This Joe Biden Line Sums Up The Past Year

It's hard to say what the worst part of 2016 was, but the presidential election, described by many as "contentious," is pretty high up on the list of contenders. America's uncle, Vice President Joe Biden discussed the election in his usual frank manner, and his words pretty much summed up how many people feel about this past year. But don't worry; Uncle Joe also has a message of hope for the American people.

Biden didn't sugarcoat his feelings about the struggle between Hillary Clinton and President-elect Donald Trump; "I find myself embarrassed by the nature of the way in which this campaign was conducted," he told a Washington crowd. As did 80 percent of likely voters across race, gender, income, and party lines, according to an October Colby-College-Boston Globe poll. The vice president also called the election "ugly," "coarse," and "dispiriting."

The vice president's characterization of the election was painful to hear, but it wasn't wrong. As Biden pointed out to the crowd, media outlets tended to focus more on the "scandals" of the election than the actual policies or qualifications of the candidates. Biden decried the lack of coverage of fellow Democrat Clinton's ideas, calling her the "single most qualified" to run for president the United States has had, CNN reported.

But rather than just despairing about the state of things, Biden called fellow progressives to action in the face of a conservative administration:

We should not back away one scintilla from the arguments and the merits of all the things we care about. But we should listen and we should realize the American people are a lot better than they're given credit for right now.

Biden's message shows a hope for the future in spite of what many see as currently grim circumstances. Given Trump's cabinet appointments, including a climate change denier as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the former head of Breitbart as his chief strategist, it can be hard to see the bright side of things. But, as Biden points out, Americans can act to bring about change, whether by protesting the Ohio anti-abortion bill or by donating to feminist organizations, among other actions.

If making our voices heard is what's next for Americans, what does Biden's future look like? The vice president teased a 2020 presidential run, telling Stephen Colbert “You don’t know what’s going to happen. I mean, hell Donald Trump’s gonna be 74. I’ll be 77 and in better shape." And while he later told reporters he has "no plans" to run, Biden didn't rule that possibility out completely, saying he's going to stay "deeply, deeply involved," Politico reported. And just like Biden, Americans who want positive change should be committing themselves to stay involved as well.