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Oct 28, 2020 By Chris Baio Vampire Weekend

With next Tuesday’s election day looming and millions of Americans already voting early, we put the word out to see if any musicians wanted to write about why they were voting for Former Vice President Joe Biden over President Donald Trump in a series we are simply calling Why I’m Voting for Biden. Chris Baio, who is not only the bassist for Vampire Weekend but has also released two solo albums simply under his last name for Glassnote, wrote this entry.

For those on the left, and the vast majority of the indie rock musicians we tend to cover are left leaning, this is very crucial election, especially as it’s one in the middle of a pandemic that has threatened their very livelihood, with touring put on hold until a vaccine is found and independent venues across America facing possible extinction.

Baio’s two solo albums were 2015’s The Names and 2017’s Man of the World. In 2019, Vampire Weekend released their latest album, Father of the Bride.

Visit vote.org or headcount.org to register to vote, get information on your polling place or on mail in voting, and to find out what else might be on your ballot.

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For the last four years the federal government of the United States has consistently wielded its awesome power in ways that make my blood boil. Consider almost any issue. Immigration? They separate children from parents who are together seeking a better life. Refugees? They make sure that the most vulnerable people on the planet are unable to ever enter America. Policing? They no longer enforce consent decrees in order to make sure that oversight is nonexistent. The environment? They are happy to burn it to the ground. A global pandemic? Rather than try to pursue mitigation efforts that would save lives they’ve let COVID-19 kill hundreds of thousands of us. To my mind, the Trump administration has been a parodic realization of the last 40 years of right-wing American thought. It would be absurd and maybe even a little bit funny if it did not have endless tragic consequences.

While Biden was not my choice during this year’s Democratic primary, and his election will not solve all of our country’s problems, I view his presidency as a necessary starting point. Governmental competency feels like a freaky fantasy after living under a single term of Trump. It is wild that I find myself typing the following words, but having a federal government that actively attempts to save lives during a deadly pandemic would be a good and refreshing change for America. I mailed in my ballot for Biden-Harris 10 days ago. When I dropped it in the mailbox, I felt a momentary peace.

www.baiobaio.com

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