I'm glad to have the opportunity to discuss this with you, Max. Let me see if I can write something meaningful to you:
As you point out, Trump has no interest in government and in that is like Reagan. I hadn't thought of this in the way you've expressed it, but now that I do think of it this way, I think you are right. Reaganomics was the beginning of the "trickle-down theory" in operation, which since Reagan's time has made wealthy people into billionaires and almost done away with a strong middle class as well as making the poor poorer. It's hard to say what Reagan would have said or done about this had he not been even then suffering from Alzheimer's. Now to Trump: We do know what Trump has said and done about making the rich richer and the middle class and poor poorer because he met with billionaires recently and told them he would further decrease their taxes if they give him more money so he can win. By decreasing their taxes while he was president the last time, he tripled the national debt for no benefit to the American people. He gave everybody who was not a billionaire a small tax decrease that was temporary, but he made the big tax cuts for the rich permanent.
If there were only one issue I would consider while choosing whom to vote for, this would be it.
But I have written about several of your other concerns.
"Biden let the Ukraine war start under his watch and he didn't give room for Republicans to help...." Please see https://medium.com/the-polis/trump-the-anti-anti-war-president-41e263194753. Check about half way down the article just under a section head. There's some information about your next concern, "Biden allowed Israel to use weapons we made on a civilian population" in the same article, with more at https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/what-biden-can-do-about-gaza-f98658d55cae.
About the ICC and trade with China, I'm not qualified to weigh in because I've not done enough research. But about Biden's staying in the race being the same as Trump's refusing to admit he lost the election, I think you're wrong. Running for president and not stepping down until and unless it becomes absolutely necessary to continue a Build Back Better campaign is not the same as inciting a revolt against the U.S., watching on TV for hours as people were hurt and killed, refusing to step down even knowing you lost (according to people who were there, he did know he lost), and vowing to imprison everybody whom he dislikes if he becomes president again.
Finally, the two parties are not so similar. Admittedly, the rich have bought their way into becoming a big influence on both, but building manufacturing plants to bring jobs back to this country and bringing the price of insulin down from $400-$700 a month to $35, which Biden has done or is doing, is not the same as promising to be a dictator on Day 1 and declaring he will punish everybody who disagrees with him.
In a way--I have to say--your wife is right. Fox News and similar "news" organizations that are actually propaganda machines have lied so often to the American people that Trump may actually win. So, even if you don't think Biden is perfect--which you obviously don't--not voting for him is equivalent to one vote less for him and effectively one more for Trump.
If you're willing to continue this discussion and would like me to provide sources for what I've written--where I haven't already providedthem in the articles I've referred you to--let me know.
Once again, thank you for engaging in this disciussion.
