By Aaron Miller-
In a 13 minute speech, president elect Joe Biden coughed and cleared his throat repeatedly as he hailed the rule of law and the constitution and the democratic process which has certified him as the next president of the United States Of America.
Biden said “the rule of law, our Constitution and the will of the people prevailed” over Trump’s efforts to undo the results of the election.
“The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power, can extinguish that flame,” Biden said.
Biden’s victory was confirmed as expected in the electoral college on Monday, a vote that eventually brought Russian president Vladmir Putin to congratulate him. Biden will be inaugurated in Washington on 20 January. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also congratulated Democrat Joe Biden as president-elect on Tuesday, saying the Electoral College “has spoken.”
MConnell referred to Biden as someone “who has devoted himself to public service for many years.” He also congratulated Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, saying “all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time.”
“I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” McConnell said.
“Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result,” he said. “But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20. The Electoral College has spoken”
Speaking from Wilmington, Delaware, Biden declared that “the rule of law, our constitution and the will of the people prevailed. Our democracy – pushed, tested, threatened – proved to be resilient, true and strong.”
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He said it was “time to turn the page” on an election which he proclaimed “one of the most amazing demonstrations of civic duty we’ve ever seen in our country”.
The final electoral college result of 306 to 232 was, he noted, the same as when Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“At that time,” Biden said, “President Trump called the electoral college tally a landslide.” Attacking Trump’s attempts to overturn the result through multiple recounts and legal challenges, he condemned the “unconscionable” threats and abuse to which election workers and officials were subjected.
“They were heard by more than 80 judges across the country,” he said. “And in every case, no cause or evidence was found to reverse or question or dispute the results.”
Citing a Texas lawsuit rejected by the US supreme court, he said: “It’s a position so extreme, we’ve never seen it before. A position that refused to respect the will of the people, refused to respect the rule of law, and refused to honour our constitution.”
Biden did not miss the opportunity to highlight the U.S death toll in the coronavirus pandemic, officially reported to have exceeded 300,000.
“My heart goes out to each of you in this dark winter of the pandemic,” he said, “about to spend the holidays and the new year with a black hole in your hearts”.
Referencing St Francis, Biden said: “For where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is darkness, light. This is who we are as a nation. This is the America we love. And that is the America we are going to be.”
Elsewhere, Dr Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, said Biden and Harris should be vaccinated “as soon as we possibly can”.
“For security reasons, I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can,” Fauci told ABC. “You want him fully protected as he enters into the presidency in January.”