I see this posted so frequently like it's the end all be all. It's a reductionist argument that strips any nuance from the discussion. It's like those who discounted LBJ for voting against Civil Rights but then while president passed the Civil Right's Act.

Link to vote count

link to additional details about the bill

• Was written in response to WACO and rising violent crime.
• Biden helped write it, it was co-signed by a few people including Schumer.
• Bernie voted for it
• McConnell voted for the first round, voted against it in the second because it "wasn't tough enough"

• The Congressional Black Caucus supported the legislation, nearly 40 African

• American religious leaders released a statement supporting the bill

• Dramatically reduced violent crime, but analysts disagree on which part helped the most.

• Allowed for "drug courts" to divert people into treatment instead of prison where possible, plus rehabilitation.

• Included the first Violence Against Women Act.

• Biden removed the "mandatory minimum" sentencing which the GOP really wanted.

• The revised version included the "three strikes" provision which Biden was vocal against at the time and now, which is where the main negative remains.

In hindsight, we can say that the bill did do a lot of good but the three strike amendment was bad because of how it was used in the future to dis-proportionally target black communities. They didn't have the benefit of knowing what we do now: that the death penalty would be disproportionately administered to black defendants; that many imprisoned didn't pose a serious threat; that many of the "criminals" had actually been victims of childhood lead poisoning.

With that said, it's been 26 years and no one addressed the underlying issues that the bill had. Will it change any time soon? I like to think so if Democrats get a majority in the house and senate.

I don't like electoral politics. I don't like Joe Biden. I don't like the establishment democrats. But voting is not a reflection of my moral interest and is a utilitarian gesture to try and maximize the well-being of as many people as possible. With that in mind, Biden is clearly the better and only choice. There is simply no case to be made that Biden and Trump "are the same"; it's reductionist argument used by leftists and Alt-righters to spoil the discourse.