Making a political concession speech is a difficult, emotionally fraught task. In Vice President Kamala Harris‘s concession remarks Wednesday afternoon, she ably upheld the civic imperatives of the moment.

Let’s not parse every word to identify phrases from Harris that critics believe are disingenuous. Sometimes the cause of statesmanship requires a sort of civically lofty language that hides policy disagreements and personal grievances. Harris strove for, and almost entirely achieved, a constructive tone, an uplifting message, and an appeal to the best parts of American tradition.