-We had hoped to gather
in one place,
but instead we figured out
a safe and responsible way
to come together
to share our ideas
and talk about the future
of our country.
-O'er the land of the free
-What better way
to gather
than all across America
to nominate my beloved
friend Joe Biden
to be 46th President
of the United States of America,
with my VIP VP nominee, sister
Kamala Harris, by his side.
-But right now, kids in this
country are seeing what happens
when we stop requiring
empathy of one another.
They see an entitlement
that says
only certain people belong here,
that greed is good,
and winning is everything
because as long
as you come out on top,
it doesn't matter
what happens to everyone else.
And they see what happens
when that lack of empathy
is ginned up
into outright disdain.
If you think things cannot
possibly get worse,
trust me, they can,
and they will if we don't make
a change in this election.
-Our nation is in crisis,
and in many ways,
COVID is just a metaphor.
A virus attacks
when the body is weak,
and when it cannot
defend itself.
Over these past few years,
America's body politic
has been weakened.
The divisions have been growing
deeper --
the anti-Semitism,
the anti-Latino,
the anti-immigrant fervor,
the racism in Charlottesville,
where the KKK didn't even bother
to wear their hoods,
and in Minnesota,
where the life was squeezed
from Mr.
Floyd.
Only a strong body
can fight off the virus,
and America's divisions
weakened it.
Donald Trump didn't create
the initial division.
The division created Trump.
He only made it worse.
-Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
Trump golfs.
His actions fanned this
pandemic,
resulting in over 170,000 deaths
and a nation still unprepared
to protect its people.
-We have to undo the laws
and systems
that have codified racism
for far too long.
-So we will need a president
who sees unifying people
as a requirement of the job.
-Unity isn't about settling.
It's about striving
for something more.
It isn't the end,
it's the means.
-I'm a lifelong Republican,
but that attachment
holds second place to
my responsibility to my country.
That's why I've chosen
to appear at this convention.
In normal times,
something like this
would probably never happen.
But these are not normal times.
I'm sure there are Republicans
and Independents
who couldn't imagine crossing
over to support a Democrat.
They fear Joe may turn sharp
left and leave them behind.
I don't believe that, because
I know the measure of the man.
-Joe Biden will end the hate
and division Trump has created.
He will stop the demonization
of immigrants,
the coddling
of white nationalists,
the racist dog whistling,
the religious bigotry,
and the ugly attacks on women.
-If we have any hope
of ending this chaos,
we have got to vote
for Joe Biden
like our lives depend on it.
-The future of our democracy
is at stake.
