I am an independent voter, but right now my chances of voting blue in 2016 are basically nil. I am 19 years old and I believe in hope, optimism; Hillary Clinton represents cynicism and the old-regime. Clinton thinks she deserves the presidency, but doesn't have to earn it. I will support a candidate I can connect with on a personal level, and Hillary is the candidate of political consultants and machine politics.
Joe Biden is the anti-Hillary. Whereas Hillary is cold and calculated, Biden is off-the-cuff and relatable; Biden's most famous scandal was not Benghazi or deleted emails on a personal server, or what looks like quid pro quo corruption from UBS -- it was cursing on national television. Joe Biden is human. He is a man who lost his wife and son to tragedy but has channeled this pain into conviction, helping him become stronger. Joe Biden understands what it means to struggle and overcome harsh challenges.
In politics, narrative, not policy defines winners and losers. If Joe Biden wants evidence that he stands a chance, he needs to look at Donald Trump. Trump is a candidate who recognized that the defining trope of the 2016 election is machine politics because it is an election defined by two of America's most prominent political families. But the average American hates Washington and would replace Congress altogether. Just one-third of millennials today think running for office is an honorable thing to do. Most of us believe that politicians run for office for selfish reasons, not because they want to be public servants. Political dynasties reek of the elitism and nepotism that we can't be a part of.
Trump speaks to the masses. He is an extraordinarily rich man whose wealth and status has not cultured him and deprived him of his own opinions. He is still a blue-collar man -- you can visualize him coming home, grabbing a bear and yelling at the TV. He isn't sitting at home sipping a mixed drink in a suit pondering the latest poll and reading a memo about what his opinions should be today. Trump is not politically correct, he is not afraid of the media and he is not afraid of what other people think. Trump is his own man. This is the American identity. This is the gritty, relatable sensibility of voters from the coalmines of West Virginia to the streets of New York City. And this is exactly what Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush don't have.
Of course, Donald Trump is a bigot and a disgrace to American politics. His comments about undocumented immigrants and attacks on John McCain show that he has given little thought to actually being president. But I seize on his personality because there is a lesson in his success. The American people are desperate for unpolished politicians who talk to them like it is. We want politicians who we can relate with -- because politicians are dishonest anyway. That's why we abandoned Hillary Clinton for Barak Obama in 2008, and that's why Obama was able to beat Mitt Romney, despite a suffering economy and a relatively unsuccessful four years in office.
Joe Biden faces a historic opportunity. This is his last chance to run for president. And his son's dying request was that he throws his hat in the ring. I say -- run! Run for the Democratic voters everywhere desperately looking for an alternative to Hillary. Run for the independent voters everywhere who need a reason to look left. Run because the Democratic Party will lose if it is in the hands of its most cold and calculating representative. Run because there's nothing to lose. Run because the American people will believe you. Run because you can make a difference and help implement progressive policies to change the future of our country.
In the face of tragedy, Joe Biden has found hope. Now I hope he can channel that to focus on what he can do for himself and what he can do for his country. The time has come for Joe Biden to run for president. Biden can give Hillary a run for her money, beat up any Republican challenger in a debate, and come out victorious. Joe Biden could just be our next president. I hope he decides to find out.