OPINION: There is a famous American saying that should be guiding Joe Biden right now.
"Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment. Would you capture it, or just let it slip?"
These words are not from Abraham Lincoln - they are from the rapper Eminem.
Biden will know the lyrics because Eminem allowed him to use the song 'Lose Yourself' for a final rallying call to voters.
They've now done their bit, and the "Great Divider" Donald Trump is gone - but only just, it was very close.
Now it is Biden's one shot to follow through on his pledge to be America's "Healer-in-Chief".
After spending two weeks here, healing the divided States seems like an impossible dream at times.
To me, COVID-19 has made the US feel lonely and depressing in parts - the virus has taken its hum and its vibe away.
It feels like America is grieving and wants to bounce back but doesn't know how to.
I have been both shocked and impressed by how accepted the virus is here, it is now part of everyday life.
But ultimately it feels like coronavirus has beaten America, and taken some of its greatness away.
I have spent a lot of time in America over the past three elections, visiting over 20 states.
It feels like America is just in a long slow grind.
The political apathy, anger, and embarrassment are all more pronounced. So too is the economic torpor The division is everywhere: it might be on something as practical as mask use - some are for it, others aren't.
Another example is the way the response to COVID-19 is a strongly separated argument about health versus the economy.
And on racial discord - where one side sees protests, the other sees looting.
The stark lines are everywhere you look.
Now, there is an election result that adds a massive line of red versus blue.
This makes things even more complex: 69 million of them have voted for Trump, hardly a repudiation of Trumpism.
And Biden's victory is hardly a ringing endorsement of his politics either - he has squeaked through. The momentum came from people's hatred of Trump, rather than Biden himself.
Beneath all of this is a great country, full of incredible people where the 'American Dream' still seems possible.
I find it hard to see how people could vote for an administration that has failed so badly with coronavirus. Like so many Kiwis, I often wonder how people could ever bring themselves to vote for Trump.
Then I spend time here, and I see Trump and the virus amid a much bigger social malaise from which there seems no way out. Then I start to understand why people voted for him, still vote for him, and in many cases have a religious fanatical fervour for him.
The problems here are just so urgent - coronavirus, the racial divide, and the economy need immediate intervention. The need for wider healing of America is urgent too. The question is whether Biden is up to the task.
From watching Biden closely, his platform is essentially a return to normality - pragmatic pre-Trump Government. When it comes to healing America, will it be enough?
Maybe it will, but maybe it won't. Maybe it is just the same old way that got them here. Maybe America needs more, much more.
It is one thing to say "I will govern for everyone" - and another to actually do it, especially if they don't want it and aren't inspired.
So Biden has this one shot - if he lets it slip, then America will continue to lose itself.
Patrick Gower is Newshub's national correspondent.
