With respect to Joe Biden, Mary Bennett writes in a letter to the editor, “he is obviously a very loyal family man, with a strong sense of decency, a stark contrast to Donald Trump.” Considering this, she wonders “why so many in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints support Trump over Biden.”
I can’t speak for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but, if family loyalty and a strong sense of decency were requirements to be president, we likely would have never had presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Clinton. Jimmy Carter was, perhaps, the “nicest” human being to occupy the White House in my life. He was the worst president in that same time frame.
Presidential votes have become beauty contests of sorts. Will I feel better if I vote for candidate A or candidate B? We can thank “identity politics” for this. What a candidate looks like or how a vote for them would make me feel has no correlation to potential job performance.
Incumbents have track records. The incumbent either has or in many cases has not accomplished much. Have those “accomplishments” been beneficial or detrimental to the average American? Are they in line with campaign trail promises? Is it likely the challenger will accomplish enough more to warrant someone’s vote?
I want a president who:
1. Puts America first.
2. Makes every effort to prevent other countries from taking advantage of America.
3. Doesn’t care what the polls say.
4. Isn’t afraid to step on some toes.
5. Actually, gets things done.
And I will take that person, warts and all, over the person who is a “loyal family” person with a “strong sense of decency” and a 50-year track record of … not much.
Doug Lawton, Ogden