Closing Argument: Joe Biden And The Case For Optimistic Leadership\

(First published in Forbes on October 31, 2020)

In the final days of his campaign, Joe Biden is doing what political candidates rarely do – he is staying away from ceaseless mudslinging at his opponent and running an avalanche of negative ads. Rather, the Democratic presidential candidate is framing much of his campaign’s closing message on an idea that is seemingly in short supply but also abundantly necessary as the nation looks ahead to the next four years…

Optimism.

It is without question that the nation is frustrated, concerned, angry, and even frightened in the final days leading up to election day. America is weathering one of the most difficult years in our nation’s history, with the combination of a pandemic, an economic crisis, open racial strife, and increasingly disconcerting environmental catastrophes. To many, it seems like the nation is more divided than ever, and regardless of who wins the presidential election, is likely to be entrenched in political division and distrust, and possibly even political violence, for the foreseeable future.

Joe Biden, in the final days of the 2020 election.

Yet even amidst the painful reality of 2020, America’s future isn’t foretold. It can be reimagined from the prospect for even more pain to the possibility of brighter days. It can be reshaped by a sense of recommitment and renewal, of reimagination and recommitment. The recent history of the United States doesn’t automatically determine its near future – it can be altered by its citizenry, by its choices and, ultimately, by its leadership.

Therein lies the possibility of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and their call for a more hopeful, optimistic America.

It is also the case for optimistic leadership.

In one of America’s most remarkable presidential races, the Biden campaign demonstrates a level of focus and resilience that surprises his critics. But what has been consistent from the beginning of Biden’s march to election day, and also most impressive, is his unrelenting expression of optimism for what America can and should be. Biden’s campaign isn’t shy about pointing out what has been going wrong in the United States for the past four years, but he has been even more outspoken about what America is capable of becoming. In weaving his own personal life journey into the story of what is possible in America, he demonstrates optimism as not only a personal quality, but as a national quality. He is also unrelenting in expressing his belief that the quality of optimism can be shared by all Americans.

If Biden’s optimism was just a matter of rhetorical gamesmanship, many Americans, even Democrats, would be cynically dismissing it. The nation’s history is filled with politicians who found the language of optimism without truly making the case for it. Biden’s campaign, however, does more than rely on the language of possibility. It relentlessly develops and communicates plans that make real change possible. In many ways, THAT is the essence of optimistic leadership. It is not just painting a picture of a positive future, but also designing and delivering plans that can make those futures a reality.

In that sense, the case for optimistic leadership is about more than making an appeal for hopefulness. It is an exercise of authorship – the authorship of a vision and a strategy that translates believing in a better future into actually delivering one.

It is an exercise that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are making in the final days of the campaign. 

In a campaign speech on Friday in St. Paul, Minnesota, Biden made an closing appeal not only for his election, but for Americans to follow their better angels in the months and years ahead. “I refuse to postpone the work America must do. There’s nothing beyond our capacity. There’s no limit to America, including guys like that. The only thing that can tear America part is America itself,” the Democratic challenger said to a cheering crowd.

“We choose hope over fear,” Biden said. “We choose unity over division, science over fiction, and yes, we choose truth over lies. So it’s time to stand up, take back our democracy. We can do this. We’re so much better than this. We can be who we are at our best, the United States of America.”

In a year, and a season, in which pessimism has gained far too much traction, Joe Biden makes not only the case for optimism, but for optimistic leadership, and ultimately, a more optimistic America. By the end of the day on Tuesday, Americans will have decided if they agree with him.

Let’s be optimistic that they will.