This is an op-ed on the 2020 election by Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Our nation has experienced one soul-crushing crisis after another this year. I lost my older brother, Don Reed, to COVID-19 in April. Losing a beloved family member is always hard, but not being there, and not having a chance in those final moments to tell him how much we loved him, was so painful. It’s been months now and — like so many Americans — I still haven’t been able to be with my family in Oklahoma.

The pandemic has ripped at the fabric of every family in this country that it has touched. More than 220,000 Americans have lost their lives, forcing countless family members to say goodbye to a loved one. Millions of women are out of work, and many others are juggling careers with caregiving for their families.

In moments of crisis, we all cope and recharge in our own way. For me, it’s keeping up with my steps by walking Bailey, or watching an episode of Star Trek with Bruce before bed. Soon, I’ll be getting ready to exercise my ultimate act of self-care for this year: holding Donald Trump accountable and voting for Joe Biden, a candidate who actually cares about all of us.

This year, America’s families have paid a steep price for having a president without human empathy and basic competence; a president who puts himself first. From the start, Donald Trump lied to us about how serious this pandemic would be. He never made a plan to stop the spread of the virus and he refused to take even the most simple step of encouraging his supporters to wear masks. This week, his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, declared on CNN that the U.S. is “not going to control the pandemic,” revealing what President Trump’s strategy has been all along: sticking his head in the sand and hoping the virus will  go away.

In moments of crisis, we all cope and recharge in our own way. Soon, I'll be getting ready to exercise my ultimate act of self-care for this year: holding Donald Trump accountable and voting for Joe Biden, a candidate who cares about all of us.

Now as cases continue to climb, President Trump has sent his lawyers to the Supreme Court to do what he and Republicans in Congress couldn’t do on their own: overturn the Affordable Care Act and take away health care coverage from tens of millions of Americans. If Trump wins this case, insurance companies will be allowed to deny coverage to, or force higher premiums on, over 100 million people with preexisting conditions, prevent people under 26 from staying on their parents’ plan, and charge women more just for being women. This is only the beginning of President Trump’s assault on our health care, because the Supreme Court could throw out Roe v. Wade next.

I won’t sugarcoat it: We can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump. That’s why it’s so important that we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

I love a good plan — and Joe and Kamala have lots of them. Not only to end this pandemic, but to improve the lives of women across this country.

Rather than dismantle the Affordable Care Act, Joe and Kamala want to expand health care. And they’ll double the investment of community health centers so more women in underserved communities can access primary, prenatal, and other important types of care.

Joe and Kamala will also protect and expand access to reproductive care. Their plan will restore funding for women’s health providers like Planned Parenthood, and enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law.

The United States has one of the highest rates of death related to pregnancy and childbirth in the world, especially among Black and Native women. In the White House, Joe and Kamala will address these heartbreaking disparities.

This election is about so much more than plans. We have a chance to choose compassion over cruelty, empathy over ego, facts over fear, hope over hate.

And they’ll make sure everyone can access affordable mental health care, which is especially important in tough times like this. 

But this election is about so much more than just having plans. We have a chance to choose compassion over cruelty, empathy over ego, facts over fear, hope over hate. We have a chance to choose leaders who care about us and are there to serve the people, not themselves. Donald Trump hasn’t shown an ounce of empathy during this crisis. Joe Biden feels our pain because he’s lived it. Joe is ready to not only heal our nation after this trauma, but to build back a country that is more resilient, more united, and more just than ever before.

Stand up, speak out, and demand change. Make a plan for when, where, and how you will cast your ballot. Ask everyone in your life to do the same.

The choice couldn’t be more clear, and you still have time to make your voice heard. So stand up, speak out, and demand change. Make a plan for when, where, and how you will cast your ballot. Ask everyone in your life to do the same. Because, ultimately, the best way to care for yourself is to elect people who care about you. And in this election, that’s Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Elizabeth Warren is the senior senator from Massachusetts.

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