Joe Biden promises to lead the forces of light over the forces of darkness

There was an unmistakable theme in the Democratic National Convention this week in speeches by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, and by Joe Biden last night, a theme I have posted about previously. America’s descent into the darkness of ‘Trumpism,’ the new American fascism; (Update) America’s descent into the darkness of ‘Trumpism,’ the new American fascism.

Each of these speakers correctly and pointedly noted that the very survival of American constitutional democracy as we have known it for some 230 years hangs in the balance in this election. Each of us has a patriotic duty to step up and vote to save American democracy and our democratic institutions from the unrelenting assault on our democracy by Donald Trump and the dark forces of Trumpism, the new American fascism.

America has one political party which is pro-democracy that will defend the Constitution and our democratic institutions, and one political party which is anti-democratic and authoritarian that seeks to tear it all down with in an unrelenting assault on the Constitution and our democratic institutions in pursuit of the personality cult of Donald Trump. No American should ever willfully choose descending into this dark night of fascism.

Joe Biden framed this argument in the classic biblical terms as a battle between the forces of light and darkness (image, right).

This also happens to be the framing for Star Wars, a battle between the forces of light (Jedi Luke Skywalker) and the forces of the dark side (Darth Vader) (image, above).

Joe Biden promised to be our Luke Skywalker against the forces of the dark side, Donald Trump.

In his acceptance speech (transcript) last night, this light vs. darkness framing appeared no less than a dozen times.

Joe Biden began his speech praphrasing this quote from a hero of the civil rights Freedom Movement, Ella Baker, “Give light and people will find the way”:

Give people light.

Those are words for our time.

The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division.

Here and now, I give you my word: If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us not the worst. I will be an ally of the light not of the darkness.

It’s time for us, for We the People, to come together.

For make no mistake. United we can, and will, overcome this season of darkness in America. We will choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege.

* * *

But while I will be a Democratic candidate, I will be an American president. I will work as hard for those who didn’t support me as I will for those who did.

That’s the job of a president. To represent all of us, not just our base or our party. This is not a partisan moment. This must be an American moment.

It’s a moment that calls for hope and light and love. Hope for our futures, light to see our way forward, and love for one another.

All elections are important. But we know in our bones this one is more consequential.
America is at an inflection point. A time of real peril, but of extraordinary possibilities.

We can choose the path of becoming angrier, less hopeful, and more divided.
A path of shadow [darkness] and suspicion.

Or we can choose a different path, and together, take this chance to heal, to be reborn, to unite. A path of hope and light.

This is a life-changing election that will determine America’s future for a very long time.

Character is on the ballot. Compassion is on the ballot. Decency, science, democracy.

They are all on the ballot.

Who we are as a nation. What we stand for. And, most importantly, who we want to be.

That’s all on the ballot.

And the choice could not be clearer.

* * *
[I]’ve learned two things.

First, your loved ones may have left this Earth but they never leave your heart. They will always be with you.

And second, I found the best way through pain and loss and grief is to find purpose.

As God’s children each of us have a purpose in our lives.

And we have a great purpose as a nation: To open the doors of opportunity to all Americans. To save our democracy. To be a light to the world once again.

* * *

America’s history tells us that it has been in our darkest moments that we’ve made our greatest progress. That we’ve found the light. And in this dark moment, I believe we are poised to make great progress again. That we can find the light once more.

I have always believed you can define America in one word: Possibilities.

* * *

The Irish poet Seamus Heaney once wrote:

“History says,
Don’t hope on this side of the grave,
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme“

This is our moment to make hope and history rhyme.

With passion and purpose, let us begin — you and I together, one nation, under God — united in our love for America and united in our love for each other.

For love is more powerful than hate.

Hope is more powerful than fear.

Light is more powerful than dark.

This is our moment.

This is our mission.

May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight as love and hope and light joined in the battle for the soul of the nation.

And this is a battle that we, together, will win.

I promise you.

This was a very good acceptance speech by Joe Biden. Even the propagandists at Fox News aka Trump TV had to concede Biden exceeded expectations set by the Trump campaign.

Trump’s “shadow cabinet” of the three dolts on the divan, Fox & Friends, Played Fawning Media Coverage of Joe Biden’s DNC Speech, Then Concedes ‘It Was a Good Speech’:

Fox & Friends hosts Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade teed up a montage of fawning media praise for former Vice President Joe Biden’s DNC speech, after which Earhardt conceded “It was a good speech” and described the elements she thought were effective.

On Friday morning’s edition of the Fox News morning show, the general tenor was to cast the former VP’s well-received DNC acceptance speech in the context of expectations set by President Donald Trump and his campaign — as much of the media has done. Co-host Steve Doocy opened the show by discussing those expectations, and admitting that Biden “did okay.”

Later in the show, co-host Brian Kilmeade criticized some of the speech’s content before he introduced a supercut of commentary from other networks by noting “The media flat-out loved the speech.”

“Yeah, they did. Listen to this,” Earhardt said, then played clips from CNN, MSNBC, NBC News, CBS News, and ABC News coverage in which anchors and commentators praised Biden’s speech. They did not include commentary from Fox News anchors Chris Wallace and Bret Baier, each of whom praised the speech Thursday night as well.

“Wow,” Doocy remarked with a smirk as the package concluded.

But then Earhardt proceeded to praise the speech as well.

It’s not going to get any easier for these sycophant propagandists.

Joe Biden has successfully framed this election not just as a referendum on Donald Trump, but as a reckoning of good vs. evil, light vs. darkness between patriotic Americans who will rise up and defend our American democracy against the forces of darkness who seek to tear it all down in pursuit of the personality cult of Donald Trump and Trumpism, the new American fascism.

We’ve got your back, Joe! America will survive the darkness of Donald Trump and move forward into the light of a better future.