Star Opinion: Joe Biden for President

The Editorial Board and the Star’s news reporters and editors operate independently of each other.

Joseph R. Biden is, without a sliver of doubt, the best choice for President in this election.

As an Editorial Board we seek to find shared ground with candidates, to find in their actions or positions points with which we may disagree, but can understand. We know that people can in good faith share an ultimate goal but not agree on how to meet it. That is good governance.

We value thoughtfulness, strategic and clear thinking, common good instead of personal profit, empathy, wisdom, patience and a spirit of public service moved by belief in and adherence to the promise of the United States and our Constitution.

We have tried to find any evidence of these basic values in our current president. Again and again, we have found Donald J. Trump wanting. We could use a thesaurus full of synonyms for unfit, unfettered and unqualified to describe Trump’s actions while in office but we know that would not affect his hardcore supporters’ devotion.

The way to stop the damage Trump’s administration has wrought on our economy for working people, public health, the environment, public safety, education system and our credibility as a nation is to elect a responsible, respected and respectable president in Biden.

People sometimes knock Biden for being boring. In presidential terms boring translates to steady, experienced and working diligently for all Americans. We’ll take boring over Trump’s unchecked bravado any day.

A second Trump term is not inevitable. Biden’s lengthy career, the personal sacrifices and family tragedies he has endured with compassion for others, his efforts to improve Americans’ lives in concrete ways are all hallmarks of a leader who connects with the people for whom he’s working. Biden gets it.

Our hope is that Biden will prove to be the moderate centrist President that his record in Congress has been, rather than being pulled to the left of his party. He is a collaborative leader who we anticipate will surround himself with smart, qualified and strong advisers, as he has done with his choice of Kamala Harris for vice president.

There is no more obvious or urgent choice facing our nation than who will occupy the White House for the next four years.

Biden has described this election as a fight for the soul of our nation, and we agree — and we believe the United States as a country and Americans as individuals will be in far, far better hands with Joseph R. Biden than the alternative.

The Arizona Daily Star Editorial Board endorses Joseph R. Biden for president.