Joe Biden’s unity vow ‘left’ behind: Goodwin

With all the bucks stopping on their desks, American presidents don’t often get to choose what problems to face. One exception is the inaugural address, where the slate is clean and they have an uncluttered chance to define themselves and how they want to be measured. 

Joe Biden’s inaugural speech was pedestrian at best, but its enduring virtue is that the new president left little doubt about his main focus. His presidency, he pledged repeatedly, would be devoted to healing a fractured nation.  Speaking while the pandemic still raged and two weeks after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, he used variations of the words “unity” and “together” more than a dozen times, as when he declared: “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation.”