Joe Biden should be the next president of the United States.
He should be the next president of the United States because he is caring, trustworthy and experienced. He should be the next president of the United States because he has committed to following the science and leading our country out of this pandemic.
Yes, you might have heard that he’s also a Democrat. He deserves your support anyway.
Everyone knows that Kansas is a red state. We’ve reliably cast our votes for Republican presidential candidates for decades upon decades. But we’re also not a hopelessly partisan state. We have elected Democratic governors and U.S. representatives. We have elected many problem-solving moderate Republicans to the Statehouse.
That’s because we value the old-fashioned civic values and virtues. We value decency, the kind seen in legendary politicians like Nancy Landon Kassebaum and Bob Dole. We value watching out for our neighbors, no matter the color of their skin, their religion or their sexual orientation. We value putting in a hard day’s work. We value the opportunities this country has brought us, as we know that so many of us are immigrants.
In the person of incumbent President Donald Trump, we have someone profoundly indecent, accused of sexual assault by nearly 20 women and captured on tape bragging about it. We know he doesn’t look out for his neighbors, as he’s routinely insulted other nations who have traditionally been our strongest allies. As for putting in hard work, the president’s lengthy days watching cable news or golfing should suggest how little he’s interested in doing the traditional labors of president.
Finally, of course, Trump has been anti-immigrant. Not just in addressing illegal immigration, an issue about which reasonable people can disagree. But he has cut the numbers of refugees allowed in the United States and sought to decrease the numbers of those in the country through legal means.
This newspaper endorsed President Trump in 2016. At the time, under different ownership and in different circumstances, we understood the risks. But it seemed as though Trump’s no-nonsense persona and business record could shake up Washington, D.C., for the better.
The gamble didn’t work out.
But that election is past, and a new one approaches. Unlike Trump, Joe Biden has nearly five decades of documented public service, as a senator and vice president. He has served ably and honorably over that time. We do not agree with all of his proposals or actions over those years. We doubt that he does either. But he has always been open and forthright with the American people. He has always appealed to our better selves.
In these difficult times, after four years of chaos and confusion, the United States needs a steady hand. We endorse Joe Biden as the next president.
— Topeka Capital-Journal
