Joe Biden’s victory to become president-elect of the United States is an enormous relief to most Americans – especially to the more than 75 million of us who supported him – the most votes ever placed for a presidential ticket in the history of this country.
Biden’s victory is a relief because we’re tired of division and hate. We yearn for unity and to be proud once more of our country, our leaders and each other. Biden offers us that hope, and he is both willing and able to shoulder some of the burden of that heavy lift and worthy dream.
“I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify, who doesn’t see red states and blue states, only sees the United States. I’ll work with all my heart to win the confidence of all of you,” Biden told us in his victory speech Saturday evening. “I sought this office to restore the soul of America, to rebuild the backbone of this nation: the middle class. And to make America respected around the world again. And to unite us here at home. It’s the honor of my lifetime that so many millions of Americans have voted for that vision. And now the work of making that vision is real. It’s a task, the task of our time.”
By inspiring those votes – 4.2 million more than placed for incumbent President Donald Trump – Biden had in many ways already begun the task of bringing us together.
“I’m proud of the coalition we put together, the broadest and most diverse coalition in history. Democrats, Republicans, independents, progressives, moderates, conservatives, young, old, urban, suburban, rural, gay, straight, transgender, white, Latino, Asian, Native American,” he said.