(A week from tonight Joe Biden will present his vision for America. In his nominating acceptance speech, I don’t want him to aggressively attack Donald Trump. No doubt, the days leading up to his speech will contain plenty of vitriol aimed at Trump. I want Biden to present a forward thinking, positive message imbued with dignity and decency. Here is what I hope he will say:)
My fellow Americans, I humbly accept your nomination to become the next, the 46th, president of the United States. I promise you I will work tirelessly to heal our nation both physically and emotionally, to make us again the shining city upon a hill that is the envy of the world.
Let us talk about our brighter tomorrows. First and foremost, we must sign on to a pact of truthfulness. Your leaders must address you as bearers of truth and respect.
We must base our dialogue on respect for science. On respect for the rule of law. On respect for the Constitution. On respect for the value of the lives of all the residents of our great country irrespective of their religion, their race, their creed, their national origin, their wealth, their education, their socio-economic status.
We are a compassionate and empathetic nation. For too long we have buried those emotions in an orgy of selfishness. Compassion and empathy start with an example from our highest leaders. My personal history has contained moments of extreme tragedy. Without the support of family, friends, community and yes, government, I would not be able to stand before you today. I vow to be a caring, compassionate, empathetic president.
As I speak to you today America has sustained an unconscionable loss—more than 5 million have contracted coronavirus. Sadly more than 165,000 have died. Millions have lost their jobs. We cannot dismiss these losses as, “It is what it is” rhetoric.
As president, my number one responsibility will be to ensure your health, safety and welfare. Any loss of life—especially deaths that could have been prevented by a responsible, coordinated, national response—will not be acceptable in my administration. Our actions will be based on the best scientific, medical and, should it be required, military advice without regard to how it would play politically.
We need to rebuild our country. We have done it before. After the Civil War. After the pandemic of 1918. After the Great Depression. After World War II. After assassinations. After Vietnam. After the recession of 2008.
The current pandemic has shown us the clarity of the need for healthcare for all of our citizens, for a virus knows no boundaries between classes, or races. or religions, or regions. No other industrial nation in the world does not have a working system of affordable health care for all its residents.
No other such country does not have a system of preschool child care. We must provide affordable college education or technical training to all who desire it.
We must heal our nation from within of the insidious racism that keeps too many of our brethren from equally enjoying all the fruits of this great country. We cannot accept hunger and poverty in the richest most successful country in the world. Our compassion and empathy demand we act to decisively lift the lives of our fellow citizens who through no fault of their own have been kept in conditions all compassionate and empathetic people would resolve to change.
Drinking water. There is no reason, no acceptable excuse, why millions of our people lack clean drinking water flowing freely into their homes.
We must shepherd the environment. We cannot let corporate greed debase our greatest natural heritage.
Let’s embrace the truth—climate change is real and is enabled by human action. And can be mitigated by human action. We must strengthen, not weaken, environmental laws.
Through hard work our fathers and grandfathers built an infrastructure complex second to none. But it is aging and needs refurbishing. We must revitalize our bridges, tunnels, highways, dams, ports, waterways, mass transit systems and air traffic control systems.
Throughout our treasured history America has been a beacon that attracted the best from the nations of the world. Not just the richest. Or the most educated. The best. Those who had a desire to improve their lives and their family’s lives, through hard work and initiative.
We are a nation of immigrants. None of our pedigrees is better than those who came before or after us. We need to construct a workable, compassionate, empathetic legal system of immigration and asylum.
We are a nation among nations. Our commitment to international alliances must be rock solid. For three quarters of a century the rest of the world looked up to America for our values and leadership. I will restore our good name among the people of the world.
Ours is one of the few democracies that has not yet been graced by a female president. My selection of Senator Kamala Harris as my vice presidential running mate and your election of our team will put us one step closer to the shattering of that ultimate glass ceiling.
One hundred years ago women across every state in the Union voted for president for the first time. How fitting it would be to celebrate that achievement by electing our first woman vice president. But let’s not do that simply because Kamala Harris is a woman. Her credentials for the job are exquisite and align tightly with my vision for America.
Together, Kamala and I will fight any attempt to restrict voting rights. We will champion passage of a living wage. We will address the inequities of a tax system that has rewarded the super rich while burdening middle class and working class families. We will choose federal justices who adjudicate the law and not the whims of their political party affiliation.
But we cannot do it alone. We need each and every one of you to vote, in person or by mail-in ballot. Vote for the Biden-Harris ticket but also cast your vote for Democrats running for the Senate and House, for governor and state legislator, for mayor, councilperson and school board member. The legendary House Speaker Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local.” Remember, at stake is the direction of our country not just from Washington but also from every hamlet, town and city, on up to state capitals.
A stark choice for our future awaits us November 3rd. I need not delineate the differences between Democrats and Republicans. I am confident my reading of America is that of a compassionate, empathetic people who believe in equal opportunity for all. Who believe ours is a government based on the rule of law. Who believe that the first responsibility of government is to protect its citizens not just from external threats but also from the decaying threats of poverty and income inequality, of hunger and disease, of ignorance and bigotry, of lies and deceptions, of selfishness and greed.
I believe in America and want to lead you into an era of trust and truthfulness, of respect and responsibility, of caring and compassion.
I am humbled by your confidence in me. Together we can rebuild America, stronger and better.