Daniels: Will you vote based on personality or policy?

Both presidential candidates have stated that this election will truly determine the future of our country for decades to come. In a sense, they are both correct. However, for reasons that are notoriously different.”

Frank Daniels is a retired colonel with the U.S. Army Reserve and a Dover resident.

When you vote this fall, please understand and remember how many American citizens have paid the ultimate price for you, a fellow American citizen, to cast a ballot. We are one of a very few countries that use the ballot box to pick their leaders, and damaging that box will destroy this country. The Democrats have abused our system and used it to their political advantage, while declaring that “Make America Great Again” Republicans want to destroy our democracy. I believe in MAGA, and as a veteran of two combat deployments, I don’t see where my belief in those policies are or will destroy our country.

Both presidential candidates have stated that this election will truly determine the future of our country for decades to come. In a sense, they are both correct. However, for reasons that are notoriously different.

Donald Trump is a hard-core New York businessman who panders to no one; is brash and loud; and speaks what is really on his mind. You can dislike or disagree with him, but if you listen to him very closely, you’ll realize that he speaks to all of the American public, not selected groups. He hasn’t had to sell his soul to the rich donors, as he is more than capable of funding his own campaign.

On the other hand, Joe Biden is the consummate politician. He is loved by Washington, D.C. (well, maybe), and his soul is owned by the devil. Every time he speaks, it is bathed in words designed to separate and cause disunity among the American population.

The personality and policies of both candidates are massively different. Therefore, when you vote — and please vote — disregard personality and focus mainly on policy. Voting on personality, for either candidate, will be an absolute and sad waste of a privilege defended by every American who paid the ultimate price for us to be a constitutional republic that allows its citizens to vote in an open and fair election.

Biden says the border is closed, but somehow, 10 million-plus illegal immigrants have crossed that closed border. The danger they represent to our national security was highlighted by the director of the FBI. The immense cost of supporting all these illegal immigrants is killing the budgets of sanctuary cities and states, and leaving American citizens in need out in the cold and without blankets.

Inflation has come down, but it is still causing immense problems and shows no sign of decreasing to the 2% level sought by the Federal Reserve. Do not be surprised if interest rates are actually raised by 0.25%. Individual credit card debt is over $1 trillion, and credit card default is on the rise. Interest rates are at an all-time high, and the idea of homeownership is out of reach of millions of young Americans. Rents have skyrocketed, and there is no end in sight to their increase. That $20 bill you used to buy groceries is buying you about $15.80 worth of groceries today. Even with the decline in inflation, grocery prices will still go up, and that $15.80 could shrink to less than $15 by November.

The cost of gasoline has remained consistently high since Joe abandoned our energy independence policy. To counter that, he’s drained our oil reserves to keep the price of gas from going higher. What happens if we have a natural disaster and need the reserves that are gone? Using the extremely questionable reasoning of climate change has allowed Joe to use the absurdity of his green energy program to push electric vehicles down our throats. Someday, yes, but not now, as we are nowhere near the technology and infrastructure we need to make electric vehicles viable.

There are two wars currently going on that could easily explode to include us. Taiwan is on the horizon, and Joe is clueless as to what the Chinese are really thinking. We need to support Israel to our fullest extent. Instead, we throw that country under the bus every opportunity we get. What we say about Israel and how we act toward Israel are two different matters. Both of these wars can be directly related to Joe’s terrible withdrawal from Afghanistan. Our foreign adversaries aren’t afraid of Joe, nor do they respect him. A vote for Joe will tell our enemies that they can continue in their ways. That will only mean the eventual inclusion of American combat troops. We just celebrated Memorial Day — do we want more unnecessary young American trigger pullers to pay the ultimate price for a war that didn’t need to happen?

The Democrats and news media have labeled Trump the devil, Adolf Hitler and God only knows how many other names. He isn’t perfect, but his policies worked from 2016-20 and will work again. When you compare and contrast the policies Trump used from 2016-20 and those Joe has used from 2021-24, there is only one response: Trump’s worked, and Joe’s have been nothing but disastrous.

So, before you cast your ballot this November, take a long, hard look at yourself in a mirror and ask yourself a very simple question: Is the president’s personality more important than his policies?

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.