Ex-rivals rally around Biden at mostly successful virtual convention: key takeaways from DNC finale
Joe Biden formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, closing out the 2020 Democratic national convention.
In his acceptance speech, Biden laid out how he would help lead the nation through the crises of the coronavirus pandemic, its economic fallout and racial injustice, an argument that was echoed by his Democratic allies throughout the night.
Here are the key takeaways from the night:
Biden accepted the nomination with a message of American perseverance in the face of hardship
In a speech that was by turns uplifting and incisive, the former vicepresident pledged to provide a steady hand of leadership. “United we can, and will, overcome this season of darkness in America,” Biden said. The speech was praised by commentators on the right and the left, with even Fox News hosts acknowledging Biden had exceeded expectations.
The night repeatedly reflected on Biden’s personal losses, allowing the nominee to build credibility with a grieving nation
Empathy hasbeen a consistent theme in this virtual convention,and Thursday evening’s event included a tribute video commemorating the life of Beau Biden, the nominee’s eldest son who died in 2015 of brain cancer at the age of 46. In his acceptance speech, Biden recounted losing Beau, as well as his first wife and young daughter, who died in a car accident in the early 1970s.
He drew on those memories to empathize with the Americans who had lost loved ones to coronavirus. “Your loved ones may have left this Earth, but they never leave your heart,” Biden said. “They will always be with you.”
Trump critics have accused the president of many failings in his handling of the pandemic, including refusing to recognize it as a national tragedy, and showing a lack of empathy for the personal suffering caused by coronavirus.
A young boy with a stutter captured viewers’ hearts
Brayden Harrington, a 13-year-old from New Hampshire, recalled meeting Biden on the campaign trail and telling the candidate about his verbal stutter. Harrington said Biden, who also struggled with a stutter as a child, gave him more confidence about his abilities, empowering the young boy to deliver a speech on the national stage. “Without Joe Biden, I would not be talking to you today,” Harrington said. “Joe Biden cared. Imagine what he could do for all of us.”
Biden’s former primary rivals rallied around him
Several former Democratic presidential candidates – including New Jersey senator Cory Booker, former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg and businessman Andrew Yang – offered their endorsements to Biden, in the party’s latest effort to display unity before the November elections.
“Every American must now decide. Can America be a place where faith is about healing and not exclusion?”
Buttigieg said. “I trust Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to guide this nation toward that better future, because I have seen their commitment, and their empathy, up close.”
The virtual convention (mostly) worked
Aside from a few glitches and timing hiccups, the Democrats managed to pull off a well-produced convention that set a high bar for Republicans next week. Democrats even managed to recreate some of the elements of pageantry that usually accompany the convention, setting off a fireworks display in Wilmington, Delaware, shortly after Biden concluded his acceptance speech.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus offered some much-needed levity for Democrats
The comedian and star of Veep roasted Donald Trump as she hosted the final night’s proceedings. “American carnage,” she said, referring to the dominant theme of Trump’s inaugural speech. “I assumed that was something he was against, not a campaign promise.”
In an opening segment, Louis-Dreyfus mocked conservative figures who fail to pronounce Kamala Harris’s name correctly by mispronouncing the name of Trump’s vice-president Mike Pence.
Speaking about Biden’s Catholic faith, she mocked a recent widely criticized Trump photo op outside a church during anti-racism protests against police brutality in Washington DC.
“Just remember: Joe Biden goes to church so regularly, that he doesn’t even need teargas and a bunch of federalized troops to help him get there,” she said.