More than 160 million voters in the United States will have a dilemma on November 5: vote for the second term of an octogenarian president with clear evidence of weakened cognitive acuity or for a fallacious almost octogenarian lacking an ethical compass and moral.
The first face-to-face debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump confirmed what everyone saw, except apparently the candidates’ advisors.
That Biden’s mental acuity has experienced a notable decline in recent years is impossible to cover, like the sun with a finger.
Throughout the 90 minutes of the debate, especially in the first 30 minutes, Biden lost his train of thought on several occasions, was unable to confront Trump’s lies, and make a persuasive argument to elect him for four more years.
If Biden, 81, is re-elected, he will finish his second term on January 20, 2029, at age 86.
True to his explosive and unpredictable personality, Trump presented an updated version of a politician capable of uttering lies, articulating half-truths and drawing a non-existent parallel universe, without flinching or blushing.
And again he resorted to racist insinuations, alluding to the case of a young white woman, allegedly murdered by a Latino immigrant, despite the fact that there is no evidence that migrants commit crimes at a higher rate than people born in the United States.
Given this panorama, it is true that American voters have another option: to express their rejection of the candidates that the majority did not want; Simply abstain from voting, vote with a blank ballot, or support any or all of half a dozen independent candidates.
Although these latter options represent valid forms of freedom of expression, the reality is that voting for these candidates, stopping voting or voting for independent candidates, will most likely benefit Trump more.
Four months before the election, voters have to decide if they prefer a leader like Biden, who is no longer at the peak of his performance but who has good intentions and speaks the truth.
Or vote for Trump, who continues to discredit the electoral political institutions of the United States with “the big lie” of the alleged 2020 electoral fraud.
When moderator Dana Bash asked Trump if he was willing to accept the election results now, the former president twice dodged the question and only finally agreed that he would do so if the election is fair and legal.
If he wins, he will also enjoy the immunity from his official acts that was conferred on him last week by the conservative majority of the Supreme Court of Justice. And he already told us that he will be dictator on his first day and his first action will be to close the border of the United States and Mexico.
Despite the dilemma for voters, not voting should not be an option, because even if none of the candidates respond 100% to our desires and interests, we should not let others decide for us.
The vote is our voice. And we cannot, nor should we, remain silent when so much is at stake.
