Everest Schipper '24
On January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden was inaugurated after narrowly beating former President Donald Trump with 302 electoral votes compared to Trump's 232. Biden has since been in office for two years, and during his time, has worked to enact legislation surrounding gun safety, climate change, and unemployment. However, he has fallen short on some of his campaign promises, such as raising the minimum wage, comprehensive immigration reform, and protection of reproductive rights. Biden’s actions while in office and the political-economic state of the country have contributed to his approval rating dropping from 55% at the beginning of his presidency to 39% as of April 16, 2023.
Despite this, on April 25, 2023, Biden announced his reelection campaign in a short-form video, where he discusses his pursuit of freedom and democracy during the first two years of his presidency. He specifically touches upon the infringements of freedom in the forms of cutting social security, dictating women’s health care, banning books (such as The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood and All Boys Aren’t Blue, by George M Johnson), and telling people who they can love (recent infringements on LGBTQIA+ rights). He goes on to address Americans by saying that “we are good people” who “give hate no safe harbor,” and saying that everyone should be given “equal opportunity.” He ends the video with an empowering call to action saying that “every generation of Americans have faced a moment when they have to defend democracy.”
Uncertainty around Biden’s campaign is prevalent from both sides of the aisle. Republicans, due to increased polarization, have shown tremendous dismay surrounding Joe Biden, the nature of his election, and the reforms he has enacted. On the other hand, Democrats have weighed the alternatives and determined that he is a fitting candidate that will likely receive the Democratic nomination. However, one of the major concerns surrounding Biden is his age, as he is currently eighty years old and by the time of the election he will be eighty-two. Additionally, the Democratic party is concerned about the aforementioned substandard approval ratings, the overall support from voters, and the party lacking vitality and conviction.
The United States still has a long road until election day, and the political landscape could change drastically. However, as the election becomes more and more center stage in the media, it is important that Cate students remain educated, as the 2024 election will be the first time that many 10th, 11th, and 12th graders will be voting. Each election cycle changes the course of history, but voters have an opportunity and responsibility to influence the future.
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