Why Irish Americans should vote for Joe Biden on November 3
Ted Smyth, President of the Advisory Board of Glucksman Ireland House, NYU and
former Chief Administrative Officer of the H.J. Heinz Company.
Joe Biden is a longtime supporter of peace and equality in Ireland and worked with Nobel
Peace Prize laureate, the late John Hume, for that noble cause. It is critically important that the
American President support that peace, and Joe is dedicated to protecting the Good Friday
Agreement and fiercely opposed to a military border in Ireland.
As Mark Landler wrote in the New York Times in July: ‘A devoted Irish American, Mr.
Biden will fiercely defend Ireland’s interests, as will his allies in the Democratic Party’s Irish
lobby on Capitol Hill. In speeches, Mr. Biden’s go-to literary reference is from ‘‘Easter 1916,’’ a
poem by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats about the Irish uprising against British rule.’
The New York Times continued, ‘If Mr. Biden wins in November, Britain would face a president
who opposed Brexit, would look out for the interests of Ireland in a post-Brexit Europe, and
would have little motive to prioritize an Anglo-American trade deal.’
Joe would also be the first Irish American Catholic to become President since President
Kennedy in 1960, something that is long overdue.
By voting for Joe Biden on November 3, you would be supporting an Irish American who is the
essence of decency, dedicated to protecting family values, good jobs, a public option in
healthcare and affordable education.
Build Back Better
Joe’s plan to create 5 million new good-paying manufacturing and innovation jobs
The Vice President’s plan to rebuild the economy includes a $700 billion investment, union jobs
and a $15 minimum wage. Joe said he would put $300 billion over four years into research and
development targeted at a diverse array of businesses and entrepreneurs, which would result in
“high-quality job creation” across the country.
Joe emphasizes “Buy America” and will invest $400 billion in government procurement of
American-made goods, requiring that companies receiving procurement contracts pay workers
“at least $15 per hour, provide paid leave, maintain fair overtime and scheduling practices, and
guarantee a choice to join a union and bargain collectively.”
Affordable Healthcare for All Americans
Joe Biden promises relief to all those Irish Americans who worry about hospital and doctor bills
owed by their loved ones. He states that whether you’re covered through your employer, buying
your insurance on your own, or going without coverage altogether, the Biden Plan will give you
the choice to purchase a public health insurance option like Medicare.”
That means we will have the option to enroll in the public option with potentially big
implications for how employers decide to structure their health benefits. Joe will bring down
healthcare costs by unleashing Medicare’s bargaining power on behalf of a public option
available to all Americans.
Equality for All Americans
Joe, like all Irish Americans, believes in the American promise that everyone should be given an
equal shot at succeeding. This election is not just about voting against the incompetence and
corruption of Donald Trump.
As Joe says, "It's about rising to this moment of crisis, understanding people's struggles and
building a future worthy of their courage and their ambition to overcome. Some people are trying
to split the country. And so far, thank God, the American people aren't having any of it.”
As we Irish say, Ni neart go cur le cheile, There’s no strength without unity.
Irish Americans and Americans need Joe Biden to unite America now, more than ever.
