As the election nears, voters need to be very cognizant of who they are voting for and why. Recently, Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) announced that he will support President Trump when he runs for re-election. This is such a big deal because Katko formerly spoke out against Trump and urged him to drop out of the presidential race back in 2016. He instead voted for Nikki Haley and made it clear that he did not endorse Trump’s character.

But today, he joins the increasing number of people, be it Democrats, independents, or Republicans, who will be voting Trump in 2020. The biggest reason that these people, including Katko, are flipping sides is that they can now judge the President off of his achievements and not just his character.

As Katko acknowledged when asked about why he is voting Trump, Trump has brought unemployment in the United States and, more specifically, in central New York to the lowest it has been in a long time. Trump has established trade deals with Canada, Mexico, and, more recently, China. Although many people argue that Trump is bad for the American people, they cannot disagree with the facts: Trump is good for the economy and the American workforce is booming because of him.

Similarly, Trump has made the United States a safer place for its citizens and constantly proves that he has their best interest at heart. Katko believes he has done this by building up the military and breaking up the Islamic State. He has also focused on enforcing stricter border control, putting the American workers first and ensuring that those entering are safe and entering legally.

Although many democrats may not endorse Trump’s brass and straightforward speech, they cannot argue that he is not a man of his word. People who previously voted against him see this and like what they see. Voters understand that although Trump may not be who they envision as the perfect President, he is getting what he says done for America and putting the hardworking people first.

When voting in the 2020 election, voters not only need to take into account all that Trump has done to make America great, but also consider the alternative. Neither Biden, Warren, Sanders, or any other Democrat candidate on the ballot will be able to keep their word about what they are arguing for. Visions like free college or free healthcare for everyone are nice, but not plausible.

Instead, when going to vote in a few months, voters should ask themselves who will actually be able to achieve what they propose. Like Katko, voters may want to consider voting based on performance and not just on character or party affiliation.

Skylar Swart is a freshman political science major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at saswart@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter at @SkylarSwart.

 

Published on January 26, 2020 at 10:16 pm