US elections: Need to revive spirit of bipartisanship in US, says Biden

There is an urgent need to revive the spirit of bipartisanship in the US, Joe Biden has said as he blamed the policies of President Donald Trump for dividing Americans

There is an urgent need to revive the spirit of bipartisanship in the US, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said as he blamed the policies of President Donald Trump for dividing Americans.

Addressing a campaign rally in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is a battle ground State, Biden said America needed a leadership that seeks to deescalate tensions, to open the lines of communication and bring them back together.

"We need to revive the spirit of bipartisanship in this country," the former vice president said on Monday.

Biden's campaign is very restrictive due to the strict enforcement of social distancing measures because of coronavirus pandemic.

"I know that sounds bizarre in light of where we are. A spirit of being able to work with one another. It's time to unite America, and we'll do that by choosing hope over fear, science over fiction, truth over lies, and unity over division. Democracy requires consensus. I'm running as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American president, Biden,77, asserted.

He said that more than 214,000 Americans had died so far due to COVID-19 because of the policies of Trump.

"He told Bob Woodward he didn't want to panic the American public. Americans don't panic. Trump panicked. Trump is the one who panicked. Reckless personal conduct since his diagnosis as well has been unconscionable," he said.

"The longer Donald Trump is president the more reckless he gets. Dr Fauci, most respected person in this area in the country referred to the president's announcement event for the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden as a super spreader event. Publicly criticising it. How is the president responding? He's running a national ad here in Cincinnati and all across the country quoting Dr. Fauci out of context, he said.

As a consequence of overwhelming lying, misleading and irresponsible action on the part of Trump, how many empty chairs are going to be around dinner table tonight because of their negligence? Biden asked.

He, however, said that there was a silver lining.

"Despite the crisis we face, we have an enormous opportunity like America has done unlike any other country after every crisis, we've always come out of the crisis stronger than we were before we went in. That's uniqueness of who we are. We now have an opportunity to build back and build back better. To give everyone a fair return on their work, an equal chance to get ahead. Begin to reward work not just wealth, Biden said.

"For example, for communities of colour here in Cincinnati and all across the country the question is how do we break the cycle? Where in good times they lag in bad times they get hit first and hardest and in recovery they're the last and toughest to bounce back - the answer is justice. Justice. Criminal justice, police reforms, he said.

Biden said the US was strong enough to both honestly face systemic racism and strong enough to provide safe streets for "our families and small businesses" that too often bare the brunt of looting and burning, which are never justified.

He said America needed a leadership that seeks to deescalate tensions, to open the lines of communication and bring them back together and to heal and to hope.

"As president that's precisely what I will do. That's a president's job. It just goes beyond the issue of police community relations. Goes about being able to compete and build wealth.

"It's about jobs. Good-paying jobs. Financial stability. Families of colour building wealth and being able to pass it down like my Irish Catholic folks were able to do in Scranton coming up from nothing, he said.