Democratic National Convention Recap: Three powerhouses endorsed Biden, will you?

Democratic National Convention Recap: Three powerhouses endorsed Biden, will you?

We are a grieving nation. Grieving the loss of a loved one, a job, of stability and certainty. We live day by day wondering what the next week will look like and if this will be the last time our rights will be threatened by a virus, a presidency or a nation. This presidential election, brewed in a perfect storm, has the candidates trying to comfort us while reaching for our votes. 

The very first virtual DNC convention in history took place just two weeks ago. To remain politically neutral, here is a rundown of what happened: 

  • Former First Lady, Michelle Obama, gave a scathing speech calling for a president that has clear judgment and a factual understanding of history, as well as a moral compass along with the ability to listen and believe that every life is meaningful. 
  • Former President Barack Obama spoke about the dangers to democracy as we know it if the president remains in office. 
  • Bernie Sanders called for “an unprecedented response, a movement like never before, a people who prepared to stand up and fight for democracy and decency, and against greed, oligarchy and bigotry.” 
  • Kamala Harris accepted the nomination as VP and recognized those who paved the way for her. She also spoke of the intersectionality of her biracial identity and her calling as a public servant.
  • Harris praised Biden for his contribution to the Violence Against Women Act, Assault Weapons Ban and Recovery Act and the Affordable Care act
  • Biden gave his speech of acceptance for the DNC candidate nomination, calling to choose hope over fear, facts over fiction and fairness over privilege. 
  • Claiming that this is the “most compelling call for racial justice since the ‘60s,” Biden calls for system change in rooting out racism. 
  • Biden wishes to build an economy that creates jobs with dignity and respect in communities.
  • Biden supports fixing our Climate change crisis and using it as an opportunity to create jobs. He proposes that we pay for those jobs with the 1.3 trillion dollar loophole Trump has used for Big Business.
  • Aiming to build a better America through health care reformation while keeping the cost of medicine low and accessible.
  • All speakers emphasized the lack of empathy from Trump concerning the BLM movement, human rights in general, climate control. 

If you made it this far in the article, I ask you not to think about your rights, your parent’s rights and your kid’s rights, but of the rights of others.  Vote, but not for the sake of removing Trump from the office, not for the sake of keeping your party in office, but because you have read through the policies and most agree with the person you are voting for.  

Vote for the protection of the mother who crossed borders to protect her child from an oppressive government as Mary did for Jesus. Vote for the leader that will keep programs that millions of underprivileged children benefit from as Jesus urged the church to minister to the widows and orphans. 

Vote for the leader that will honor their country’s citizens, viewing each and every one us as having infinite worth, being deserving of compassion and respect, and above all worthy of human dignity regardless of our race, ethnicity, nation of origin, sexual orientation, or identity politics. 

As Michelle Obama stated, “being president doesn’t change who you are; it reveals who you are. Well, the presidential election can reveal who we are too.” How do you want to be revealed to the next generation?

Editor’s Note: Opinion pieces published by The ECHO do not necessarily represent the opinions of The ECHO staff or Southern Nazarene University. During this election season, we welcome opinion articles representing all sides of the political spectrum. All articles submitted are subject to editorial review for the appropriateness of the content and submission is not a guarantee of publication.