Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast Kerre McIvor: Biden and Harris inherit a thankless task
Nov 8, 2020
03:58
Yesterday, we finally saw Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take to the stage as President and VP elect of the United States.
It was expected and has been anticipated for days now, but without Donald Trump conceding, it made things just a little more fluid, shall we say. Trump has claimed voter fraud, without any real evidence, and although he has asked for recounts and is still threatening legal action, there's no guarantee that will actually happen.
There has to be a threshold for recounts in most states, and the courts will not simply grant him his wishes – again, there has to be a legal threshold reached before the courts will hear an applicant's case.
I watched the speeches yesterday - and both Kamala Harris and Joe Biden sounded strong and were on point with their messaging.
Harris said “Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.
“And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message:
“Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before.
“And we will applaud you every step of the way.
Biden spoke to Trump’s base. And to those who voted for President Trump, I understand your disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of elections myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance. It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric.
“To lower the temperature. To see each other again. To listen to each other again. To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy.
“We are not enemies. We are Americans.”
So yes, unity and girls can do anything - nothing we hadn't heard before and not visionary speeches like Obama and JFK but serviceable nonetheless and appealing to the better nature of the American people and Biden stressing he would be a president for those who didn't vote for him, not just those that did.
That bloc of Trump supporters - nearly 71 million of them - will need to be placated. And that's going to be difficult for Biden.
The success or otherwise of his presidency will probably depend on whether the Democrats can win Georgia - the party organisers both Republican and Democrats will barely have time to draw breath before they're on the road again, galvanising voters in the senatorial elections.
So surely you would have to say now that it's over - and surely the best thing Donald Trump can do is concede defeat gracefully and start to rebuild his business empire, and leave the business of running the United States to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and that is going to be a thankless task.
It was expected and has been anticipated for days now, but without Donald Trump conceding, it made things just a little more fluid, shall we say. Trump has claimed voter fraud, without any real evidence, and although he has asked for recounts and is still threatening legal action, there's no guarantee that will actually happen.
There has to be a threshold for recounts in most states, and the courts will not simply grant him his wishes – again, there has to be a legal threshold reached before the courts will hear an applicant's case.
I watched the speeches yesterday - and both Kamala Harris and Joe Biden sounded strong and were on point with their messaging.
Harris said “Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.
“And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message:
“Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before.
“And we will applaud you every step of the way.
Biden spoke to Trump’s base. And to those who voted for President Trump, I understand your disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of elections myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance. It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric.
“To lower the temperature. To see each other again. To listen to each other again. To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy.
“We are not enemies. We are Americans.”
So yes, unity and girls can do anything - nothing we hadn't heard before and not visionary speeches like Obama and JFK but serviceable nonetheless and appealing to the better nature of the American people and Biden stressing he would be a president for those who didn't vote for him, not just those that did.
That bloc of Trump supporters - nearly 71 million of them - will need to be placated. And that's going to be difficult for Biden.
The success or otherwise of his presidency will probably depend on whether the Democrats can win Georgia - the party organisers both Republican and Democrats will barely have time to draw breath before they're on the road again, galvanising voters in the senatorial elections.
So surely you would have to say now that it's over - and surely the best thing Donald Trump can do is concede defeat gracefully and start to rebuild his business empire, and leave the business of running the United States to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and that is going to be a thankless task.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.