Thursday, July 29, 2004 11:38 p.m. EDT
Kerry Fails to Close Deal
If Sen. John Kerry's convention acceptance speech was the make or break moment that many political observers said he needed to propel him into the White House, he failed to get the job done Thursday night.
Tonight's address was supposed to showcase that elusive warm side of Kerry's personality that Americans haven't seen, but confidantes swear exists - after being pegged as a lackluster campaigner and an aloof personality in both public and private moments.
Story Continues Below
Instead, Democrats at Boston's Fleet Center, as well as voters who bothered to tune in, got more of the same.
There was the same old haughty sounding drone, the same misplaced hand gestures, the misspoken words, the absolute lack of any sense of rhetorical timing whatsoever - Kerry's address Thursday night was a rerun of the performances that have left audiences numb along the campaign trail since he announced his candidacy a little more than a year ago.
His failure to debut a "new Kerry" was made all the more obvious by a very moving introduction by former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, who can come off an embittered and angry, but tonight managed to highlight his own Vietnam sacrifice with a smile on his face and an optimistic tone in his voice.
In contrast, Kerry seemed to browbeat the audience with his Vietnam credentials, as if to engender the sense that he was owed the White House in return for his four months on the front lines.
By the end of his address, Kerry's face was glistening with a noticeable sweat. If tonight's performance was any indication, Democrats have a lot to sweat about.
maxnews.com |
