With the Civil War battleground in the background, Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden declared, “There is no place for hate in America,” framing the current election as a generational fight at a time when the nation has reached a division unseen since the Civil War.
“As president I will embrace hope, not fear,” Biden declared, drawing a stark contrast to his opponent, republican incumbent Donald Trump, who frequently works to stoke fear within his base.
“Today, again, we are a house divided,” Biden said, “but that, my friends, cannot be.”
“When I look across America today, I am concerned,” Biden declared. He noted that the nation is more divided politically and culturally, which has been exacerbated to an extreme. “Instead of treating the other’s party as the opposition, we treat them as the enemy.”
“I’m running as a proud Democrat, but I’ll govern as an American president,” Biden said, echoing a theme from his speeches. “I’ll work as hard for those who don’t vote for me as those who do.”
“Too many Americans seek not to overcome our divisions, but to deepen them. We need not build walls, but bridges,” stated Biden, perhaps taking a subtle swipe at Trump’s campaign to use taxpayer dollars to build a border wall while neglecting our nation’s infrastructure. Biden, however, did not mention Trump’s name once during the speech.
“I’ve never believed in defunding the police, but injustice is real,” Biden said. “I do not believe we have to choose between law and order, and injustice in America,” a rare message that the two are not antithetical, but complimentary.
Countering Trump’s message to the Proud Boys to “Stand down and stand by,” Biden declared, “We have no need for armed militias roaming America’s streets.”
“If say that you trust the police to do their jobs in America, then let them do their jobs.”
Biden called on people to put politics aside in dealing with the coronavirus, calling on everyone to rely on science-based decision. “It’s a virus. It’s not a political weapon.” Biden noted that the coronavirus does not infect people based on their political bias. He said that mask, social distancing and consideration of others are not a political issues, but science-based solutions to fighting the virus.
“American has to be about mobility,” Biden stated, referring to the economic inequities in the United States. Citing Lincoln’s statement that America gives people “an open field and a fair chance,” Biden declared that the nation needs to provide opportunity to all.
“Duty and history call presidents to provide for a common good,” Biden said, “and I will.”
“Let us join forces to fight the common enemies of injustice, hate and fear,”