Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
 

Drunken Irishman

(34,857 posts)
Tue Jun 2, 2020, 10:59 PM Jun 2020

It was always about the Soul of America.

When Joe Biden launched his campaign in the spring of last year, he spoke of the Soul of America. Many didn't know exactly what he meant - or if it'd prove an effective campaign strategy against a president like Trump. After all, we heard, as spring turned into summer and then summer into fall before winter rolled in, that this election was about the future - not the past. Biden was too old. Biden was too tied to an old way. Biden spoke of not revolution but normalcy and, in some ways, idealism that just plain didn't exist. The opposition led many to believe that this election was never going to be about the soul of this nation - rather the upheaval of the political system. For the left, 2020 was as much a revolutionary campaign as 2016 had been for the right.

This was a strong message - it was an important message. It's a message that gained traction and with it, Biden's status as front-runner evaporated.

But then something happened in South Carolina: the soul of the Democratic Party rose up and reinvigorated the Biden campaign. You see, despite all the talk about the future and dismissing the politics of the past, there was a message that continued to resonate with the heart of so much of the Democratic Party's base - blacks in America were under siege by this President. South Carolina voters realized it - and so did voters in Michigan and Alabama and Mississippi.

Now we're all seeing it. We are seeing the lack of moral leadership. The lack of moral conviction. The lack of our country's soul.

Biden gambled on restoring the soul of this nation - no, he gambled on making our soul whole maybe for the first time. In the cold winter of Iowa and New Hampshire, that gamble looked lost.

But now he carries a message that is in such stark contrast to Trump's that it's hard to imagine anyone better suited to lead this party at this moment. It's a message of hope, understanding - but most importantly: empathy.

Because isn't that what makes a soul a soul - being able to empathize?

2020 turned out exactly to be about the Soul of America.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»It was always about the S...