United under Biden
New president gives us faith that America can put divisions aside, overcome crises.
America turned its eyes to Washington on Wednesday and saw hope.
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, vowing to unite a fractured country and counting on that unity to confront the challenges faced by our wounded nation.
Four years ago, Biden’s predecessor looked out across America and famously saw carnage.
In his inaugural address, Biden pointed toward the light — in a speech that was openhearted, plainspoken and direct — even as he acknowledged there were dark days ahead.
“The forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new,” he said. “Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal, and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart.”
The battle is perennial, he continued, and victory never assured, but it is only with “enough of us” coming together, that we can overcome — an aspirational note grounded in pragmatism.
Biden will need that clear-eyed resolve to tackle what he labeled the cascading crises of our time.
“We face an attack on our democracy and on truth. A raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis. America’s role in the world,” he said. “Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is, we face them all at once.”
Unity is the only path forward, the president said. Without unity there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. “We must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail,” he said.
That union starts by all of us putting down the poisoned chalice of outrage and recognizing that we can disagree without hate. That we are all Americans, regardless of political persuasion. That we share common values, including opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor and truth.
Those values do not belong to Democrats solely, Biden made clear. They are the values of anyone willing to end the “uncivil war” that threatens to riven the United States. They are the values that will carry us through as we strive to win the day, starting with the pandemic that has claimed more than 400,000 American lives and for which Biden observed a moment of silence.
Biden’s call for unity doesn’t overlook the need for vigorous debate, or to set a starkly new course after four years of the Trump administration. But it is a call for America coming together despite our differences, and for making room for people who for too long have been left out of the American story. You didn’t need to listen to his words to get that message.
You could see it in the pledge of allegiance by fire captain Andrea Hall, which was not only spoken but presented in sign language. You could hear it in singer Jennifer Lopez’s cry of “una nación bajo Dios, indivisible, con libertad y justicia para todos,” that capped a medley of “This Land Is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful.” You could feel it as Kamala Harris, the first woman of Black and South Asian heritage to become vice president, was sworn in.
Biden has much to do and the weight of expectations may yet prove too heavy a burden. The darkness in retreat can still rally. But on Inauguration Day he has given us faith.
Not easy faith but a faith put to the test, a point Biden made clear with Scripture: “As the Bible says, ‘weeping, ye may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.’ We will get through this together.”