Voters’ calculus hasn’t changed

The presidential debate was as dismaying as many Americans anticipated, but only highlighted what we already knew.

The worst that could happen if Donald Trump gets elected is the elimination of all efforts to combat climate change at the federal level, undoing the separation of church and state that motivated the Founding Fathers, replacing our egalitarian-influenced democratic government with a more authoritarian model featuring big corporate “royalty,” and witnessing whatever personal vendetta he plans for his opponents.

Our democracy has no precedent for electing an unabashed liar who openly scorns democratic traditions, so no one really knows how this would unfold.

The worst that could happen if President Joe Biden is reelected is him becoming increasingly incapacitated and having to step down allowing the younger vice president to step up. The Constitution allows for this, and it wouldn’t be the first time an elected president has activated this chain-of-command pathway. This would follow the established precedent activated whenever an elected official becomes disabled, ill or deceased during their term.

Nothing in the debate alters this choice for voters on Election Day.