The final night of the DNC featured sharp humor from moderator Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, a Survivor style reunion among several of the Democrats who unsuccessfully ran for the nomination, Senator Tammy Duckworth referring to President Trump as "the coward-in-chief", a cameo from Sarah Cooper and a tribute to the late John Lewis.
But tonight was about two people - 13-year old Brayden Harrington and Joe Biden.
Although there are 64 years between them they share one thing in common - they both stutter. Harrington recalled meeting Biden in New Hampshire during the Democratic primaries and declared, "Without Joe Biden, I wouldn't be talking to you today." Young Brayden struggled to speak, but his point came across clearly.
It was really amazing to hear that someone like me became vice president. He told me about a book of poems by Yates he would read out loud to practice. He showed me how he marks his addresses to make them easier to say out loud. So I did the same thing today.
And now I'm here talking to you today about the future about the future — about our future. ... We all want the world to feel better. We need the world to feel better. I'm just a regular kid. In a short amount of time, Joe Biden made me feel better about something that's bothered me my whole life.
Joe Biden cared. Imagine what he could do for all of us. Kids like me are counting on you to elect someone we can all look up to. Someone who cares. Someone who will make our country and the world feel better. We're counting on you to elect Joe Biden.
Later in the evening, just before Biden gave his acceptance speech, there was a video of his life story which addressed his stuttering. Biden recounted an incident when he ran home from school after his teacher mocked his stutter. His mother drove him back to school and confronted the cruel nun:
"Did you say to my son, M-M-M-Mr. Biden?"
The nun said, "I was just trying to make a point."
My mother stood up, all 5,2 of her, "If you ever talk to my son like that ever again, I'll come back and rip that damn bonnet off your head. Do you understand me? Joey, go back to class."
Biden added, "From having to deal with stuttering it gave me insight into other people's pain, other people's suffering."
President Trump possesses no such insight. He has no capacity to feel any pain and suffering other than his own, real or imagined. With the pain and suffering which comes with nearly 175,000 deaths from a pandemic, it is compounded by having a leader who cares nothing about the pain and suffering of others.
Would Trump ever take the time to talk to Brayden Harrington about his ordeal much less try to help him overcome it? At best, he would ignore him. At worst, he would mock him or his family.
Joe Biden knows what it is to have pain. Joe Biden knows what it is to suffer. Joe Biden also knows that wounds must be healed. America has been wounded and we have a President who rubs salt in the wound. If we re-elect Trump then those wounds will never heal. If we elect Biden then we can heal, get back on our feet and become stronger than before.
Henry David Thoreau was wrong. Governments that govern best aren't the ones which govern least, but the ones which care the most. As young Brayden put it we need someone who cares. Come November 3rd, we can choose between a President who cares and a President who doesn't.
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