By Jeffrey Blanchard, Stafford County Democratic Committee Member

Biden is the best Democratic candidate for president.

Biden is by far the most experienced candidate, having served in the U.S. Senate for 36 years and as vice president for eight years. He can hit the ground running on his first day in office without any on-the-job training.

Biden offers practical solutions to the nation’s problems. One example is health care. He supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act by adding a public option and will require drug companies to negotiate with Medicare over drug prices. Some of his opponents back more far-reaching proposals that will never pass Congress.

Biden has the personal relationships that will assist in achieving and enacting his proposals. During the 16-day government shutdown in 2017, President Obama turned to Biden to craft the deal with Sen. McConnell that reopened the government. As a senator, he was effective in passing landmark legislation, such as the Violence Against Women Act, and knows many of the world’s leaders.

Biden can appeal not only to Democrats, but also to independents and voters who supported Trump after voting for Obama. He has an ability to appeal to those who feel left behind in today’s economy. He has never forgotten where he came from: a working-class background with people striving to get ahead.

Biden is the most genuine candidate I have seen in my decades of political activity. Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty states that Biden “is perhaps the most authentic tribune of empathy in public life today.”

Experience, effectiveness, electability and heart are four reasons to vote Biden.

This is a post by a member of the Stafford County Democratic Committee. This post does not necessarily reflect the views of the Stafford County Democratic Committee, the Democratic Party of Virginia, or the Democratic Party of America.

By Richard Coleman, Stafford County Democratic Committee Member

Bernie Sanders polices represent change. And while we should not make change for the sake of change, we need not fear change when the situation requires it. The environment, health care and education are important issues in the lives of all Americans. As our culture and the fundamental technologies of these issues have changed over time, so must the way me manage these issues over time. Americans have a strong commitment to the spirit of independence and self-responsibility, but we must also embrace a new interactive culture that foster communication and self-expression. Embracing our new culture allows our individual actions in major issues to have a greater impact on these issues in the lives of others. We must change how these major issues are managed.

Sanders recognizes that our new interactive culture requires that the government provide policies to ensure fair access regarding these issues, while protecting us from the impact of others. The new technologies and complexity of these major issues have stretched our individual ability to control how they affect our lives. We should be able to depend on our government to fulfill its responsibility of providing for the common good, without fearing the threat of some ambiguous definition of socialism.

Every individual and corporation should fairly face the burden of the cost of government. Bernie Sanders recognizes that we must have taxation policies that allows government to meet its responsibilities. We, as a compassion culture, should not allow those who are indifferent to anything beyond their own needs to refuse to pay a fair share. Hiding behind claims that others, usually the poor, should be more responsible, while demanding additional benefits for the wealthy is not acceptable.

This is a post by a member of the Stafford County Democratic Committee. This post does not necessarily reflect the views of the Stafford County Democratic Committee, the Democratic Party of Virginia, or the Democratic Party of America.

By Alane Callander, Stafford County Democratic Committee Member

There’s still time to nominate a “moderate” progressive as the Democratic nominee for President in the November 2020 election. Virginians have their chance to vote in the Democratic Primary on March 3. and since we don’t register by Party here, Independents have a great chance to participate in the nominating process as well.

Republicans who do not want to re-elect Donald Trump as President for the next four years would be smart, also, to come out and choose one of the Democratic Party nominees that they would feel most comfortable with as our President.

Amy will make a great President, bringing decency, competence and know-how back to the White House. She also is known for her bipartisanship, passing 100 bills as the lead Democrat over her – year career in the U.S. Senate. Working Mother Magazine named her “Best in Congress” for her efforts on behalf of working families and she’s a big proponent for substance abuse treatment, mental health services and long-term care solutions.

Transportation is another area of strength for Sen. Klobuchar. She knows first hand the urgency of repairing aging infrastructure having pushed through the rebuild of the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed several years ago due to neglect. She’s a big advocate for comprehensive transportation improvements including public transit. Her committee assignments in Washington have provided her in-depth knowledge of how to strengthen the economy, including in rural communities.

Amy also supports universal health care for all Americans, and she believes the quickest way to get there is through a public option that expands Medicare or Medicaid. She supports changes to the Affordable Care Act to help bring down costs to consumers and to improve delivery of services. She’s been fighting her whole life to bring down the cost of prescription drugs. 

I could go on and on, but you can visit amyklobuchar.com to learn more.

This is a post by a member of the Stafford County Democratic Committee. This post does not necessarily reflect the views of the Stafford County Democratic Committee, the Democratic Party of Virginia, or the Democratic Party of America.