Biden promises to unite nation
In accepting nomination, he says U.S. will beat ‘this season of darkness’
WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden vowed Thursday night to unite an America torn by crisis and contempt, accepting the Democratic presidential nomination and achieving a pinnacle in an unfinished quest that has spanned three decades and been marred by personal tragedy, political stumbles and more dynamic rivals.
The past hurdles fell away as Biden addressed his fellow Democrats and millions of Americans at home who he hopes will send him to the White House to replace Donald Trump, though his triumphant moment was drained of immediate drama by the coronavirus pandemic, which left him speaking to a nearly empty arena rather than to a joyously cheering crowd.
“Here and now I give you my word, if you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst,” Biden said. “I’ll be an ally of the light, not our darkness.”
“And make no mistake, we’ll overcome this season of darkness in America.”
The pandemic has shaken the nation and fundamentally altered the campaign. But Biden pointed to the public health emergency and the severe economic fallout to turn traits previously seen as vulnerabilities, notably a long career spent in elected office, into an advantage by presenting himself as a competent leader in a moment that Democrats say cries out for one in the White House.
The night’s keynote address was the speech of a lifetime for Biden, who at 77 would be the oldest president ever elected if he defeats Trump in November. But his convention leaned on a younger generation earlier in the night to help energize his sprawling coalition.
Tammy Duckworth, a U.S. senator from Illinois who lost both legs in Iraq and is raising two young children, said Biden has “common decency.”
Cory Booker, only the ninth African American senator in U.S. history, said Biden believes in the dignity of all working Americans.
And Pete Buttigieg, a 38-yearold openly gay military veteran from Indiana, noted that Biden came out in favor of same-sex marriage as vice president even before President Barack Obama did.
“Joe Biden is right, this is a contest for the soul of the nation.
And to me, that contest is not between good Americans and evil Americans,” Buttigieg said. “It’s the struggle to call out what is good for every American.”
Above all, Biden was focusing on uniting the nation as Americans grapple with the long and fearful health crisis, the related economic devastation, a national awakening on racial justice — and Trump, who stirs emotions from all sides.
Biden’s positive focus Thursday night marked a break from the dire warnings offered by Obama and others the night before. The 44th president warned that American democracy could falter if Trump is re-elected, while Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, a U.S. senator from California and the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, addressed race problems in a way Biden could not.
Throughout their convention, the Democrats have summoned a collective urgency about the dangers of Trump as president. In 2016, they dismissed and sometimes trivialized him. In the days leading up to Biden’s acceptance speech, they cast him as an existential threat to the country.
Beyond Biden’s eagerly awaited speech, Thursday’s program was designed to highlight the diversity of the Democratic Party and the nation he hopes to lead.
“We know how important it is that we elect real leaders like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, people of honor and integrity, who hold justice close to their hearts and believe that the lives of my four black children matter,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said. She spoke ahead of a tribute to the late John Lewis, the Georgia congressman and civil rights leader who devoted much of his life to ensuring that African Americans are able to vote.
The Democrats have sought this week to put forward a cohesive vision of values and policy priorities, highlighting efforts to combat climate change, tighten gun laws and embrace a humane immigration policy. They have drawn a contrast with Trump’s policies and personality, portraying him as cruel, self-centered and unprepared to manage virtually any of the nation’s mounting crises and policy challenges.
Voting was a prime focus of the convention Thursday, as it has been all week. Democrats fear that the pandemic — and the Trump administration — may make it difficult for voters to cast ballots in person or by mail.
Comedian Sarah Cooper, a favorite of many Democrats for her videos lip-syncing Trump’s
“Here and now I give you my word, if you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I’ll be an ally of the light, not our darkness.”
Joe Biden
speeches, put it bluntly: “Donald Trump doesn’t want any of us to vote because he knows he can’t win fair and square.”
Biden’s call for unity comes as some strategists worry that Democrats cannot retake the White House simply by tearing down
Trump; Biden needs to give his sprawling coalition something to vote for. That’s easier said than done in a modern Democratic Party made up of disparate factions that span generations, races and ideologies.
For that reason, Thursday’s program, like much of the convention, emphasized Biden’s personal values such as decency, honesty and empathy more than any single policy proposal or achievement.
The pandemic has also forced Biden’s team to abandon the typical pageantry and rely instead on a highly produced, all-virtual affair that has failed to draw the same television ratings as past conventions.
The silence was noticeable Wednesday night, for example, as Harris took the stage to make history in a cavernous hall inside the Chase Center in downtown Wilmington. She was flanked by American flags but no family, and her audience consisted of a few dozen reporters and photographers.
It’s Trump’s turn next. The Republican president, who abandoned plans to host his convention in North Carolina and in Florida, is expected to break tradition and accept his nomination from the White House lawn next week.