Minnesota Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar emphasized unity as a central component of the Democratic party platform in the 2020 election season during her address at the Democratic National Convention Aug. 17.
She remarked on the importance of the post office, the fundamental right to vote, and the fact that President Donald Trump is spending time “trying to divide people instead of responding to the pandemic and the significant needs of our economy.”
“Unity isn’t about settling,” Klobuchar said. “It’s about striving for something more. It isn’t the end, it’s the means. It’s how we get stuff done. Unity is about reaching up toward a higher purpose, a better future for all of us.” She commented that this unity is more than a motto, calling it the “North Star” for American democracy.
Klobuchar then went on to comment on what she believes the country needs in a president. She said that America needs a president who will unite a country and one support the workers, like farmers and manufacturers.
“We need a president who will look out for the seniors, like my dad, whose families are now visiting them through glass windows, never knowing if it will be the last time they see them,” Klobuchar said. “We need a president for all of America.”
Klobuchar said she sees people joining together to solve problems and seeing common ground to reach higher ground. This, Klobuchar said, has been Joe Biden’s life work.
Klobuchar said that Biden’s working class roots and own hardships have led him to lift up those who have been left out, to understand redemption and to know resilience. She also lauded Biden’s experience, commenting on how former president Obama leaned on Biden for his strength and decency, stating that “You can too.”
To finish out her speech, Klobuchar referenced her own campaign for president, which ended in early March. She was later considered for the vice presidential pick, but would later drop out as well.
“You know, most candidates when they end their campaign, that day is a hard one,” Klobuchar said. “For me, it was a moment filled with great joy because the day I ended my presidential campaign was also the day I endorsed Joe Biden.”
Klobuchar noted that she and Biden ran for the same reasons: to bring the nation together and to be a president for all of America.
“Our nation’s motto is ‘Out of many, one.’ And as you’re about to see, it’s also the story of the Democratic primary,” Klobuchar finished, bringing her speech full-circle with the theme of unity.
This story was written by Grace Dawson. She can be reached at [email protected].
