Beginning his speech with a quote from civil rights leader Ella Baker–“Give people light, and they will find a way.”–Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden cast the upcoming election as a choice not between himself and incumbent Donald Trump, but as a mission to advance the nation out of an era of darkness.
Biden repeatedly noted how Trump has divided the nation and plunged the United States into an adversarial society, but Biden said that this can be a turning point in our nation.
“In this dark moment, I believe we’re poised to make great promise again,” Biden said.
“While I’ll be a Democratic candidate, I will be an American president,” Biden declared, alluding to Trump’s habit of favoring red states and allies with political favors and government funds.
“This campaign isn’t about just winning votes, it’s about winning the heart and, yes, the soul of America,” Biden stated, striking a unifying tone for the nation.
Noting that the nation is facing four historic crises simultaneously–the pandemic, economic strife, the call for racial justice, and the threat of climate change–Biden clearly put forth the first step in returning normalcy to the nation.
“We will never have our lives back until we deal with this virus,” Biden said, while adding that the pandemic is worse than it needs to be in the nation because of a lack of leadership. “The tragedy that we have to deal with today, is that it never had to be this bad.”
“After all this time, the president still doesn’t have a plan,” Biden maintained. “But I do.” Biden then enumerated many issues that need to be addressed to face and defeat the coronavirus: American made supplies and equipment; “taking the muzzle off our experts”; making sure treatments are tested thoroughly before claiming they’re cures.
“In short, we’ll do what we should have done from the very beginning,” he said.
This election, Biden declared, is one where character, compassion, science and decency are on the ballot. He attacked Trump’s character, saying that President Obama was a president children could look up to; Biden added, “No one’s going to say that about the current occupant of this White House.”
Biden averred that Trump is too disconnected from the problems of the American people. Biden’s father, he related, used to say, “Joey, I don’t expect the government to solve my problems, but I sure as hell expect it to understand them.”
Biden then outlined his policy platform, which he claimed would boost the US economy and hit the environmental and societal goals of his platform:
- 5 million new technology and clean energy jobs;
- an education system that trains people for the best jobs of the 21st century;
- infrastructure to provide clean water to everyone;
- child and elder care system that “allows parents to go to work and allows our seniors to stay in their homes with dignity”;
- rising wages for working Americans;
- immigration that’s fair and just for the individuals;
- school safety, so kids can learn without being worried about being shot;
- strengthening unions to will ensure safe workplaces and good pay; and
- revoking “a tax code that rewards wealth more than it rewards work.”
Touching on the needs of America’s seniors, Biden promised, “Social Security is a sacred obligation our seniors paid for.” He noted that Trump claimed he would revoke payroll taxes: “The current president is promising to revoke the tax that pays for half of it.”
Biden said he is “taking personally the commitment to be Commander-in-Chief,” where he will speak out against adversaries who are interfering in US elections and putting bounties on American soldiers.
Speaking about the long-term racism in the United States, Biden related a conversation he had with six year old Gianna Floyd, daughter of George Floyd, who said to Biden, “‘Daddy changed the world.’ Her words burrowed deep into my heart. Maybe George Floyd’s murder will change our heart.”
“In times as tough as these, I believe there is only one way forward, as a united America,” Biden said. “This is our moment. This is our mission.”