Oratory has softened from bombastic to urbane and antagonism has given way to pointedness, but the barbs are sharper when delivered in the calm context of a virtual auditorium instead of in front of a raucous crowd.
The Biden/Harris campaign has settled on a message of love, hope, and light. Such words are uncommon in political campaigns, but I expect they were chosen because they are exactly opposite the Hater-in-Chief's message. As Joe Biden said toward the end of his acceptance speech, "love is more powerful than hate, hope is more powerful than fear, and light is more powerful than dark."¹
Don't take that to mean the Democrats are floating on a hazy platform of unicorns and rainbows. Before her nomination Kamala Harris may not have been a household word for many of us, but you can bet she's going to become one.
She is nothing if not straightforward: "Donald Trump’s failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods. If you’re a parent struggling with your child’s remote learning, or you’re a teacher struggling on the other side of that screen, you know what we’re doing right now is not working."²
And she's not shy about taking on the oligarchy: "I fought against transnational criminal organizations. I took on the biggest banks and helped take down one of the biggest for-profit colleges. I know a predator when I see one." That last sentence was a barely veiled reference to Trump.
Neither is Biden any cream puff. The man has stealth. He'll talk along for a while in an almost conversational style, then, without raising his voice, increase in startling intensity. Consider this:
"For our seniors, Social Security is a sacred obligation, a sacred promise made that they paid for. The current president is threatening to break that promise. He’s proposing to eliminate a tax that pays for almost half of Social Security, without any way of making up for that lost revenue, resulting in cuts. I will not let that happen." While you could hear the point coming, the last sentence was suddenly stated forcefully, with his finger pointing toward the camera and eyes drilling into it. I was transfixed.
And just a couple of more promises: "I’ll be a president who’ll stand with our allies and friends and make it clear to our adversaries, the days of cozying up to dictators is over. Under President Biden, America will not turn a blind eye to Russian bounties on their heads of American soldiers, nor will I put up with foreign interference in our most sacred democratic exercise, voting." And, "Character is on the ballot, compassion is on the ballot, decency, science, democracy, they’re all on the ballot. Who we are as a nation, what we stand for, and most importantly, who we want to be, that’s all on the ballot. And the choice could not be more clear. No rhetoric is needed. Just judge this president on the facts." This was followed by a long litany of the Loser-in-Chief's failures.
Throughout his address Biden enumerated several policies he intends to put into place, beginning with seriously addressing COVID-19, and including education reform, reinstatement of the Affordable Care Act, and economic restructuring: "it’s long past time the wealthiest people and the biggest corporations in this country paid their fair share."
From the Democratic side this looks to be a lively and well thought out campaign.
And what of the upcoming Trumpalalooza? As for the Bloviating Gasbag-in-Chief, Shakespeare had him. Everything he says “is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing."³
And plans, or anything like a platform? "The plan is to frighten voters and appeal to any latent racist fears. Since Biden is not a radical, the claim is that he's not really in charge; he's a Trojan Horse. And Harris -- she may seem too tough, too nasty, but she's not tough enough. Got that?"⁴
Expect the same responses to questions--"We're going to take care of that;" "I'll look into that;" "We'll fix that;" "It's going to go away."
And the same string of lies, disinformation, nonsense, lies, horsefeathers, codswallop, lies, drivel, balderdash, flapdoodle, lies, and, ahem, lies.
Would it kill the Boondoggler-in-Chief to tell the truth just once? I'd like to find out.
--- Diogenes, 8/21/2020
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¹ Biden quotes are from the transcript of his acceptance speech, at https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/joe-biden-2020-dnc-speech-transcript
² Harris quotes are from the transcript of her acceptance speech, at https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/kamala-harris-2020-dnc-speech-transcript
³ William Shakespeare, "Macbeth," Act 5, scene 5.
⁴ CNN Opinion, "Kamala Harris throws Trump off balance," https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/13/opinions/kamala-harris-throws-trump-off-balance-ghitis/index.html