The first all-virtual convention has finally come to an end, and Biden has officially emerged as the official 2020 candidate. On the convention’s last night, the party’s potential new leader delivered arguably the most important speech of his career, promising that if elected, he’ll be the “light” among all the darkness.
“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 will be an ally of the light, not the darkness.”
Unlike the 2016 election that was largely divided during the DNC over disgruntled Sanders supporters, this time around the party was unified over the clearly common goal of getting Trump out of the White House.
During his address, Sanders called for Americans to “stand up and fight for democracy and decency,” stating, “we need Joe Biden as our next president.” The Vermont Senator spoke directly to his progressive supporters calling on them to back Biden or “all the progress we have made will be in jeopardy,” if Trump is reelected.
“Under this administration, authoritarianism has taken root in our country,” Sanders said. “As long as I am here, I will work with progressives, with moderates and, yes, with conservatives to preserve this nation from a threat that so many of our heroes fought and died to defeat.”
The final night of the conversation wasn’t all about Trump, though. Important topics included the military, voting rights, the economy, the working class, voting by mail, and a tribute to the late-Rep. John Lewis. Speakers included Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Biden’s former 2020 competitors Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Yang, who told stories about him on the campaign trail and gave the full support.
“While I’ll be a Democratic candidate, I’ll be an American president,” Biden said while accepting the presidential nomination. “That’s the job of the president — to represent all of us, not just our base or our party.”
If there was one single takeaway, one word even, that Democratic politicians want for the American people, it’s this: vote. Vote like your life and the future of this country depends on it because it does.
Closing out the DNC, Biden shared a message of hope, conveying his readiness for real change for this nation, and he says he believes that we the people are too. “America’s ready,” he said. “We can find the light once more.”
The Republican National Convention kicks off starting Monday.
