Oftentimes elections, particularly presidential elections, are framed as matters of moral decision-making. Sometimes, this moral decision-making is centered around policy, with one policy being considered the moral option by one side, and the opposition considering it to be the furthest thing from a moral policy. This is also true of candidates, as those vying for power are framed through this lens of morality depending on their personal qualities and behavior. It is through this moral lens that the left is attempting to frame the 2020 Presidential Election. The argument goes something along the lines of, “Joe Biden is not perfect, but he’s still better than Donald Trump because we all know that Trump…” The remainder of this argument generally consists of a long list of moral grievances regarding Trump’s conduct, some legitimate, others decidedly less so. Democrats would do well to tread lightly, or not tread at all, with this approach. Joe Biden, for all his touted moral superiority, can be legitimately accused of engaging in the same behavior that Trump is so often criticized for.
Opponents of Donald Trump often cite the numerous lies allegedly told by the President as examples of his flawed character and unworthiness for office. Unfortunately, Joe Biden has his own history of telling tall tales and bald-faced lies. A more recent example of this is Biden’s claim that “the boilermakers union has endorsed me because I sat down with them and went into great detail with leadership [about] exactly what I would do.” This statement was utterly untrue, as the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers has not yet endorsed any presidential candidate. Another infamous example is Biden’s tale of travelling to Afghanistan to award the Silver Star to a Navy Captain who rappelled down a ravine to retrieve a comrade’s body. Biden spoke of the sailor’s humility and stated that the story was “the God’s truth” and “his word as a Biden.” Except that it was not “the God’s truth.” The actual feat of heroism was performed by then Specialist Kyle White, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. As noted by the Washington Post “In the space of three minutes, Biden got the time period, the location, the heroic act, the type of medal, the military branch and the rank of the recipient wrong, as well as his own role in the ceremony.” While hardly the only two examples of Biden’s dishonesty, the blatant nature of these two particular deceits demonstrates that Biden can hardly be considered on a higher plane to Trump in regard to honesty.
Another common complaint is that President Trump often makes ridiculous or nonsensical comments. Again, Joe Biden is equally guilty, if not moreso, of engaging in this type of behavior. As far back as 2008, Joe Biden claimed that Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the nation in a television broadcast after the 1929 Market Crash. In fact, it was Herbert Hoover who was president at the time of the crash, and television would not become a common household utility until years later. During a December 2019 speech, Biden commented that he had hairy legs that turned blonde in sunlight and that the children at the pool he lifeguarded at would come up to him and attempt to straighten them. While it is unlikely that anyone would care to examine that quantity or quality of Biden’s leg hair to verify the story, it does raise the question as to why the former Vice President felt the need to make such a bizarre statement that was decidedly out of place.
As far as ridiculous statements, Joe Biden also has a track record of insensitive and downright racist statements. While the media often touts President Trump’s uncontextualized remarks in the aftermath of the Charlottesville Rally, Joe Biden has made much more brazen comments regarding race. In respect to busing integration, Joe Biden stated that he feared his children growing up “in a jungle, the jungle being a racial jungle with tensions having built so high that it is going to explode at some point.” Regarding the Indian American community in Delaware, Biden stated in 2006 that “you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.” Perhaps his most infamously closed-minded remark occurred during an interview with Charlamagne tha God [sic], in which he told the presenter “I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black.” Needless to say, if Trump had made any of these remarks, it would have ended any chance he had for re-election, and rightfully so. But on account of the fact that Joe Biden is the alternative, Trump haters seem more than willing to overlook Biden’s history of comments that are at best gross and at worst racist.
Arguably, the most egregious example of an accusation leveled against President Trump is that of foreign collusion. A nearly three year investigation and impeachment trial cleared the President of any sort of collusion with foreign powers regarding the 2016 Presidential Election. Meanwhile, Joe Biden has either actively utilized his influence to enrich his family and shape actions by other countries, or has looked the other way while his relations grow rich off of his name. Recently, whistleblower Tony Bobulinski, one of Hunter Biden’s business associates, stated in a letter that the information uncovered from emails on a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden was authentic, and that various stakes with the Chinese energy company CEFC had been set aside for Hunter and “the Big Guy." Bobulinski went on to confirm that “the Big Guy” in question was Joe Biden. This is not the only instance of Biden using his influence in improper ways. Other emails from the same cache include one from an adviser at the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, thanking Hunter for arranging a meeting with the then-Vice President. Hunter also received an email asking for “advice on how you could use your influence” from the same advisor in 2014, when Joe Biden still was in office. It is almost certain that Biden used the status of his office to secure benefits for his associates, and possibly himself, in a manner that fits the definition of collusion with a foreign power.
Then there are the allegations of conduct with women. President Trump has seen his fair share of complaints, most notably as a result of the infamous Access Hollywood tapes. Biden, however, meets him in this area as well. Next to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden was the individual Secret Service personnel disliked the most, particularly on account of his predilection for skinny-dipping in the presence of female agents in the White House pool and at his Delaware residence. As photo and video records demonstrate, Biden also seems to have a particular tendency to massage the shoulders and sniff the hair of various women who happen to pass within his reach, be they young girls or middle-aged women. This is a tendency that is invasive at best, and inappropriate at its worst. Most infamously, the former Vice President has been accused of digitally assaulting one of his Senate staffers, Tara Reade, in 1993, an account which has been corroborated by Reade’s former neighbor. If the commonly utilized hashtag ‘Belive All Women’ has any credibility, then Joe Biden and his supporters have no moral ground to stand on regarding his conduct with members of the opposite sex.
As it stands, the quantity of incidents should be illustrative of one clear conclusion: there is no argument over the personal conduct of the candidates to be had in this election, and certainly not one that singles out Donald Trump. Supporters of both candidates should either choose to ignore their particular flaws, or merely acknowledge them as baggage carried by them, and focus instead on what they perceive to be the greater issues at hand. The unspoken truth of this matter is that the greater issue is ideology. This election is one of, if not arguably the most, ideologically-driven contests in the history of American politics. Therefore, I would encourage those on the left of the spectrum, who attack Donald Trump for his personal flaws and wrongdoings, to drop their facade of caring about personal morality and acknowledge the reality of the situation. The personal morality of the candidates is not the arbiter of their decision in this election.
If they were to accept this reality, they would acknowledge that for every potential accusation laid at the President’s feet, Joe Biden has engaged in conduct of an equal or greater nature.