Like pretty much everyone else in this country, I recognize that Donald Trump represents a serious threat to our way of life. You don’t have to tell me about his shameless, unconcealed corruption, his vicious treatment of immigrants and their children, his open contempt for democratic and moral standards, and above all his incompetent response to this pandemic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans and shattered our nation’s economy.

But my mother always told me, “Doris, there are two sides to every story.” While the Republican Party has a lot to answer for in Donald Trump, the Democrats are no angels, either. Just because the Republican candidate is a monster who threatens us all with extinction doesn’t mean I have to accept any old candidate the other side happens to put up, and I have to say that more I see of Joe Biden, the less I like him.

Of course supporting Bernie Sanders was always out of the question, and when the old socialist met a quick end during the Democratic primaries I was encouraged and hoped that the Party had learned its lesson and earned back the trust of voters like me — plain, middle class Americans who pay our taxes and want what’s best for our families. I still had good memories of Joe Biden from his years as Barack Obama’s second-in-command — such a winning smile, such a can-do manner!

But the more I see of “ol’ Joe,” the greater my doubts. First of all, there’s the question of his age. Did you know that Biden is three and a half years older than Donald Trump? My husband isn’t even that much older than me! And Biden keeps saying such ridiculous things. Remember when he said 120 million people had died of COVID-19? He corrected himself right away, but that’s not the kind of mistake a world leader should be making. When Trump makes up numbers, on the other hand, you know it’s not because he made a mistake, but because he’s lying and thinks we’re all too stupid to notice.

My relatives keep sending me emails about all the other crazy things Biden has done. I can’t even keep track of them all, there are so many of them, and my relatives, like me, are plain, middle class Americans who pay their taxes and want what’s best for their families and you can bet they know when someone’s not fit for high office. That’s why all of us voted for Trump in 2016 — which of course we all realize now was a terrible mistake, but you have to remember that he was running against Hillary Clinton, and there was no way any of us was going to vote for that woman.

And speaking of feminism, what about Biden’s hair-sniffing thing? We have heard about Donald Trump raping and assaulting women, but we don’t have video of it, while we have plenty of video of Biden sniffing ladies’ hair. It’s not Presidential in my view.

And speaking of views, whatever happened to the Joe Biden who supported our military and championed welfare reform? Sure, he supports taking care of military veterans, but that’s just pure political opportunism — even Donald Trump takes credit every couple of days for a veterans’ program that Obama signed. Biden’s even turned against Afghanistan, the good Middle Eastern war. Maybe Joe Biden has forgotten, but some of us plain, middle-class Americans still have our magnetic 9/11 yellow ribbon bumper decorations in our attics and the backs of our closets, and we will keep them there forever.

And as for welfare, I know a lot of people are talking about Black Lives Matter and I think it’s great that they’re talking about that and sometimes painting it in the streets, but there’s a point where it becomes pandering and that’s exactly what Biden’s doing by hinting that he might make a black woman his vice-presidential nominee. It’s one thing if she’s qualified, but if he nominates who I think he’s going to nominate, you can bet my family and I will have plenty to say about it.

In fact that’ll probably be a deal-breaker for me. I’m sorry if that disappoints some people, but as I told that guy at the store who tried to make me go back to my car and get a mask, I’m not some zombie who you can intimidate into voting for any old guy just because his opponent is destroying our way of life and all hope for our children’s future. In fact if anything is going to save us, it’s not voting for any particular candidate or set of values — it’s the proud independent spirit that has made our nation what it is today, and I’m not giving that up no matter what.