The ballot is set for November 3, 2020. President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Michael Pence will face off against Democratic ticket of former VP Joseph Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris.
There is a clear distinction between the people, ideologies, and projected futures of both ballots, which do not perfectly align with any group of Americans’ hope for the future.
For quite some time now, presidential elections are contest where Americans cast ballots for candidates with the closest alignment to the values, needs, and politics, not the 0nes that check every box.
Republicans traditionally hold more conservative politics, despite a relatively wide array of viewpoints from libertarians, moderates, or center rights who make considerable bases of the party.
Democrats makes up America’s liberal party, appealing to those holding progressive, center-left, and moderate viewpoints, where social issues play a greater importance than other policy areas.
This is important in understanding why a ticket may or may not appeal to groups and why groups of voters remain loyal to a politician despite disconnect with core values.
Consider that Republican voters traditionally back candidates emoting patriotism, security, economic performance, and moral character, preferring people of faith over secular counterparts.
Republicans want leaders operate based on defined principles and values that they exemplify both in office and in the private lives, regardless of whether the cameras are on.
For many people, President Donald Trump does not check off enough boxes for them to comprehend why Trump has a stable political base that will make the election close no matter what.
President Donald Trump has more baggage than typical GOP candidates. His behaviors, public persona, and style rile even the most loyal party supporters.
Democrats continue to ponder to no avail on the issue, attributing his base loyalty to that of their defined racism, sexism, and all -ism now and in the future.
For four years, Democrats spent a great deal of time attempting to break a bond with little success. Progress yielded little long-term gains.
To his credit, President Donald Trump connects with disgruntled members of the GOP, many of whom felt the party too often fielded candidates who sought their own interest not their constituents.
The size of this group was quite significant in 2012, as Mitt Romney did little to differentiate himself or his policies from that of President Barack Obama.
President Trump does not take the usual approach of delivering polished and properly vetted opinions and positions, choosing off the cuff tweets. Sometimes appearing inconsistent.
The biggest appeal President Trump will use to make his case for another term is the overall performance of his policy positions, focusing greatly on our economic revival and tough foreign policy.
The Obama Era was difficult for our economy, both at the individual level as well as the institutional, as America was largely stagnant for the entire eight-year term.
Political agendas in our public policy kept too many people on the sidelines, rather than contributing to our economy and providing for the family.
The economic agenda saw vast transition in the amount of people employed in the United States, bringing millions back to the workforce and creating wealth few have seen in their lifetime.
Our response to Covid-19 pandemic put a major dent to employment, but, in all fairness, progress has been made to move the needle back in the right direction.
Recent social unrest along with the pandemic politics create an opportunity for the former Vice President Joe Biden to make 2020 a competitive contest.
The Biden campaign focus their narrative on a return to normal. The normal they talk about is obviously that of the Obama Era, which is not a normal worth returning to.
Out of the 30 years in Washington D.C., Biden focuses greatly on his time as Vice President, seeking to appeal to the strong faction loyal to the former leader.
Biden is highly focused on appealing to independent voters based on likability. Like Obama, Biden hopes that popularity will be of greater importance than policy.
Biden hopes the electorate views him more likable than President Trump. After struggling to defeat a radical field of fellow Democrats, policy alignment might prove impossible.
For a party with a base clearly moving further left of center in political, social, and economic views, Biden is not a candidate aligned with this base.
Many of Biden’s known viewpoints do not really align with progressive views. Many of decades long political record does not align well either.
Biden is not a progressive candidate, but one who spent 30 years with a record aligned with his party’s establishment, which is seeking to maintain power unlike their GOP counterpart.
The selection of Sen. Kamala Harris appeases the crowd calling for a black female VP candidate. But Harris really struggled to connect with voters during the primary process.
Based on reporting of the potential VP pool, Harris is the safe pick from the likes of Susan Rice or Karen Bass. Rice brings Benghazi right back to the forefront. Bass has unsavory comments on record.
Given the growth in prominence of the progressive sect and the Democratic strategy of embracing the angry left, many expected a more progressive selection.
Sen. Kamala Harris does have strong credentials, but those credentials did little to help her connect with Democratic voters in the primary. Especially with both the black and progressive voters.
Sen. Kamala Harris has a distinguished legal career with notable positions as a district attorney and Attorney General for the State of California.
The pick of Harris may attempt to appease those who believe Biden is embracing to some degree the anti-cop Defund the Police movement many in his party align with.
Traditionally, the pick of a Vice President candidate is done to balance out the ticket. Either to improve appeal to ideological group or region of voters critical for the ticket’s electability.
There is still time to see how Harris can help the electability of the Democratic ticket, where the best-case scenario for her will be preparing for 2024.
California is not yet in play for Republicans and the selection of Harris seems to have riled the progressive leaders of the base, especially with the suppression of their voices.
Her career as a prosecutor may not help that much in the current environment. No one on either ticket is personally responsible for the level of minority incarceration as she is.
The Biden Harris ticket will undoubtedly seek to leverage the misplaced nostalgia for the Obama era, which millions do not hold fondly, despite its two terms.
The economic performance was highly stagnant, and employment was only really improved when people no longer qualified for inclusion in the statistic.
Our politics and society were just as divisive as it is in our current state, albeit the media has shifted roles from promoting it to hiding it.
Democrats hope people forget that Biden did not appear to be a trusted member of the Obama Administration, where he reportedly almost lost his spot on the ticket in favor of Clinton in 2012.
The decision for which ticket to select will come down to whether one is in favor of the projected policy outcomes of one ticket versus the likability marketing of the other.
Principles, values, and ideological obedience will not align well with this selection set. As always, voters will need to choose the closest alignment.
The 2020 election is going to be the Trump Era versus the Obama Era. What that consists of is a topic for a future discussion.