I’m usually horrible at judging how well a speech will “play” with the public. In 2000, I liked Gore but hated his convention speech. It sounded like a quickly-read laundry list whose only memorable line (“I am my own man”) didn’t actually say much. Immediately after it was over, I wrote in my notes, “Horrible.”
The immediate reaction was swift: everyone loved it. The pundits cheered, the public approved, and Gore got a sizable post-convention bounce.
I hope my reaction has a little more predictive value this cycle because I thought John Kerry’s speech last night was perfect.
In some ways, I think the conventional wisdom over expectations for last night had it backwards. Pundits kept saying Kerry had to deliver “the speech of his life” and that it would an enormous challenge to deliver remarks as strong as Clinton’s, Edwards’, and Obama’s.
I think the reality was the opposite — no one expected Kerry to deliver a barn-burning speech for the ages, so expectations were actually lower. Kerry’s known for having a dry, almost pedantic, speaking style. A great lawmaker, yes; a great orator, no. Jon Stewart, among others, routinely mocks Kerry’s monotone delivery. I suspect most observers expected Kerry, hardly a modern-day Cicero, to do rather poorly.
But he didn’t. I’ve never heard Kerry sound so good.
From my living room, Kerry did everything right. I even liked the relatively cheesy entrance, in which he entered the convention hall by walking through the main floor, greeting delegates as he walked. It was, intentionally, reminiscent of a president walking through the House chamber to deliver a State of the Union address. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Kerry’s persona screams “presidential,” and this was obviously intended to reinforce the imagery.
The point I kept noticing throughout Kerry’s speech was his delivery. For a man known for a deadpan style, Kerry sounded sincere and heartfelt. He was using a teleprompter, but he sounded as if he were speaking extemporaneously, which is a tough feat to pull off. One couldn’t help but think that this was a man who genuinely believed, with every ounce of his being, in the agenda he was laying out for the country.
Kerry must have really driven Karl Rove crazy, however, when he effectively co-opted Bush’s rhetorical tricks. Bush campaigned in 2000, for example, vowing to restore “honor and dignity” to the White House. The inference was a subtle as a sledgehammer — Clinton fooled around with an intern in the Oval Office; Bush wouldn’t. Kerry, meanwhile, made a similar pledge, emphasizing a different fault for the man he hopes to replace.
“As president, that is my first pledge to you tonight: As president, I will restore trust and credibility to the White House.”
Likewise, Bush ran in 2000 by telling military audiences that “help is on the way” for underfunded armed forces. Kerry and Edwards have taken this line and applied it to the whole nation, effectively making it the five-word theme of the entire convention.
And finally, Kerry made effective use of his faith last night. There’s been a relatively heated debate in Dem circles for months about the proper role of religion in the presidential campaign, with as many people insisting that Kerry needs to emphasize his faith constantly as those who say he should keep religion out of the campaign altogether. Last night, Kerry struck the right balance. He was even seen making the sign of the cross before entering the convention hall.
“And let me say it plainly: In that cause, and in this campaign, we welcome people of faith. America is not us and them.
“I think of what Ron Reagan said of his father a few weeks ago, and I want to say this to you tonight: I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve, but faith has given me values and hope to live by, from Vietnam to this day, from Sunday to Sunday.
“I don’t want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God’s side.
“And whatever our faith, one belief should bind us all: The measure of our character is our willingness to give of ourselves for others and for our country.”
Nice. He’s a man of faith, but he’s not someone who will exploit religion for political gain nor use it as a tool for division. It’s a message with broad appeal, regardless of one’s theology or lack thereof.
Everything worked last night: the emphasis on values, the “what if?” optimism, the subtle shots at Cheney, the “family values” rhetoric, the “mission accomplished” slap, and the vision for a respected America abroad. Like a Clinton SOTU, Kerry’s speech had something for everyone.
Kerry couldn’t have hoped for a better end to a successful convention. It may very well make him President.