Sang Ha Park

I wonder what would have happened if Biden in his last speech in Delaware had actually addressed Trump directly, suggesting that both sides graciously accept whatever result may come in few days. Suggesting that they lay their differences for once and trust the American democratic process, which they are a product of. Suggesting that they believe in the American public and do not waste resources on long legal battles. Suggesting that they step up to unite the nation, not to divide it.

At that point, and still so, though to a less degree now that Biden’s winning, Biden had nothing to lose. All the votes were cast and his side was never the one who had publicly claimed that they wouldn’t accept the result anyway (though no one should). He could have turned the disadvantage, where he was seemingly falling short, to a political opportunity to at least set a moral standard for not only his party, supporters, but also opposing supporters and at best possibly set the tone of his administration of acceptance, unification, and reason.

Though I may look idealistic and old-fashioned, I still believe in decency and value of it, especially for a leader. To me, from the beginning, it seemed very obvious that Biden had to choose the moral highground to differentiate himself and set him apart from Trump. Trump’s strategy was to bog Biden down and fight him in the muddy waters, which arguably he knows best.

But precisely because it’s so hard to take the high road against Trump, Trump has succeeded so far. He knows people’s visceral wants. He knows what makes people cheer. He knows how to drag opponents down. You can call it trolling or being primal / shrewd, but it has been very effective for sure.

So to sum up, Biden never took the high road. (I don’t think he particularly tried or his campaign leveraged that branding). It would take a very charismatic leader to seal the US and a lofty one that everyone can at least feel some respect. But Biden has proved to be only slightly better than Trump in terms of setting the vision for Americans and defining who they are and what kind of values they represent. Even if Biden does get elected, we should expect more or less the same divided country that we see today.