Whether you vote for Trump or for Biden, against Trump or against Biden, it's useful to understand -- from the perspective of their advocates -- why tens of millions of Americans will vote for one of these two candidates while tens of millions of other Americans will vote for his opponent.
In this opinion piece, Michael Goodwin does a decent job of presenting the case for Trump, offering several different reasons to vote for Trump's re-election. But op-eds are more works of advocacy than of deep analysis. By their very nature and brevity, they tend to reduce complexity and ignore counter-arguments. They don't give us a full picture. Are there reasons to want a president other than Donald Trump? Absolutely! Even if you agree with much of his policy agenda, his style is obnoxious, overly combative, and disrespectful. His relationship to the truth is tenuous. His ability to speak with generosity and compassion is highly limited. He is far, far removed from being a model president, even to those who support him.
But the choice every four years is NOT whether we approve or disapprove of one candidate, even if that candidate is the incumbent president. No, we must compare the candidates and choose between them. This year, as is often the case, we are offered a choice between two seriously flawed nominees. The question is not: Do you love Trump? Or: Are you a Trumpista? The question is: Do you prefer Trump or Biden? For Michael Goodwin, the answer is clearly Trump.
