidate. Let’s Get to Know Joe.
Aluxers, if you have not heard of Joe Biden, then where have you been? His full name is Joseph Robinette Biden Jr, and he’s a Democratic Presidential Candidate for the 2020 US Elections running against current president, Donald Trump. At the release of this article, he’d taken the lead with the pre-voting that’s currently underway.
Florida saw lines snaking around the block, with people having arrived hours before voting stations opened. The number of pre-voters is 5 times higher than they were 4-years ago!
If Joe Biden wins, he would be the oldest president in history at 77-years of age. If Trump wins, he would also be the oldest at age 74.
In the words of Biden, “If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen.”
As always, here’s the YouTube upload for this topic:
With that provided, let’s look into the first Biden-fact in the list:
1
When Did He Enter Politics?
Biden is a seasoned professional, having been involved in politics for over half a century. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a political science and history degree and went on to get his law degree from the Syracuse University Law School.
He then served on the New Castle County Council and went on to represent Delaware in the US State Senate when he was 29-years old. He got majority vote and defeated Sen. James Caleb Boggs.
Biden served the Senate for 38-years. He ran for president in 1987 and withdrew from the race. He tried again in 2007, and again dropped out. Thereafter, he was running mate for Obama and served as vice-president for Obama from 2009 and 2017.
So, as the famous saying goes, Aluxers…3rd time lucky. It’s only a a few days to see if that sentiment rings true.
2
What Has He Promised People?
US citizens have become used to “expecting the unexpected” when it comes to Donald Trump. So, Biden’s looking favourable in that he seems pretty boring and reliable. Well, we guess anyone compared to Trump would be deemed boring and reliable. Unless of course you bring them in to debate each other, which can shift things dramatically. Even the usually calm, and slow to anger, Biden, couldn’t hold back after 60-mintes of having insults and bullying tactics thrown at him by Trump. But we digress.
So, what will Joe Biden offer the American people?
- An increase in Covid testing stations
- Raise the minimum wage
- Focus centred on green energy
- Immediate business support for minorities
- A focus on re-joining the global climate accord
- Undo the bad reputation that America currently has
- Expand Obamacare
His desire and slogan is, “Build Back Better.”
Can he do it? Aluxers, like anything, only time will tell.
3
Biden Has Moneyed Interests
Nobody, whether you’re a politician, teacher, gym instructor or writer, has a 100% squeaky clean past. There will always be something that you’ve done that you’re not proud of. Unlike teachers, writers or gym instructors, if you’re a politician, it usually comes back to bite you in the butt!
Biden is no exception. Although how you view these allegations is your choice. Senator Bernie Sanders pointed fingers at Biden, accusing him of bailing out the “crooks on Wall Street who nearly destroyed our economy 12 years ago”. What Biden did was vote in favour of a $700 billion Wall Street bailout package.
Since then, opinions have favoured Biden in this move claiming he was “right”, and Sanders was “wrong.”
Moving on, Biden has also been accused of taking money from his backers during poll debates, which is vastly different to his campaign sentiment of only using fundraising and small donations.
These allegations pale in comparison to what Joe Biden has been accused of which we’ll delve into next.
4
Like Trump, He’s Also Been Accused of Sexual Misconduct
A former employee of the then US vice-president, Joe Biden, Tara Reade has accused Biden of sexually harassing her in the halls of congress roughly 30-years ago.
His response to this allegation? “I’m saying unequivocally: it never, never happened.”
Neighbours and close friends of Reade have come to her defence saying they remember her telling them about the incident shortly, and that she was distraught about it, as she respected Biden.
The New York Times did an investigation into the allegations and affirmed that two friends had described the details of the attack in 1993 and again in 2008.
Biden has received negative press about being too touchy-feely, and we’ll go into more details of his wandering hands later on. Next though, how his handling of an incident in 1991 has hung over him.
5
The Joe Biden-Anita Hill Controversy
In 1991, Anita Hill came forward with allegations of sexual harassment from then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. The case went to court and Hill had to testify before a panel of white men.
In Anita Hill’s biography, “Speaking Truth To Power,” she highlighted Biden’s role in the hearings, saying that he assumed Thomas was innocent and had made her share details that “disgusted” her.
He has been criticized for not defending Hill properly.
The following year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recorded 9,920 harassment complaints, which was a 50% increase from the previous year. Following that, in the 1992 election, a then record number of women were elected to serve in Congress.
Biden did acknowledge the role he played 8-months later when he said he was worried that he had not “attacked the attackers” of Hill “more frequently and consistently.”
Some good did come from the Biden-Anita Hill controversy, which we’ll look into next.
6
Thanks to Biden, the 1994 Violence Against Women Act Is in Place
One of Biden’s most memorable achievements was the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, which had many benefits including keeping the address of battered women confidential and having protection orders be recognized across all jurisdictions.
Same year, he helped pass the Crime Bill. It ultimately paid for more cops on the beat, along with trained police and lawyers to investigate domestic violence and allowed a bigger budget for more prisons with tougher sentences.
30% of world’s women are abused by their partners (WHO). To build good bonds, we need some sense of what they are like. Here are 10 Things Powerful Women Want in a Relationship.
7
The Truth Behind Joe Biden’s Son
His name is Robert Hunter Biden, but you can just call him Hunter. He’s the 2nd son of Joe Biden. You probably only know him from recent news of alleged dodgy dealings with the Ukrainian government, but he’s also a lobbyist, business owner, and international board member.
Hunter has had a very colorful life. He was dismissed from the military for cocaine usage, had a paternity suit against him which confirmed he was the father of child born in 2018, he dated the wife of his late brother for a while, and then married filmmaker Melissa Cohen after courting for just a week.
Hunter was on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, where he has been accused of misconduct. It’s believed his role on the board affected US policy toward the Ukraine.
Trump requested the Ukrainian government to see if they could find any wrongdoing and is sharing frustration that the media is not taking the allegations seriously.
Hunter has said that taking on the role was “poor judgement,” but that he did nothing wrong. He has since resigned. Biden added, “No one has asserted my son did a single thing wrong. No one has asserted that I have done anything wrong except the lying president. That’s the only thing. That’s the focus.”
8
What Kind of President Would He Be?
Well, old for a start… but voters are keen to find out if he’ll be a blandly moderate Democrat or will he become more aggressive, fiery and ambitious?
Biden hopes to fulfil both roles. He has assured voters that his presidency will not be as chaotic as it’s been the past 4-years, and he’s made a virtue out of bland normalcy.
Biden has identified as mostly a centrist, which is defined as a political outlook that supports a “balance of a degree of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy,” as defined by our friends at Wiki.
What he has brought forward with conviction is that he is not a socialist, however many times Trump might say he is.
9
Despite Tragedy, Biden Has Managed to Come Out Strong and Kind.
We mentioned Biden’s second son, Hunter. But did you know he had a daughter and another son, too?
In 1972, just a few weeks after he won his Senate seat, his wife and 3 children were in a serious car accident. They had gone to pick up a Christmas tree when their station wagon collided with a tractor-trailer carrying corncobs.
His 13-month daughter, Naomi, and his wife died. The two older boys had serious injuries and were hospitalised.
Biden always wanted a daughter. He still jokingly said his wife would only be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, until a little girl was born.
When he was sworn into the Senate, they did it from Beau’s hospital room.
Sadly, Beau also died – but many years later in 2015. He had brain cancer.
Biden also underwent 2 separate brain injuries, both caused by aneurysms.
10
A Regular “Middle-Class Joe”
Biden has been known as “Middle Class Joe” throughout his political career. He claims to have been raised “broke” but now, at the age of 77, is worth $9 million. When he was elected to the Senate at 29, he was earning $42,500 a year.
In 2009, he was earning $169,300 a year while still in the Senate.
Of course, Biden has earned money in other ways including his book, Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics, which earned him $71,000 in royalties and $9,500 for the audio book rights.
While in the White House, he was earning roughly $225,000 a year – which works out to $1.8 million while working as Obama’s VP. His real estate is valued at $4 million, he has investments worth $4 million and of course, if he becomes president, he will likely earn a hefty increase.
If you’d like to hear more about Biden, we highly recommend listening to “A Good & Decent Man – Joe Biden: Rescuing America” – By: Geoffrey Giuliano. Find it on audible and use our code alux.com/freebook.
11
He Likes to Fabricate and Embellish Facts
Biden has described himself as a “gaffe machine.” He has a few tall tales to share, if you’re willing to listen.
Like the time he was shot at in Iraq. False! He later admitted he was “near where a shot landed.”
What about the time he met survivors of the 2018 Parkland Florida school shooting? WAhhh… False!
Or you surely know of the time he was arrested for visiting Nelson Mandela in apartheid era South Africa? WAhh, false. He later confirmed he was just detained… but how can we be certain that even happened?
Oh Aluxers, we have more but then we’d have to scrap the rest of this article.
12
He Supports Gay Marriage
On a recent episode of SNL, Colin Jost had a stab at Biden by saying that despite the fact that he has overwhelming support from the LGBTQ community, “zero percent of them support Biden guessing what the B, T, and Q stand for.” Basically, claiming the president hopeful was just too out of touch to know these things.
The reality is far different, Biden is miles ahead of other national leaders when it comes to LGBTQ rights and equality.
Biden was the first national leader to publicly support gay marriage, in his words, “absolutely comfortable,” with same-sex marriage.
He was also heard telling the mother of a transgender child, that discrimination against trans people is “the civil rights issue of our time.”
Biden might be “woke” in some issues, but he is not that woke in others. We mentioned that Biden is rather touchy-feely, so let’s find out more.
13
Joe Biden Has Been Accused of Being Too “Hands On”
Biden has been known for his rather “tactical” approach to politics. Perhaps Covid hasn’t been all bad, in that he’s had to keep his hands to himself.
Several video montages have surfaced, of Biden being very affectionate with women of all ages. Lucy Flores, a former Nevada state legislator, came forward in 2019 highlighting an incident that took place in 2014. She tells how Biden had some up behind her, touched her shoulders and kissed the back of her head. While she added, it wasn’t sexual, it made her feel uncomfortable.
Biden’s response seems to have appeased many, for now, when he said, “In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort. And not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately. If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention.”
14
Who Supports Biden?
Reports differ as to who is voting for Biden. Some suggest that Hispanics are increasing in numbers in their support for Biden, others say young black Americans are not interested in voting for Biden at all, and we really won’t know until the results are out.
Biden, however, does have a certain amount of celebrity collateral. But, as we’ve seen in past campaigns, that means very little. Hillary Clinton is a prime example. She way outpaced Trump in popularity ratings, and her supporters included big names like George Clooney, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Timberlake… and it got her nowhere.
Joe Biden has the backing of Dwayne Johnson, Jay Leno, Cardi B, Zooey Deschanel, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Jennifer Hudson, Barbara Streisand and our favourite, Tituss Burgess.
15
Why Is He Running for President?
So, the question remains… why exactly is Joe Biden running for President?
Let’s go full circle to our opening blurb, where we said, in the words of Biden, “If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen.”
Question:
Who do you think is going to win the 2020 US Presidential election?
We’d love to hear your views in the comments below.
