In his sophomore year Kerry became president of the Yale Political Union. His involvement with the Political Union gave him an opportunity to be involved with important issues of the day, such as the civil rights movement and president Kennedy's New Frontier program. Under the guidance of the speaking coach and history professor Rollin Osterweis, Kerry won dozens of debate contests against other college students from across the nation. In March 1965, as the Vietnam War escalated,
he won the Ten Eyck prize as the best orator in the junior class for a speech that was critical of U.S. foreign policy. In the speech he said, "It is the specter of Western imperialism that causes more fear among Africans and Asians than communism, and thus it is self-defeating." Because of his public speaking skills, he was chosen to give the class oration at graduation. The speech was hastily rewritten at the last moment, and was a broad criticism of American foreign policy, including the war.
The same mainstream talking heads who trashed Gore give Kerry strong notices, and even right-wingers hold their tongues.- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Eric Boehlert
July 29, 2004 | If Sen. John Kerry's acceptance speech were the opening night of a Broadway production, it would be doing robust box office business Friday morning. The same talking heads who seemed openly skeptical of the Democratic presidential nominee for much of this week gave his speech strongly positive notices.
On a scale of 1 to 10, ABC's George Stephanopoulos gave Kerry's speech an 8 "as written," and a "7.5 as delivered."
"Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer said Kerry had "done about as well as he could do to set the stage for what's ahead."
NBC's Tim Russert credited Kerry for opening himself up during the address. "He gave more of himself than I've ever seen before." He added that Democratic delegates "have seen a candidate who's willing to take the battle to George Bush. Democrats heard what they needed to hear; it's on, full charge ahead."
Time magazine's Joe Klein told CNN Kerry "nailed it" and that he'd "never seen the man speak so well."
Meanwhile, Newsweek's Howard Fineman, appearing on MSNBC, said Kerry "has established the point he's a fighter, a war hero and a real guy. Now it's up to Bush to tear him down."
Some observers might suggest all those pundits have Democratic leanings to begin with, so their praise doesn't mean much. But they were precisely the type of commentators who routinely ridiculed Al Gore's campaign throughout the 2000 race, so the shift is worth noting.
The post-speech analysis got off to a comical start on CNN, when the news channel inadvertently broadcast frantic comments from a Democratic producer in a rage that more balloons were not dropping from the ceiling of the Fleet Center: ""More balloons! We need all of them coming down! All balloons! Balloons? What's happening, balloons? There's not enough coming down. All balloons! Where the hell -- there's nothing falling! What the fuck are you guys doing up there?"
No word yet if any FCC action will be taken against CNN.
Over at MSNBC, Republican pollster Frank Luntz conducted a focus group of 24 voters and found four who voted for Bush in 2000 and, after seeing Kerry, said they would vote for the Democrat in the fall. Luntz suggested Kerry would not see as big a post-convention bounce as Gore did in 2000, and thanks to the convention's relentless focus on military toughness, insisted that "national security is now a positive for this Democratic candidate." (Over on CNN, Washington Post reporter Terry Neal mentioned that a Zogby poll taken right before Kerry's speech indicated Kerry had already picked up a five-point bounce from the week's activities.)
Conservative pundits were notably restrained in critiquing Kerry's address. MSNBC host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough critiqued Kerry's style, saying his speech had the "best text" of the week, but not the best presentation. Scarborough suggested Kerry stepped on too many of his applause lines: "If John Kerry had delivered that 'Mission Accomplished' line and stepped away from the microphone the crowd would still be cheering. He blew through the best applause lines in a way Bill Clinton never would have."
The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes weakly told Fox News viewers that Kerry's "salute wasn't very good." The magazine's editor, Bill Kristol, conceded that Kerry "gave a good speech," adding that it was a "bold and interesting" move to try to "retake patriotism for Democrats."
Some of the right's hesitation to trash Kerry's speech may have stemmed from the fact that immediately following Gore's 2000 convention speech, many conservatives denounced it as a failure. Robert Novak labeled the speech "a flop" and erroneously predicted Gore would come out of the convention facing a six-point deficit in the polls. And the Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan wrote, "Al Gore's acceptance speech was a rhetorical failure and, in my view, a strategic blunder of significant proportions."
The conservative pundits ended up with egg on their faces, as the public deemed it a hit and Gore enjoyed a robust and sustained post-convention bounce in the polls.
Kerry's right-wing critics may be holding their tongues, not wanting to pan what could turn out to be another Democratic hit.
Frank Luntz Republican Playbook -- Searchable Text-Version:
PART IX "AN ENERGY POLICY FOR THE 2lst CENTURY"By Tom Ball
03/06/05
1) Make it about Energy Self-Sufficiency and Independence. The energy debate is ripe for partisan picking and the Democrats were smart to use it during their convention. Americans want to hear about solutions to foreign energy dependency and are desperate for big ideas and bold solutions. Energy policy is now a public priority and Democrats put themselves on the side of the future. Americans loathe the idea of being reliant on the Middle East for our energy needs and they were waiting for someone to tell them so.
This was John Kerry’s single best line at the convention, and it continues to resonate even today:
PAGE 133 ---
DEMOCRAT WORDS THAT WORK
I want an America that relies on its own ingenuity and innovation -- not the Saudi royal family. Our energy plan for a stronger America will invest in new technologies and alternative fuels and the cars of the future -- so that no young American in uniform will ever be held hostage to our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
Americans are evenly and bitterly divided about an assortment of political issues, but nearly all of them agree that our nation s’ current energy policy is behind-the-times and needs a new, 21st Century approach. Right now, the Democrats are exhibiting perfect pitch when it comes to their energy message. They understand that if you play on American fears towards OPEC, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, while also appealing to American ideals of invention and innovation, they will have a compelling message. But fortunately for Republicans, the Democratic message does not match their policy. If the GOP wants to gain the advantage you need to match the optimism of the Democrats message -- and that begins with a clear statement that the status quo is unacceptable.
Kerry's acceptance address was widely compared by media pundits to the progressive-era speeches of President Theodore Roosevelt, who advocated the social welfare programs characteristic of American liberalism, but also supported strengthening American military power and nationalistic patriotism. The speech, analysts added, attempted to portray the Democratic Party as masculine, even macho — much like the Republicans have historically presented themselves. Kerry stressed his qualities as a warrior and his ability to wage war when needed, a need to expand and modernize the armed forces, and a need to increase the size of special forces divisions. Alluding to the Bush administration's having fired Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki for demanding a peacekeeping plan before going to war in Iraq, Kerry also stressed the need to heed the counsel of generals.
Media analysts also characterized Kerry's speech as closer in style to a sitting president's State of the Union Address than those historically given by candidates at nominating conventions. Kerry listed specific proposals for programs and legislation, and offered a way to pay for them. He promised to train 40,000 new active duty troops, to quickly implement all the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, to cut the national deficit in half within four years, to cut middle class taxes while repealing the Bush administration's tax cuts for those making more than $200,000 per year, to stop privatization of Social Security, and to embrace science over religious dogma, especially with regards to stem cell research, which the Bush administration has constrained. He issued a promise to improve homeland security measures and quality of living: "We shouldn't be opening firehouses in Baghdad and closing them down in the United States of America." Although Kerry clarified the broad tenets of the Democratic platform, some liberals criticized the party's evasion of abortion rights and gay rights, while others found Kerry's plans too vague. On the whole, however, the address was well-received, and pundits found that Kerry's forceful delivery had made the normally dour candidate more appealing.
For Immediate Release:
Friday, July 30, 2004
WASHINGTON — Human Rights Campaign President Cheryl Jacques made the following statement lauding Sen. John Kerry’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention:
“Last night, Senator Kerry used his primetime spotlight to urge our leaders to ‘never misuse for political purposes the most precious document in American history, the Constitution of the United States.’ Senator Kerry called for ‘building unity in the American family, not angry division.’ He called for honoring the ‘nation’s diversity.’
“Senator John Kerry and Senator John Edwards are leaders who will unite the country, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. Americans are hungry for hope and Senator Kerry served a feast last night. He knows the value of bringing communities together. And he recognizes that we, too, are family.
“We want a leader who will stand up and fight everyday for hard-working, tax-paying Americans, including GLBT Americans. Senator Kerry last night proved once again he is that man.”
Kerry scored a clean win tonight, and ends the "series" 3-0. In all three debates, he looked more presidential than the president, and he calmly, methodically and forcefully dismantled every single element critical to Bush's reelection chances. The polls have been starting to move in Kerry's direction and it seems likely that this performance tonight will only accelerate that trend. As a Democrat, I am a happy camper tonight. Let's roll up our sleeves, do the the work that still needs to be done, and bring this baby home.
Peter Hartlaub
Saturday, July 31, 2004
When the network coverage of the Democratic convention is counted together, John Kerry's acceptance of the nomination Thursday night drew more viewers than the most popular shows on television.
CBS had the highest individual rating at 7 p.m. Thursday night with a 4.3, according to preliminary numbers from Web site www.Zap2it.com. But when the estimated ratings of ABC, NBC, CBS, the Public Broadcasting Service and the three largest cable news networks are combined, the rating was about a 20 -- equal to more than 21 million U.S. households watching Kerry's speech.
By Jeralyn, Section Democratic National Convention 2004
Posted on Thu Jul 29, 2004 at 08:52:37 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
We're sitting in the bar at the Onyx Hotel near the Fleet Center. It's packed, and there's wi-fi. It's midnight Boston time, and all we hear is "great speech."
We've got an early flight home so we passed on the parties--and instead will bring you some reactions from the bloggers:
First, the Conmmand Post has the transcript up. Alan has been doing the difficult job of blogging objectively.
Ezra Klein at Pandagon:
I believe, truly, that this is the perfect speech for John Kerry. It addresses every slander against him and absorbs the vulnerable edges into positive portions of a great man. This is phenomenal.
Stunning. He did it. I didn't think he could, not after Obama and Clinton and Edwards and Cleland. But he did it. He gave the perfect speech for this moment, for this race, for this crowd. He couldn't rely on his charisma and so he instead told the country where it needed to go. He couldn't do flash so he did substance...and he did it. There's nothing I can say beyond that...I'm sorry...I just don't have the words for it. I'm inspired. I'd forgot what this felt like.
Snip...
Left Coaster:
Incredible. He nailed it. I don't know how it looked on TV, but I can tell you that John Kerry pulled it off inside the hall tonight. Amidst some incredible security outside the Fleet Center, Kerry gave the speech of his life tonight when the pressure was the greatest. He somehow managed to straddle the line perfectly between giving the base its red meat to deal with their anger (something that Bill Schneider of CNN said he wouldn't do) while providing a vision and positive agenda for the voters he was trying to reach tonight. All I can say, without overstatement, is that the atmosphere during the speech and most importantly after it was nothing short of elation and electricity.
The irony of the biggest speech in
John Kerry’s life was that by the time he took the stage, words didn’t matter. Kerry, along with his swift boat comrades (wouldn’t it be nice if all vets could have this kind of week?) and the video biography pieces (the best political messaging I’ve ever seen), reframed the issue.
This was a night about deeds and behaviors. As Kerry said in a not too subtle swipe at Bush, “Strength is more than tough words.”
Up until now this election has been about George W Bush. And up until now, this week has been about whether or not Kerry could speak the lines.
By the time Kerry “reported for duty,” he had already successfully (and I’d say surprisingly) reframed both the former and the latter.
As I wrote above, for days if not weeks we’ve been questioning John Kerry’s charisma, television charm and speech-giving prowess. Tonight, John Kerry and his team set us straight by reminding us that we had the question wrong.
July 29, 2004
By Jim Dallas
Kerry's acceptance speech - out of the park! Natural but idealistic, easy-going but serious, small and big.
You gotta believe!
The Message: Fifty nine million people heeded Senator Kerry’s message. This time around, Kerry will have to earn the nomination, but the other candidates also have their work cut out for them.
More Kerry speeches
here.
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