They reserve the leadership of the Oval Office for serious moments: conflicts, usually.
On both counts (serious and confrontational) a president’s appearance on prime time seemed appropriate.
This was a presentation by Joe Biden on the seriousness of the current situation, directing the American audience to the politics of attrition.
Phrases like “political battlefield” and “extermination camp” offered an extreme warning, the choice of language deliberately crude and striking.
Read more: Biden addresses nation after Trump attack
It might have sounded like hyperbole if Saturday’s events hadn’t made it real.
Biden’s call for unity represents a noble ambition, but one that pits hope against expectations.
Ideological differences drive a hostility and division that is entrenched in American politics, and there has been enough early reaction to suggest that Saturday has not completely changed that.
There is no doubt that Americans are united in shock over what happened in Pennsylvania, but there is disunity over who is to blame.
Biden calls for lowering the temperature in politics. The question is how he squares that with an aggressive Democratic campaign that puts Donald Trump front and center, as an existential threat to democracy.
While he presents himself as a comforter-in-chief offering leadership in a time of distress, he does so as an electoral candidate in a desperate race for the White House.
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How do you square the two?
Scrap the campaign attack ads and continue the argument with polite suggestions?
As he negotiates a path forward, Biden has contradictions to gauge: A key measure will be Trump’s response.
Trump has yet to speak publicly since he was hit by a would-be assassin’s bullet. Having traveled to the Republican National Convention, the stage is set for her to address the party faithful as they prepare to anoint her as their candidate.
Will Trump join Biden in calling for a more peaceful policy? He would send a strong message to the political trenches.
However, given their history, relationship, and political tension between the two, there is a lot to look forward to.
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At a time of growing threats of political violence — and its actual execution — a concerted effort to reduce the rhetoric would calm nerves among a public concerned about where politics has taken the United States and where it might take it next.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
