Joe Biden
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Biographical Information:Born: November 20, 1942 in Scranton, PA (Age 77) Education: University of Delaware (BA), Syracuse University (JD) Experience:Political Experience: Member of the New Castle County Council (11/4/1970-11/8/1972), US Senator from Delaware (1/3/1973-1/15/2009), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee (1/3/1987-1/3/1995), Chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus (1/3/2007-1/3/2009), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1/3/2001-1/20/2001, 6/6/2001-1/3/2003, 1/3/2007-1/3/2009), Vice President of the United States (1/20/2009-1/20/2017) Private Sector Experience: Minimal law firm experience VP PickTBA |
Biden's Stances on Voting Issues
Asia & OceaneaWhile Biden does certainly believe that China poses a threat to the United States, he does not believe that the country poses as great of a risk as many other candidates have asserted. Despite this, Biden has a commitment to working with China, resolving conflict, and promoting cooperation between the two nations and regions (Enjeti).
EconomyBiden advocates for a greater level of economic justice in the US. First, he will reverse the tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations recently implemented by Donald Trump. Next, Biden will eliminate tax breaks that aid special interests. Lastly, Biden will eliminate the capital gains loophole, which allows an avoidance of higher tax rates (Biden).
ElectionsBiden advocates for a fully public funded election system. Essentially, he would like to nullify any private influence in the entire system. Furthermore, he will restrict foreign money and PACs. Lastly, more transparency will be required in the funding of each campaign (Biden).
EqualityThe majority of Biden's plans for equality relate to the LGBTQ community. He advocates for signing the Equality Act as one of his top legislative priorities. Furthermore, he advocates to reverse Trump's transgender military ban. Lastly, he advocates for taking strong action on hate crime and strengthening legislation preventing and condemning hate crime (Biden).
GunsAs informed by his previous experience, Biden advocates for strong gun restrictions. He will first reinstate the assault weapons ban that he originally authored. Furthermore, he will regulate the possession of existing firearms by instituting a buyback program. Additionally, Biden will further expand background checks and end loopholes such as the Boyfriend, Charleston, and Hate Crime Loophole. Lastly, Biden will end online sales and institute gun storage laws (Biden).
ImmigrationBiden believes that urgent action to immigration policy is absolutely crucial. First, Biden believes the most immediate priority is trying to reunite parents with their children. Next, Biden will restore the asylum laws under the Obama Administration that Trump has dismantled. Furthermore, Biden will provide humanitarian resources to the border and reduce detention times. Biden will stop the construction of the wall and protect DACA recipients, as well as ending travel restrictions such as the "muslim ban". Lastly, Biden will build a new road to citizenship for aspiring immigrants while also holding ICE to ethical standards (Biden).
Latin AmericaBiden believes instrumental change is necessary for Central America. Specifically, under Obama, Biden worked to promote democracy in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Biden has stated that these three countries have the potential to be the next western democracy success story. Under Obama, Biden promoted aid to the countries and advocates for a continuation (Biden).
Middle EastAs one of the key negotiators in the Iran Nuclear Deal, Biden strongly believes that it should be rigorously supported and defended. Furthermore, Biden will end the war in Afghanistan. Instead, he will shift the focus of the US in the Middle East to specifically targeting ISIS and Al-Queda. Biden believes that fighting "forever wars" are largely ineffective, especially in the Middle East (Biden).
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DefenseBiden believes in a strong commitment to veterans. He will increase compensation to keep the US Armed Forces on par with other comparable governments and militaries. Additionally, he will increase support for family members and children of both active-duty and veterans. He plans to use US leverage to push climate legislation as well as prioritize the Iran Nuclear Deal (Biden).
EducationBiden has released comprehensive educational reform. He will first increase teacher pay to a competitive level proportional to equally qualified individuals. Additionally, he will help teachers become more qualified through trainings and help them pay off student debt. Biden will increase the number of health workers in school to empower students. Furthermore, he will work to minimize the funding gap between all public schools. Lastly, he will guarantee preschool and provide practical training to high school students (Biden).
EnvironmentBiden is a strong proponent of the Green New Deal, believing it is instrumental to the longevity of the climate. He will ensure that the US reaches net-zero emissions by 2050. However, he will do this while also rallying the rest of the world to follow the example of the US and realize the imminent threat of climate change. The climate is one of Biden's key priorities for 2020 (Biden).
EuropeBiden believes that NATO is the "strongest and most effective" cooperative peace effort in history. He is a strong proponent of the treaty and has called for a strategic review of the members' democratic commitments should he become president. Furthermore, he believes that NATO must work to find a solution to the possibility of Russian agression (Biden).
HealthcareAs he worked with Obama to pass the ACA, Biden is a strong proponent of the legislation and advocates to both preserve and improve it. Biden advocates for giving every American an option for public, affordable healthcare, as opposed to a single payer system. Furthermore, Biden would like to expand the ACA to cover 4.9 million Americans who have been blocked by local governments. Furthermore, Biden will take on pharmaceutical and insurance companies to increase transparency and make sure every American has understandable healthcare and pharmacy prices (Biden).
Justice & IncarcerationBiden supports a rehabilitative approach to criminal justice. He believes that no one should be incarcerated for drug use charges, but rather diverted to rehab. This same principale applies to mental health services. Biden will strengthen the Department of Justice to investigate racial biases and discrimination within police forces. Furthermore, Biden will abolish mandatory minimum sentencing and the crack-cocaine disparity. Additionally, Biden will abolish the death penalty and end cash bail. Finally, Biden will prioritize the housing and re-entry of incarcerated individuals to prevent recidivism (Biden).
DrugsBelieving in a rehabilitative approach, Biden advocates to decriminalize the use of marijuana. However, he does not advocate for absolute legalization. Instead, he believes that while it should be legal for medical purposes, it should not be legal for others (Biden).
ReligionWhile religious, Biden has never advocated for a religious influence in politics and believes strongly in a secular state. He has released no religious reform for 2020 (Kinnard and Schor).
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