American Voter: Nina Chadab
US President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden are battling for the presidency in a sharply divided United States.
Trump has been focusing on “law and order”, Biden has been trying to strike a conciliatory note. The Black Lives Matter movement, and whether Trump will release his taxes are among the many issues Americans will consider when choosing their president.
Will you vote? Why or why not?
“I will vote and I plan to vote because, honestly, I know every election, people say ‘this is the election that you have to vote in— it’s life or death,’ but seriously our democracy is on the line. It’s not an exaggeration! Donald Trump has already said what he plans to do to destroy our democracy. We have to take him at his word, because he has already attempted a few things such as sabotaging the postal service. I feel like if we want to protect our democracy, you have to vote, and you have to vote for Joe Biden. It’s not even a lesser of two evils argument – you have to vote for Joe Biden if you want to save our democracy.”
“My number one issue is climate change. Of course, climate change is important to care about because it will destroy our planet if we don’t do something about it. But in the past, I want to say year or two, when we were first introduced to the Green New Deal and the Sunrise Movement popped up, that’s what really took hold of me and inspired me to try to make a change. Now I realise there’s actually a plan to save the planet – it’s not just an empty platitude of ‘we need to protect our environment’.
“Joe Biden, when it comes to climate change, he has actually made some inroads in that area. He has not signed on to the Green New Deal per se – I would love it if he did – but I feel a little more encouraged about what he wants to do for climate change and that’s what really makes an impact for me.”
Is there a main reason you chose your candidate?
“Joe Biden wasn’t my first pick. Bernie Sanders was my first pick, and I got to vote for him in the primaries. But, obviously now we’re in the general election, and you have to let that go – primaries are over and you move on to the general election. And I’ve already explained why it’s so important to vote for Joe Biden. Not only is he a better option, but I also do think he very much comes across as a genuine person and very empathetic.
“And so I feel like if you get progressive voices around Joe Biden, he will listen to them, and he will take in what they’re saying. And that’s a really positive thing for me.”
Are you happy with the state of the country?
“No, I am not happy with the state of the country! Not at all! There are so many things that are going wrong right now – with how COVID was mishandled, with how police violence is being mishandled in this country – these are two issues that really pop into my mind, for things that are being badly mishandled. I know that if we don’t get Democrats – if they don’t take the Senate – and if Joe Biden doesn’t win, things will get worse. It’s possible for things to get worse.
