Joe Biden was right: an election on experience and age

by Mark Segal of Philadelphia Gay News

Joe Biden was the big winner in last week's election. So was our community. Let's look at Joe Biden's win and LGBT wins and examine what they have in common. We'll also learn why Joe Biden's age was a major factor in both wins.

Joe Biden is the Democracy in Chief campaigner. Preserving democracy was one of the two major election issues that propelled the Democratic party's victories last week. When Biden started to press that issue with a speech in Philadelphia, he was deeply criticized. Most were alarmed by the red light background on Independence hall, not realizing that was a message on how deeply Biden felt that this state of the democracy was alarming-and deeply in trouble. He kept repeating it on every appearance he made, and he even brought it up during an evening White House speech.

Biden's second major issue in this election was a woman's right to choose. I trust you saw all the ads on it, for countless candidates across the country. The issue played well for Democrats even in the reddest of red states.

Biden was right on both issues. They were the major key to the victories.

How big was the victory? In a year that was historically supposed to be a major loss for Democrats, many in Republican circles and political pundits were actually calling it a red wave. But it was not. Democrats not only held the U.S. Senate, they will likely pick up a seat after the Georgia special election. Congress was predicted to be victorious for Republicans with a win of 20-30 seats. That will most likely be reduced to a single digit. And every election denier on the ballot in purple states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan and even Georgia, every office from Secretary of State to Governor, everyone who could overturn the 2024 election if Trump runs, lost. That itself makes it clear that Biden was right on that issue.

Then, factor in that women and young voters came out and supported a women's right to choice in numbers that have never been seen before, and put together a strong coalition that pushed Democrats over the top. The LGBT community came out and had the largest group of candidates elected in history over 400 LGBT victories. And as pundits were still describing the Latino vote as a monolith and moving to the Republicans, the three states where Latino votes were crucial to this election Florida, Texas and Nevada, found two of the three going to Democrats.

All of these results in what most pundits and now Republicans are saying: Donald Trump was the biggest loser of the election. It must be said that Biden has now beaten Trump twice now. No other Democrat with the exception of Nancy Pelosi has handed Trump defeats. What do Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden have in common? Age. And what do Democrats use as a reason they should retire both of them? Age. That, my friends, is agism.

Biden also has one of the best records for a Democratic President in his first two years then any other. The largest infrastructure legislation ever passed, including climate controls; the largest growth in job creation in American History; lowering the American Debt; unemployment at its lowest in 6 years; expanded health care for children and first responders; breaking records on nominating judges; and the most diverse administration in history. And those are just a few. Age brings experience, and that brings achievement. People ask if his age is hindering his ability, but he has proved his ability. Mentioning age as a factor in re-election is pure agism!

So how does all this play out for the LGBT community? This week the codification of marriage equality, to protect against a possible reversal from this new rightwing Supreme Court, will finally come up for a vote in the Senate. The legislation already passed by Nancy's Pelosi's house will come up with a vote. This is a lame duck session with several Republicans not returning. Also, more importantly, the remaining Republicans in that chamber saw that the LGBT community was seen as a major factor of the victory last week. The writing is on the wall. America sees the LGBT community and their rights are no longer an issue. They see us expected to be treated as every other citizen: with equality. For the first time, Republicans who have kept LGBT people right in the closet since 1976 must now consider what damage that does to their brand.

The nation has moved on. Can Republicans?