"This is not a partisan moment," he said."This must be an American moment."
Mr Buttigieg hailed Mr Biden's leadership on the issue of same-sex marriage in the not-distant past as a sign of how much progress Democrats could quickly make toward building"an America where everyone belongs". Democrats have promised to redraw the country's energy economy to fight climate change and to build new protections for Americans' voting rights. Every night of the convention featured front-and-center vows to take on racism in the economy and criminal justice system, and to empower the generation of women whose political mobilisation has reshaped the Democratic Party into a powerful anti-Trump coalition.
If Democrats depicted Mr Trump as an aspiring autocrat, then in their telling Mr Biden took on the role of a sturdy holdover from an earlier government — a chairman of Senate committees, a shaper of laws and a counselor to presidents who is capable of delivering the practical prize of national stability if not a more romantic version of national salvation.
From the start of his 2020 campaign, Mr Biden pitched himself as a sober, seasoned leader who stood the best chance of defeating Trump. It was a message that ultimately resonated with Democratic voters — especially African Americans and white suburban moderates — as he surged to the nomination despite facing great trepidation from younger and more progressive voters, and after stumbling badly in the first two nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Even more than on previous nights, reminders to turn out the vote formed an insistent drumbeat throughout Thursday's programme. There were exhortations from, among others, Ms Bottoms; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the actor and comedian who served as master of ceremonies; and Alex Padilla and Jocelyn Benson, the top election officials in California and Michigan, reflecting Democrats' concern that limp voter enthusiasm or Republican efforts to obstruct the vote could hinder Biden.