Joe Biden accepted the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination Thursday in an unconventional convention address that asked people to turn a page on President Trump’s chapter of “darkness” and choose his vision of “light.”
Better known for verbose retail politics than soaring rhetoric, Biden didn’t ramble. Instead, he stuck to a script he’s undoubtedly thought about since launching his first White House bid in 1987. In it, he emphasized decency and service.
“I’m a proud Democrat. And I’ll be proud to carry the banner of our party into the general election. It’s with great honor and humility that I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America,” he said, resting his hands on a podium flanked by flags.
Vowing to be an “American president” after a contest defined by “character” and “compassion,” he added, “If you entrust me with the presidency, I’ll bring out the best in us, not the worst.”
Former President Barack Obama’s two-term vice president used the platform to tell his story as a husband, father, and lawmaker who has lived a public life for almost half a century after being elected to represent Delaware in the Senate in 1972.
Much of the 2020 Democratic National Convention showcased Biden’s appeal to centrist Democrats, independents, and wavering Republicans. His speech Thursday mostly echoed the same theme, with lines specifically for union workers and seniors. Yet in parts, he underscored his bona fides as a liberal on issues such as criminal justice, climate change, and gun control.
The address (at times disjointed due to awkward phrasing and misreading the teleprompter, while at other moments punctuated with forceful hand gestures) didn’t resolve tensions that emerged during the week between far-left and centrist Democrats.
Former GOP Ohio Gov. John Kasich, for instance, promised other disenchanted Republicans on Monday that Biden wouldn’t veer further to the political Left. Meanwhile, socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic White House race’s runner-up, told his base that same hour Biden would be the most liberal president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
On Thursday, however, vanquished Democratic White House rivals former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker testified to Biden’s ability to unite the country. They said together the nation could collaborate to achieve “America’s Promise,” the message of the four-day convention’s closing night.
Biden concentrated on his personal narrative and legislative accomplishments. But he still found time to criticize the man he’s hoping to replace in the White House, particularly regarding his coronavirus response.
“What we know about this president is if he’s given four more years, he’ll be what he was for the last four years,” he said. “He’ll wake up every day believing the job is about him, not about you. Is that what you want for your family and children?”
He continued, “Our current president has failed in his most basic duty to the nation: He’s failed to protect us. He’s failed to protect America. And my fellow Americans, that is unforgivable.”
Biden’s acceptance speech culminates a 30-plus-year aspiration for the career politician.
Though he entered the 2020 election last April as the front-runner, it’s hard to believe he imagined giving Thursday’s address in Delaware’s Chase Center to a handful of reporters, TV crews, campaign aides, and his closest supporters, including his family.
There was no balloon drop when he was joined on stage by former second lady Jill Biden. And the tinny applause from a big screen of fans was a cheap substitute for a crowded Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. That’s where he would’ve spoken in a pandemic-free parallel universe. Rather, people parked their cars outside the new Wilmington-based venue to watch him on a Jumbotron like a drive-in movie, clapping with their horns and ending the night with fireworks. Protesters gathered at the site earlier in the day.
Biden first sought the presidency in the 1988 cycle, but he dropped out before the opening Iowa caucuses because of plagiarism allegations. Twenty years later, he exited the 2008 primary after Iowa following a fifth-place finish behind eventual victor Obama and Hillary Clinton.
In 2020, Iowa presented another hurdle for Biden, as did New Hampshire. He overcame self-inflicted errors on the trail and scrutiny of his long record to regain momentum in Nevada and win his first-ever primary in South Carolina. Centrist Democrats then coalesced behind him before Super Tuesday.
Biden, 77, will be the oldest president in U.S. history if he and vice presidential nominee California Sen. Kamala Harris beat Trump and Vice President Mike Pence after polls close on Nov. 3.
