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Democratic National Convention

Kerry needn't wow audience tonight

Some say the acceptance speech has to be spectacular, but really, a solid introduction will be enough.

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published July 29, 2004

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BOSTON - Pundits say John Kerry needs a blockbuster speech when he accepts the Democratic nomination tonight.

They're wrong.

The Massachusetts senator, locked for months in a virtual tie with President Bush, neither needs nor seems wired to turn in a breathtaking stem-winder. Less ambitious aspirations make more sense: a solid speech that starts to persuade a sliver of voters that he has the character and capacity to be commander in chief.

"All he needs to do is hit a single," said Delaware Sen. Joe Biden.

Republicans are raising high expectations for the Democratic convention that climaxes with Kerry's speech, predicting he will gain at least 15 percentage points in the polls.

"Six in 10 Americans are going to see Kerry's speech," said Bush-Cheney spokesman Reed Dickens. "He's got a chance to define himself, and we expect them to get a big bounce."

Americans already know George Bush. A majority of voters tell pollsters that he has taken the country in the wrong direction and that they would prefer "someone new." But Kerry has not yet become an acceptable alternative, and more than one in three Americans say they don't know enough about him to make a judgment.

Tonight is his biggest opportunity for an introduction before the debates this fall.

"These are not life-changing and electrifying events for voters watching these speeches, but hopefully the listener nods their head and says, "Yes, I agree with him,"' said Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer. "It's not a make or break speech, but if he fell flat on his face it could be a break speech."

Flubs in acceptance speeches are usually remembered longer than well-reviewed speeches. Walter Mondale never lived down his 1984 announcement that he would raise taxes. Michael Dukakis' "competence, not ideology," theme in 1988 helped feed his cold, technocratic image.

For a campaign determined to convince voters that Kerry can keep America safe, the message is all about strength. Kerry will be surrounded by fellow veterans on stage, and viewers will see a video laden with personal details about his combat experience in Vietnam and his work as a prosecutor and as "a fighter" in the Senate.

On Wednesday, Kerry and his swift boat crewmates from Vietnam cruised across Boston's inner harbor while supporters roared and Bruce Springsteen's No Surrender blared from speakers.

"Bruce Springsteen has it right. No retreat. No surrender. We are taking this fight to the country, and we are going to win back our democracy and our future," Kerry said.

Bolstering his efforts to pass the commander in chief test, 12 retired generals and admirals endorsed Kerry on Wednesday.

"Every decision he's going to make concerning national security is going to be informed by his personal experience of hearing the bullets snap overhead, the thump of the mortars, the look on people's faces," said Gen. Wesley Clark, a former presidential candidate. "He's been there. He's seen what troops can do, what war does."

Kerry is an uneven speaker, who at his best is sharp and energetic; at his worst he's longwinded and unfocused. But he also has delivered some powerful lines in the past.

As a 27-year-old explaining his opposition to the Vietnam War to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he famously asked: "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

Some Democrats at the convention said they hope Kerry will deliver a clear theme for his candidacy and a vision for his presidency. The Rev. Jesse Jackson hopes to hear bold specifics. "Kerry has a chance to be bold by giving a plan to get out of Iraq with dignity and international support," Jackson said.

That's unlikely, however, as Kerry has given no timetable for leaving Iraq and repeatedly has said America can't afford to leave it unstable and unsecure.

Others want Kerry to let America gain a better sense of him as a person.

"I hope Sen. Kerry completes the introduction process and does so with kindness and warmth that would make people want to have him come over to their house for Sunday barbecue," said Sen. Bob Graham of Florida.

His speech tonight comes after several electrifying convention deliveries from the likes of Bill Clinton and Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama.

But given the state of the race, it hardly matters if Kerry fails to match their oratory.

"This is not like the $1.98 beauty contest where you've got to give the best speech or you've got to measure up to Bill Clinton or Barack Obama," said Democratic fundraiser and former state legislator Dick Batchelor of Orlando. "In the end, it's a debate between Kerry and George Bush."

- Adam C. Smith can be reached at 727 893-8241 or adam@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 28, 2004, 23:58:22]

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