Why BestTechie supports Joe Biden for president


I went back and forth on writing this post, but ultimately, I decided it's too important to not take a stand. That's why we're (BestTechie) officially endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. In our site's 17 year history, we have never endorsed any political candidate so I'd implore you to read on to see why.

It was November 8, 2016, I had just voted for Hillary Clinton to be, what I thought was a lock for, the first woman president of the United States of America, I even took a picture to celebrate the moment.

Having done my civic duty earlier that day, I decided to call it a night (before the election was called) and head to bed. I awoke in the middle of the night only to hear Mandy telling me that Donald Trump had won. I was still practically asleep, barely understanding the information that had been just shared with me, when suddenly a feeling of confusion, uncertainty, and dread hit – it was clear then, my (everyone's) whole world had changed.

I grew up in New York, I knew about Donald Trump for years (even prior to The Apprentice). No one ever had good things to say about Donald Trump. Ever. He had bankrupted his businesses multiple times, he lost his entire inheritance of more than $400 million, he refused to pay his contractors, and he would sue or go after anyone who said something he didn't like. By the way, did you know, if Donald Trump had invested all the money his father left him he would be even richer than he is today – by a lot, as the markets have outperformed Donald's own businesses over the years. Ouch.

Suddenly you can see why I didn't believe any of Donald's talk about his business acumen – he doesn't have any! The only reason the economy was booming when he got into office was because of Obama. He was literally riding the coat tails of the greatest recovery ever (under Obama) and he blew it. Sure it continued to go up for a while, as you would expect, but his bungled response to the Coronavirus pandemic has erased essentially all of the gains we made over the past 8 years. And for what? Because Donald Trump doesn't care about me, or you, or anyone but himself. Even if you're a supporter of Donald Trump it's only a matter of time until he betrays you too.

But it's more than just the fact he lies, cheats, and steals. It's the fact that he's now doing it to me, you, and all of the American people. Yes, he's spending our hard earned dollars on more golf trips than Obama ever had, in fact, Trump spent half his presidency at Trump properties where we paid to house secret service agents, other government officials, etc. All that money went back into Donald's pockets. He's literally profiting off the presidency. It's disgraceful.

But it's not just the fact he's a disgrace. It's the fact he's disgracing every American's reputation around the world. Our words used to mean something. We used to be friends with allies, people who we shared common values with, but no, Donald wants to be friendly with autocrats and dictators because that's how he views himself – he's just associating himself with similar values, I guess.

But it's more than just Donald Trump's lack of values and morals. It's the fact his lack of values and morals have made their way into our every day lives. Violence is more prevalent and we're on the cusp of losing rights fought hard for by fellow Americans. As an independent media company, I pay for my insurance with the help of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In fact, it's thanks to the ACA that I'm able to afford insurance on my own and I'm deeply concerned about losing it (which I will, if Amy Coney Barrett is sitting on the bench, as will tens of millions of fellow Americans). Additionally, as an independent media company, we rely on Section 230 of the Communications Act to protect us and other sites like Twitter, Facebook, etc from frivolous law suits but that too is also currently under threat by Donald Trump and his administration. In fact, Ajit Pai, the current FCC chairman in the Trump administration, tweeted just today that he's already looking to start clarifying the section (whatever that means, whatever it is, it's not good).

Changes to that particular section of the Communications Act will have lasting repercussions on the development of the internet and other new technologies. It is critically important that we protect Section 230. Failure to do so could mean the end of BestTechie – and I certainly don't want that and I'm sure you don't either!

But there's more. How about the fact Donald Trump's administration has consistently rolled back EPA regulations which is resulting in less clean air, less clean water, more forest fires, and major ice shifts in the Antarctic and most recently Canada. These are major problems for everyone on the planet. And what is Donald Trump planning to do about it? Nothing. Maybe he'll try and bring back more coal jobs. How's that going by the way? Donald Trump is operating as if we live in 1950. We need a 2020 approach, not a 1950s one.

This is why we're endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We encourage you to get out there and do your civic duty – VOTE! Vote like your rights depend on it, because in all honesty, they do. This is not a drill!

If none of this makes any bit of difference to you, I have a few questions:

Are you less stressed and/or anxious today than you were 4 years ago? I'm certainly not. In fact, that feeling of dread I mentioned earlier hasn't left me during Donald Trump's entire administration. So if you're feeling like me, then vote Biden/Harris.

Don't you miss the days of simply being able to enjoy your life and not be consumed by what Donald Trump is doing now? I do. If you do too, then vote Biden/Harris.

Do you believe in science? I do. If you do too, then vote for Biden/Harris.

I sincerely hope this is the last time I need to write an endorsement of a political candidate but frankly the stakes are way too high right now to not get involved. The last thing I'll say is remember when you're casting your ballot, your vote matters so make it count.