“So it’s with great honor and humility, I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America.” [crowd noise] “This week, we saw a very fractured Democratic Party come together — putting aside a lot of ideological differences — and make clear that they are unified in their goal of taking on and defeating Donald Trump.” “This election is about preserving our democracy.” “Because that’s what’s at stake right now.” “You, me and Joe.” “Joe Biden.” “The convention closed with a pretty fired-up speech from Joe Biden. The Democratic nominee was trying, really at every turn, to extend a hand to not only Democratic voters, but also to independent voters and to Republican voters who may feel disaffected with President Trump’s leadership.” “I’ll work hard for those who didn’t support me, as hard for them as I did for those who did vote for me. That’s the job of a president.” “Joe Biden hit on a number of key themes in his speech on Thursday. One of them was this idea that he could lead the nation out of a very dark, very polarized time, a moment when the country is struggling with a pandemic, with an economic crisis, with unrest over racial injustice.” “The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long — too much anger, too much fear, too much division. I’ll be an ally of the light, not the darkness.” “So on the campaign trail, Joe Biden was not always the smoothest speaker. But perhaps his greatest strength as a campaigner — and this has long been the case — was his ability to connect with voters one on one, especially voters who are suffering or voters who are dealing with grief.” “I have some idea how it feels to lose someone you love. I know that deep black hole that opens up in the middle of your chest and you feel like you’re being sucked into it. I know how mean and cruel and unfair life can be sometimes.” “Joe Biden didn’t say this directly, but implicit in that message was the part of a broader argument that he and his allies have long been pushing, that perhaps the greatest distinction between Joe Biden and Donald Trump comes down to the matter of character.” “I found the best way through pain and loss and grief is to find purpose. We have a great purpose as a nation.” “Joe Biden has faced questions about whether he has the grit and the determination and the energy to wage a really vigorous fall campaign. So headed into Thursday night, something that some of his allies were a little worried about was, how can he deliver a powerful, electrifying speech when he is not going to have an audience in there to cheer him on?” “Let us begin, you and I together, one nation under God, united in our love for America, united in our love for each other.” “But when Joe Biden took the podium, he did everything that he could to suggest that he does have the fight in him to take on President Trump.” “May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here, tonight.” “Meanwhile outside, there were more of those supporters who had gathered in a scene that I can compare to a drive-in movie situation. It was a pretty surreal event, unusual certainly, and in fact extraordinary to see a presidential nominee accept their nomination in that way under these circumstances. But it really played to the broader Democratic argument that they are the party that can be trusted to lead the country forward amid a pandemic, to defer to the science as they make their decisions instead of, as they would put it, to the politics. The Democrats head into the general election pleased by Joe Biden’s lead over Donald Trump in a lot of polls, but also very aware — because 2016 is never too far from their minds — that a poll lead right now does certainly not guarantee anything in November. Depending on what the restrictions look like and just how much the Democrats may need to continue following the virtual campaign route, it is possible that those restrictions could make it more difficult to promote an affirmative clear case for their vision of where they want to take the country.” Singing: “O say can you see, by the dawn’s —” “Hi, I’m Sarah Kerr, the producer of this video. Thanks for following our convention coverage this week. We’ll be back next week as the R.N.C. gets underway. Check out nytimes.com/2020 for the latest news and analysis.”

Source: New York Times

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