Biden’s call for unity falls short as Trump supporters rally at Republican convention | Opinion

Editor’s note: Contributing columnist David Mastio is covering the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee for McClatchy Opinion.

Joe Biden addressed the nation Sunday night with a somber tone as he tried to pull together the threads of a fraying country. He didn’t go much farther than a chorus of editorials, Facebook posters and earnest chattering heads who have decried violence and called out the better angels of our nature in the day since a bullet hit Donald Trump’s ear and killed a bystander.

“We all have a responsibility to cool it down,” Biden said of the apocalyptic rhetoric which has grown from both sides of the political aisle in the years since Trump rode down an escalator and into the pages of history. “We are not enemies, we are neighbors,” Biden intoned as if a cliche has much power to reshape our words about an election where both sides see the very soul of America on the ballot in November.

If Biden wanted to reform the rhetoric of the 2024 election he would have shown signs of self-reflection or offered some accountability for the rhetoric of his supporters – a peace offering to a determined Trump who said on Truth Social that he remains “defiant in the face of wickedness.”

Instead, Biden spun platitudes, perhaps because he believes the harsh rhetoric about Trump is justified. In any case, such a peace offering would not likely have been accepted with a reciprocal offer to police the tone of a Republican candidate who calls his opponents “vermin” and “enemies of the people” who are out to “destroy” America.

As Republicans gather here in Milwaukee, all eyes will be on their rhetoric about Democrats and the historic events of the weekend. From early discussions with GOP activists, those who are already here for the event that opens Monday, are energized and furious about a shooting that they blame on Democratic rhetoric despite the thin and conflicting evidence on the shooter’s point of view.

If there is no healing of the old wounds of the battles between the Right and the Left in America, there are signs of healing from the fratricidal skirmishes within the Republican Party. Even last week they were too wide to stitch together.

Last week, former Trump United Nations Ambassador and one-time primary opponent Nikki Haley was not welcome in Wisconsin among Trump’s faithful. After nearly meeting his maker, Trump has found forgiveness in his heart and welcomed Haley to a Tuesday night speaking slot at the convention.

That’s a move getting attention for what it means about a more united Republican Party giving Trump a new edge in his 2024 rematch with Biden. That attention will last exactly as long as it takes Trump to name a vice presidential running mate, something that may happen as early as Monday.

The pick will tell us a lot about where Trump’s rhetoric may go in the months to come. If he picks a stalwart of the old GOP, say Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, that may be a sign of a Trump campaign aimed at presenting a more appealing face to Trump-skeptical Republicans and independents.

More likely is a pick to fire up the MAGA faithful, perhaps J.D. Vance of Ohio. That will be a sign that the “enemies of the people” shouldn’t expect to be out of the stocks any time soon. A truly Trumpian pick could be a sign that Trump intends to double down on his brand of division regardless of anything as trifling as an assassination attempt.

Tonight the elderly Joe Biden brought his best – a concerned look and a basket of cliches – to deliver the message that “hate has no safe harbor” among Americans. His words will go down in history as no match for the moment Trump appeared to lock up his 2024 win. More mush isn’t going to do it.

David Mastio, a former editor and columnist for USA Today, is a regional editor for The Center Square and a regular Star Opinion correspondent. Follow him on X: @DavidMastio or email him at dmastio1@yahoo.com