Biden plans to make national unity the theme of his inaugural speech. That’s perfectly appropriate under the current circumstances. It won’t do much good, however, if he only gives us generic, warmed-over Obama and MLK.
What he needs to do is specifically address the fears of the white reactionaries who expect the worst from him. He should make it clear that white Christians are a valued part of America, and always will be; their values will not be under threat during his presidency. He should also say, however, that white Christians do not speak for all of America, that it is a complete falsehood to deny his legitimacy as president, and that people engaging in violent crimes for political purposes, regardless of where they are on the ideological spectrum, will be punished in accordance with the law.
Do I expect that? No. I expect generic, warmed-over Obama and MLK. Anything more than that will be a bonus.