On the first day of his presidency, Joe Biden talked bluntly about the resiliency of America to push back against a crisis and how the country has always found a way to come together. President Biden’s inauguration speech, which ran just a little over 21 minutes long, hit on a plethora of things the country is in the midst of dealing with.
Most notably, Biden made clear his message to the insurrectionists who raided the U.S. Capitol in a riot that was provoked by his predecessor on Jan. 6 that democracy will always prevail.
“This is democracy’s day,” Biden said after being sworn-in by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as the 46th president of the United States. “A day of history and hope. Of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”
Biden won the 2020 Presidential Election by more than six million votes. The Electoral College handed Biden a landslide win. Yet Biden’s victory angered a lot of people who, acting on unfounded conspiracy theories, decided to commit treasonous acts against their own country when they decided to storm the Capitol and threatened the lives of lawmakers, their staff as they worked to certify the fall election results.
As a result, some people lost their lives. Now hundreds have been arrested or will be apprehended for their role in the section act. But even with that taking place two weeks before he stepped into his role as president, Biden opted for a conciliatory call for calm.
“So now, on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries,” Biden said. “We look ahead in our uniquely American way – restless, bold, optimistic – and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be.”
The number that many people should remember about Joe Biden’s decisive win in the 2020 presidential election is 81,283,485. Biden received more votes than any other person in the history of the country to ever take over the Oval Office.
That is a number far greater than his former boss, former President Barack Obama (69,498,516 votes), whom he served under for eight years as vice president. The astronomical number that Biden achieved in order to become the 46th President of the United States could not have come at a better time for a nation at the crossroads of trying to beat back a vicious health pandemic, an economic downturn, high unemployment rates, and staring down the raw nakedness of racial and social injustice.
Besides trapping those issues into a vacuum, the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and security protection of American institutions, particularly those located on federal soil, presents another formidable threat Biden must also confront. After four years of chaos and mayhem, Biden will be looking and expecting to restore order.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. is the oldest person to be sworn in as President of the United States. At 78, Biden also just might be the best person to tackle the multiple front challenges that currently lies at the doorsteps of America.
“The American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us,” Biden said. “On “We the People” who seek a more perfect Union. This is a great nation and we are a good people. Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far. But we still have far to go. We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility. Much to repair. Much to restore. Much to heal. Much to build. And much to gain.”
Biden went on to add that the country is on track to go into a deep downward spiral some of these issues are immediately addressed. This includes no longer taking a backseat to racism and white supremacy, taking COVID-19 head-on, and addressing the economic fallout due to the pandemic.
“Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or difficult than the one we’re in now,” Biden continued. “A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat. To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to secure the future of America – requires more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity.”
Few, if any elected officials, has the resume and lifetime of civic responsibility that Biden has that would qualify them to make those tough decisions that Biden has to make. Biden served as a senator from 1973 to 2009. His tenure as vice president lasted through two Obama presidential terms.
If that doesn’t qualify Biden to be the man of the hour then perhaps the three times he ran for president would do so. During his speech, Biden sounded like he’s good to go on handling his business in bringing the country together.
“Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our “better angels” have always prevailed,” said Biden. “In each of these moments, enough of us came together to carry all of us forward. And, we can do so now. History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity.
“We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors,” Biden continued. “We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.”
Biden’s quest for unity is not just born out of his political ambitions and achievements, but it is a personal message of embodiment as well. His drive for the truth is met halfway with empathy for others. It has helped him in connecting with voters across America. With that, the American people can expect Biden to move full steam ahead in trying to help this country heal and get better.
“It is a time for boldness, for there is so much to do,” Biden said. “And, this is certain. We will be judged, you and I, for how we resolve the cascading crises of our era. Will we rise to the occasion? Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world for our children? I believe we must and I believe we will. And when we do, we will write the next chapter in the American story.”
Credit: Sky News
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com