조 바이든 미국 46대 대통령 당선인의 연설문을 찬찬히 뜯어보면, 그가 독실한 카톨릭 신자임을 알수 있다. 그는 성경 구절과 찬송가를 소개하며 찢어진 미국인들의 마음을 치유하는 전도사적 심정으로 미국이 가야할 길과 비전을 제시했다.

바이든은 현지시간 7일 저녁 승리를 선언하면서 성경 구절을 인용하면서 국민 단합을 호소했다. 바이든은 “모든 것에는 때가 있다. 지을 때가 있고, 거둘 때가 있다. 씨를 뿌릴 때가 치유할 때가 있다.”(to everything there is a season: a time to build, a time to reap, and a time to sow and a time to heal.)는 전도서 3장을 끄집어 내며 “지금 미국은 치유의 시기”라고 말했다. 선거는 끝났고, 미국의 힘을 결집해 코로나 바이러스와 싸우고 번영을 위해 싸우고, 국민건강과 인종편견 척결을 위해 싸워야 할 때라고 호소했다.

바이든은 또 미국의 정신(soul of America)을 회복해야 한다면서 미국 역사를 천사와 악마의 대결로 보았다. 그는 “미국이 끊임 없이 천사와 어둠의 충동(better angels and our darkest impulses)의 싸움에 의해 형성되어 왔다”고 비유했다. 그는 또 “악마화(demonization)의 우두운 시기를 지금 끝내자”고도 했다.

바이든은 미국이 여러 어려운 변곡점(inflection points)을 맞았는데, 그때마다 어려운 결정을 통해 극복해왔다고 말했다. 그것은 1860년대 남북전쟁 때 링컨의 통합정신, 1932년 대공황 때의 F.D. 루스벨트의 뉴딜정책, 1960년대 J.F. 케네디의 프론티어 정신, 12년전 버락 오바마의 “예스, 위캔‘(Yes, we can) 정신이라고 소개했다. 그는 지금 미국이 국민분열의 또다른 변곡점에 서 있고, 이를 극복하기 위해 인종과 정파의 구별 없이 단결해야 한다고 강조했다.

 

바이든은 외교문제, 국제문제에 관해 기후협약에 다시 가입하겠다는 것 이외에 거의 언급하지 않았다. 다만 그는 그는 미국인들을 선(good)의 개념으로 상정했다.

그러면서 “미국은 ‘힘의 과시’(example of our power)에 의해서가 아니라, ‘본보기의 힘’(power of our example)에 의해 세계를 리드해 나갈 것임을 강조했다. 애매한 표현이지만, 대외문제에서 무력의 사용과 같은 하드 파워(hard power)보다는 외교를 통한 소프트 파워(soft power)를 사용할 것임을 시사한 것으로 보인다.

 

바이든은 아울러 코로나 팬데믹에 지친 미국인들에게 찬송가 ‘독수리 날개 위에서’(On Eagle's Wings)를 소개했다. 또 자신의 할아버지가 어렸을 때 “믿음을 지키라”고 한 말과 할머니가 “믿음을 퍼트려라”고 한 말로 연설을 끝맺었다.

 

바이든은 아일랜드 이민자의 후손으로, 독실한 카톨릭 집안에서 태어나 필라델피아 가톨릭 학교인 홀리 로사리 초등학교와 델라웨어에 위치한 아치미어 아카데미를 나왔다.

 

 

 

Hello. My fellow Americans and the people who brought me to the dance, Delawareans. I see my buddy Tom -- Sen. Tom Carper down there and I think -- I think Sen. Coons is there and I think the governor's around. Is that Ruth Ann? And that former Gov. Ruth Ann Minner? Most importantly, my sisters in law and my sister Valerie. Anyway ...

 

Folks, the people of this nation have spoken. They've delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for we, the people. We’ve won with the most votes ever cast on a presidential ticket in the history of the nation, 74 million!

 

And what I must admit has surprised me, tonight we're seeing all over this nation, all cities in all parts of the country, indeed across the world, an outpouring of joy, of hope of renewed faith in tomorrow, bring a better day. And I'm humbled by the trust and confidence you've placed in me.

I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify. Who doesn't see red states and blue states, only sees the United States. And work with all my heart with the confidence of the whole people, to win the confidence of all of you. And for that is what America I believe is about. It's about people. And that's what our administration will be all about.

 

I sought this office to restore the soul of America, to rebuild the backbone of this nation, the middle class, and to make America respected around the world again. And to unite us here at home. It's the honor of my lifetime that so many millions of Americans have voted for that vision. And now, the work of making that vision is real, it's a task -- the task of our time.

 

Folks, as I said many times before, I'm Jill's husband. And I would not be here without the love and tireless support of Jill and my son Hunter and Ashley, my daughter, and all our grandchildren and their spouses and all our family. They're my heart. Jill’s a mom, a military mom, an educator.

 

And she has dedicated her life to education, but teaching isn't just what she does. It's who she is. For American educators, this is a great day for y'all. You're gonna have one of your own in the White House. And Jill’s gonna make a great first lady. I'm so proud of her.

 

I'll have the honor of serving with a fantastic vice president who you just heard from, Kamala Harris, who makes history as the first woman, first black woman, the first woman from south Asian descent, the first daughter of immigrants ever elected in this country.

 

Don't tell me it's not possible in the United States! It’s long overdue. And we're reminded tonight of those who fought so hard for so many years to make this happen. Once again, America's bent the arc of the moral universe more towards justice. Kamala, Doug, like it or not, you’re family. You've become an honorary Biden. There's no way out.

 

To all those of you who volunteered and worked the polls in the middle of this pandemic, local elected officials, you deserve a special thanks from the entire nation. And to my campaign team and all the volunteers and all who gave so much of themselves to make this moment possible. I owe you. I owe you. I owe you everything. And to all those who supported us, I'm proud of the campaign we built and ran.

 

I'm proud of the coalition we put together. The broadest and most diverse coalition in history. Democrats, Republicans, independents, progressives, moderates, conservatives, young, old, urban, suburban, rural, gay, straight, transgender, white, Latino, Asian, Native American. I mean it. Especially those moments -- and especially those moments when this campaign was at its lowest ebb, the African American community stood up again for me.

 

You always had my back and I’ll have yours. I said at the outset, I wanted to represent -- this campaign to represent and look like America. We've done that. Now that’s what I want the administration to look like and act like. For all those of you who voted president trump, I understand the disappointment tonight.

 

I've lost a couple of times myself, but now let's give each other a chance. It's time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again. And to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies. They are Americans. They are Americans.

 

The Bible tells us, “to everything there is a season: a time to build, a time to reap, and a time to sow and a time to heal.” This is the time to heal in America. Now this campaign is over, what is the will of the people? What is our mandate?

 

I believe it's this: Americans have called upon us to marshal the forces of decency, the forces of fairness, to marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time. The battle to control the virus. The battle to build prosperity. The battle to secure your family's health care. The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country.

 

And the battle to save our planet by getting climate under control. The battle to restore decency, defend democracy, and give everybody in this country a fair shot. That's all they're asking for, a fair shot. Folks, our work begins with getting COVID under control.

 

We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality or relish life's most precious moments, hugging our grandchildren, our children, our birthdays, weddings, graduations, all the moments that matter most to us until we get it under control. On Monday I will name a group of leading scientists and experts as transition advisors to help take the Biden-Harris COVID plan and convert it into an action blueprint that will start on January the 20, 2021. That plan will be built on bedrock science.

 

It will be constructed out of compassion, empathy, and concern. I will spare no effort, none, or any commitment to turn around this pandemic. Folks, I’m a proud Democrat. But I will govern as an American president.

 

I'll work as hard for those who didn't vote for me as those who did. Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end here and now. The refusal of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another, it’s not some mysterious force beyond our control.

 

It's a decision. A choice we make. And if we can decide not to cooperate, then we can decide to cooperate. And I believe that this is part of the mandate given to us from the American people.

 

They want us to cooperate in their interest, and that's the choice I'll make. And I'll call on Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, to make that choice with me. The American story is about slow yet steadily widening the opportunities in America. And make no mistake, too many dreams have been deferred for too long. We must make the promise of the country real for everybody, no matter their race, their ethnicity, their faith, their identity, or their disability.

 

Folks, America has always been shaped by inflection points, by moments in time where we've made hard decisions about who we are and what we want to be. Lincoln in 1860 coming to save the union. FDR in 1932 promising a beleaguered country a new deal. JFK in 1960 pledging a new frontier, and 12 years ago, when Barack Obama made history, he told us, "Yes, we can."

 

Well folks, we stand at an inflection point. We have an opportunity to defeat despair, to build a nation of prosperity and purpose. We can do it. I know we can.

 

I've long talked about the battle for the soul of America. We must restore the soul of America. Our nation is shaped by the constant battle between our better angels and our darkest impulses. And what presidents say in this battle matters. It's time for our better angels to prevail. Tonight, the whole world is watching America. And I believe at our best, America is a beacon for the globe.

 

We will not lead -- we will lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. I know, I've always believed, many have you heard me say it, I've always believed we can define America in one word: possibilities. That in America everyone should be given an opportunity to go as far as their dreams and God-given ability will take them.

 

You see, I believe in the possibility of this country. We're always looking ahead, ahead to an America that’s freer, more just. Ahead to an America that creates jobs with dignity and respect. Ahead to an America that cures diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. Ahead to an America that never leaves anyone behind.

 

Ahead to an America that never gives up, never gives in. This is a great nation. It's always been a bad bet to bet against America. We're good people. This is the United States of America, and there has never been anything, never been anything we've been able -- not able to do when we've done it together.

 

Folks, in the last days of the campaign, I began thinking about a hymn that means a lot to me and my family, particularly my deceased son Beau. It captures the faith that sustains me and which I believe sustains America. And I hope, and I hope it can provide some comfort and solace to the 230 million -- thousand Americans who have lost a loved one through this terrible virus this year. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. Hopefully this hymn gives you solace as well. It goes like this.

 

“And he will raise you up on eagles' wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, and make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand.” And now together on eagles' wings, we embark on the work that God and history have called us to do with full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with love of country, a thirst for justice. Let us be the nation that we know we can be. A nation united, a nation strengthened, a nation healed.

 

The United States of America, ladies and gentlemen, there has never, never been anything we've tried we've not been able to do. So remember, as my grandpop -- our grandpop, he said when I walked out of his home when I was kid up in Scranton, he said "Joey, keep the faith." And our grandmother when she was alive, she yelled, "No, Joey, spread it."

 

Spread the faith. God love you all. May god bless America and may god protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you.