Not since 1860 have the differences between America’s major political parties been so clear. Republicans opened their convention to nominate President Donald Trump this week with a promise to restore, renew, and rebuild America, whereas Democrats seek to deface, dismantle, and destroy our country. As they always do, voters in this election will vote based on which party’s values most closely align with theirs.
Nancy Capels,71, and Teresa Edens, 68, of Albuquerque, New Mexico are following the campaigns closely and enjoy talking about the candidates on their daily walks together along the popular Tramway trail at the base of the Sandia Mountains.
“All four of my grandparents came to America from Italy on boats. They spoke no English and had no money,” Edens said. “But they had skills, and a work ethic. One of my grandfathers picked cotton in the South to pay off his boat fare. When he died, he owned a whole city block and a grocery store in Memphis. I don’t believe in freebies.”
Edens says she will be voting for Trump because he shares her values of hard work and a respect for law and order. President Trump has sent in federal troops to quell the violence and protect our neighborhoods.
At the start of all the civil unrest, Trump addressed the country from the Rose Garden on June 1 saying, “The biggest victims of the rioting are peace-loving citizens in our poorest communities, and as their president, I will fight to keep them safe,” Trump said. “I will fight to protect you. I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters.”
In contrast, not a single speaker at the Democrat’s convention last week condemned the rioting, looting, and street violence in our cities. In the words of the Black Lives Matter movement, “silence equals consent.”
Joe Biden has said he wants to withhold federal funding from local police agencies unless they are deemed “honorable and decent.”
Biden’s far-left running mate, Kamala Harris, in June supported cutting $150 million out of the Los Angeles Police Department and taking the police force below 10,000 for the first time in more than a decade, saying, “I applaud Eric Garcetti for doing what he’s done.”
“As I look around my city, I wonder if riots could come here,” said Capels. “And if they do, I’m worried for my safety. I don’t think our Democrat governor will do anything to stop them.” Capels, who does not identify strongly with either political party, supports President Trump because she says he is tackling problems “the political elite” have ignored. “Trump is ending regulations, trying to downsize agencies, and lowering taxes, and my favorite, he is taking on China.”
Among President Trump’s many successful negotiations with China, he successfully negotiated a phase one trade deal with China while leaving in place existing tariffs of 25 percent on $250 billion of goods and another 7.5 percent on the remaining $300 billion of goods that are needed to ensure China complies with the deal — taking on China’s unfair trade practices.
Obama-Biden never got tough on China, and as a result the U.S. ran up a $2.5 trillion trade in goods deficit with China from 2009 to 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the first six months of this year, the trade in goods deficit with China is down to just $131.7 billion, that’s 18 percent below where it was when Trump was elected to office in 2016.
Capels worries that if Joe Biden wins, there will be no economic growth. “It will be just like it was under Obama, the economy will suffer, and unemployment will be high.”
The Obama years were a lost decade for many Americans who struggled under a low-wage “gig” economy. In contrast, President Trump’s pro-growth policies resulted in a 50-year low unemployment rate of 3.5 percent and robust wage growth, particularly for low-wage earners, until the Chinese-originated virus struck.
For Capels, the choice could not be more clear, “do you want the federal government running your life or do you want to get back to some measure of personal responsibility and not relying on the government?” She says the Biden-Harris is a far-left, progressive ticket that does not represent the moderate party of the past. “They have gone far left.”
Catherine Mortensen is the Vice President of Communications at Americans for Limited Government.
