Biden, unlike every other 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, made his kickoff announcement about — and only about — defeating President Trump. That underscores his stature, puts him in a class by himself above the rest of the contenders, and signals a moral seriousness that the moment seems to warrant.

Biden’s statement that America is an “idea” is both a unifying call for Americans regardless of ideology, party, class and race and a dagger in the heart of Trumpism, which posits that America is about blood and soil, a nativist image that no president before the current one has embraced.

Biden didn’t have to talk about policies, because voters know essentially where he sits on the ideological spectrum — squarely in the center left. He can lay claim to be the Obama Democrat, progressive but not wacky, and the friend to traditional Democratic consistencies (women, African Americans, immigrants). He hardly needs to remind voters that he’s pro-union, passionate about fighting climate change and appalled by Trump’s suck-uppery to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other international thugs. He has the luxury, therefore, not to spend time introducing himself but instead setting the battle lines between him and Trump.

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It would be a mistake to characterize his path to the nomination as easy, let alone preordained. Like any candidate, Biden has weaknesses. However, he holds a unique place right now in American politics — the grand old man of the party, the dignified father who has twice had to bury children, the right-hand man for the popular ex-president, the friend of labor and the gregarious uncle who’s always going to ask how things are going and, yes, give you a hug when you are feeling down.

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