Democrats are making the case that Joe Biden is a big-tent candidate for a big-tent moment, appealing to Republicans and progressives alike who are determined to defeat President Trump.
It has been one of the most extraordinary Democratic National Conventions in history, though not for welcome reasons. With the coronavirus pandemic essentially eliminating in-person activities, the biggest quadrennial party for Democrats went completely virtual. Through many speeches and highly produced segments, the central argument for Joseph R. Biden Jr. has been that he is a big-tent candidate for a big-tent moment, able to appeal to Republicans like former Gov. John Kasich of Ohio and progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders, both of whom spoke of the urgency of defeating President Trump. On Thursday, Mr. Biden will officially accept the nomination of the Democratic Party, the culmination of more than 40 years in public office for the former vice president and senator from Delaware. The programming preceding his speech spoke to the dual themes of unity and urgency, setting the stakes for a general election sprint. At its core, the D. N. C.’s message has been that there is an existential threat facing the country: the possible re-election of Mr. Trump. On Wednesday, former President Barack Obama delivered a damning indictment of the Trump presidency, painting a portrait of a badly damaged democracy. As soaring as those issues are, convention speakers have dwelled at some length on a more prosaic matter: the mechanics of the vote, in large part because of the way the coronavirus has upended the traditional election infrastructure. Indeed, almost every night this week, with the Postal Service having become a rallying cry, Democratic officials have urged the importance of “having a plan to vote.” Wednesday night featured numerous pleas to text “Vote” to the campaign’s texting list. Election officials from California and Michigan are set to further that message tonight. Mr. Biden has often spoken of himself as a transitional president, a bridge to the next generation of Democratic leaders.
