Can Joe Biden's history of family loss make him a more compassionate leader? Here's what an expert says

Throughout this week’s Democratic National Convention — and at various points in his near-five-decade career — Joe Biden’s public narrative has, overwhelmingly, been one linked to compassion resulting from his own traumatic grief, thus making him an empathic leader. Now, as the nation confronts an unprecedented moment of crisis and loss, due to both the coronavirus pandemic and the outbreaks of violence related to anti-racism protests, Biden is being positioned by his party and his supporters as someone with a uniquely relevant skillset — as a compassionate leader who speaks the difficult language of grief and mourning, who has survived enough heartbreaking loss to be just the healer the country needs right now.