Introduction
While the Constitution’s system of checks-and-balances may have been designed to prevent exactly the type of democracy-threatening scenario described by pundits and party leaders on both sides of the aisle, the increased polarization of the American political process, as well as the commitment to a two-party political system has resulted in a scenario where this hyperbolic statement may have some elements of truth.  Voters are concerned about some major issues that have played a role in the American political process for quite some time, including reproductive rights, gun control, access to healthcare, and the economy.  However, two other issues are playing a critical role in the 2020 election because of current events: a candidate’s response to law enforcement and how each candidate would handle the current global pandemic.  While the issues may be important to voters, the reality is that election 2020 will probably come down to personality because of perceptions by voters on both ends of the political spectrum that the other side has been engaged in long-term wrongdoing.  Joe Biden is considered by many, including lifelong Republican politicians and government workers, to be the more trustworthy and reliable of the two candidates.  However, Donald Trump has a well-established base of voters who not only believe that he is the more reliable candidate, but even believe that he has been divinely sent to rescue the soul of the country. 

Thesis Statement

Therefore, the real key to election 2020 may be which candidate can convince more people in the middle that, regardless of where they stand on policy issues, the voters can expect that candidate to consistently try to act in the best interests of all Americans.  

Body 

The Republican candidate is incumbent President Donald Trump.  Trump won an electoral college victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, but not the popular vote.  He has been a controversial President.  He has faced allegations that Russia was involved in his 2016 election, which even led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives, followed by an acquittal in the Senate.  Although Trump was not the GOP’s favored candidate in 2016, he has spent much of his presidency shoring up political support from his party, and even people who were once his largest detractors, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, now work with him to accomplish party goals. 

The Democratic candidate is former Vice President Joe Biden.  Joe Biden served two terms as Vice President under President Barack Obama, who won both elections with both popular vote and electoral vote victories.  Biden was a Senator for years before becoming Vice President and played a critical role in passing bipartisan legislation such as the Violence Against Women Act, which has helped shore up his reputation as a man who can reach across the aisle.  However, Biden’s overly familiar physicality has made some uncomfortable and his stuttering is often misinterpreted as cognitive decline, which may impact voter confidence.  

One of the major issues in the 2020 election is reproductive rights, specifically the access to abortion.  While most Americans consider themselves middle-of-the-road when it comes to reproductive rights, there is a group of one-issue voters that consistently identifies with the “pro-life” candidate.  The official position of the GOP is that it wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that ensured abortion access as a constitutional right.  While always an issue in national elections, this issue has become more prominent because, during his term Trump has been able to nominate two Supreme Court Justices and there is currently a vacancy on the Court.  If Trump’s current nominee, pro-life judge Amy Coney Barrett is placed on the Court and Trump remains in office with a GOP Senate majority, people expect restrictions to abortion rights (Biskupic).  On the other hand, if Biden takes office, it is expected that his administration will continue to facilitate reproductive rights.  One complication to this issue is that, while the GOP is identified as the pro-life party and the Democrats as the pro-choice party, actual...…The response by the candidates has been very different.  Trump has provided blanket support for law enforcement and has refused to condemn any law enforcement officers or counter-protestors for their involvement in the events, even sending in federal troops to some cities experiencing protest (McEvoy).  There is significant evidence of violent aggression by federal law enforcement agents against peaceful protestors.  However, these actions may have stopped significant property damage in the most at-risk areas.  In contrast, Biden believes that law enforcement agencies need more training and greater resources in order to avoid the type of police violence that is being protested.  He supports peaceful protests by BLM and does not believe that federal troops should be deployed against American citizens.  

Finally, the biggest issue in election 2020 may be the global COVID-19 pandemic.  The two candidates have taken starkly differing positions on the issue (Urhmacher and Braford).  Although not in a position of power, Biden has been in favor of mask mandates and lockdown procedures in accordance with WHO and CDC guidelines on the appropriate actions to take in order to reduce the spread of COVID and flatten the infection curve.  This is reflected in his personal behavior, as Biden consistently wears a mask and/or socially distances in public.  In contrast, Trump has downplayed the threat of the Coronavirus, and, as revealed in taped conversations with Bob Woodward, even lied to the American people about the degree of the threat.  However, Trump points out that he was trying to avoid panicking the American people because of his belief that the threats from the virus are less serious than the long-term economic threats of locking down the country or the threat to personal liberty that occurs with mask mandates.  These two differing positions came into sharp contrast on October 2nd, when it was revealed that Trump, along with several other prominent GOP politicians and workers, has contracted COVID-19.  At the time of this essay, Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed Hospital and receiving treatment for the…