ASMA KHALID: Joe Biden is officially the Democratic nominee
after an unusual roll call across America.
The vote is one of the main reasons parties have conventions,
and usually it's in a big arena as delegates shout into a
microphone. But this year, because of the pandemic, we saw
pre-recorded video messages and a few live shots from all 57
territories and states. It was like a travel show meets the
Olympic parade of nations, with each state showing off a bit of
their state pride as they read off vote tallies. Day two of the
Democratic convention focused on highlighting Joe Biden's
leadership and competency. One central message we've been
hearing in the convention is that Joe Biden might not be perfect,
but he has good character. That is a message Democrats are hoping
will unite a broad coalition of voters in November. And on Tuesday
night, that included Colin Powell, who served as secretary
of state in the George W. Bush administration, as well as Ady
Barkan, a progressive activist who's been calling for single
payer health care. There was also a video narrated by Cindy McCain,
the widow of longtime Republican Senator John McCain.
It celebrated the friendship the McCains have had with the Bidens
over the years. The night closed out with a message from Joe
Biden's wife, Jill, who didn't speak about Donald Trump or the
threat Democrats believe he poses, but spoke about the
frustration Americans are feeling in the midst of the pandemic, and
perhaps most importantly, she served as a character witness for
her husband. She recalled how he made a broken family whole,
and suggested he would have the ability to stitch the country
back together. Asma Khalid, NPR News.
