August 20 marked the end of the Democratic National Convention. This year the convention, like many other meetings, was forced to be held online due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. Despite the different format, the convention went smoothly with many public figures expressing their voices. Undoubtedly, the spotlight of the convention was the official presidential nomination of former vice president Joe Biden along with his running mate, the first African American woman on a presidential ballot, former California senator Kamala Harris.
This convention featured many different speakers, including former president Bill Clinton, Biden’s wife Jill Biden, representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, and senator Bernie Sanders. However, the convention also had a great heartwarming moment when Brayden Harrington, a 13 year old boy with a stutter, shared his warming story of how Biden, who overcame his own stutter, helped Harrington find his own voice. “Without Joe Biden, I wouldn’t be speaking today” was how Harrington started his speech, he also shares the first interactions with the presidential candidate as he says Biden told him “we were members of the same club: We ss … ss … stutter.” He further narrates details such as how Biden taught the teenager to leave markings on their speeches in order to better their pronunciation. Despite just being a two minute speech, this young boy’s story was able to reach millions of viewer’s hearts all over the United States.
Another extremely powerful message was from the former first president and his wife, Barack and Michelle Obama. The former first lady is extremely direct and aggressive towards Donald Trump, as she asserts “he is the wrong president for our country”, however she also emphasizes on her famous quote “when they go low, we go high.” She restates that going high doesn’t mean “putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty,” but “unlocking the shackles of lies and mistrust with the only thing that can truly set us free: the cold hard truth.” Former president Barack Obama also speaks heavy words regarding the current administration, as he says, “Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t. And the consequences of that failure are severe.” Unfortunately, Obama’s words are truly backed, as under the current administration the coronavirus cases in the US have hit 5.71 million people, the most in the entire world.
The 2020 presidential election coming up on November 3 will undoubtedly be a battle, polls right now all point to Joe Biden as the leader, however just like the 2016 election, you never know until the end. The presidency is undoubtedly one key component towards the future of the United States, if you can vote, please vote, but if you can not vote, continue staying engaged and aware of the current political debates and issues.