And Kerry Is The Man!
Our apartment filled with cheers tonight as almost twenty of us raised our voices to praise John Kerry. Many of us waited for tonight's speech with hesitation, concerned that John Kerry would be unable to meet the high bar set each previous night of convention.
First, Bill Clinton, arguably the most perfect public speaker of our media age, delivered a powerful address that reminded us of our prosperous past and cheered the potential that John Kerry and John Edwards can help bring America. The next night Barack Obama took the stage and filled me with pride to be an Illinoisan. His speech was to a national audience. His words reflected a consciousness that can be claimed by all sides of the political spectrum. Yes, he is a proud liberal with undeniable progressive credentials. Yet he took his opportunity to speak to America on broader terms. We are not an America of blue and red states, he observed, we are an America of red, white and blue.
Last night, John Edwards laid out the details of the Democratic platform for this election year. Healthcare for all children. No tax breaks for companies that betray American working people. Restoration of America's place in the world. And he declared, most forcefully, that terrorists will have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide because America and our allies will destroy them.
On the heels of these and so many other great speeches by Democratic luminaries of all stripes, John Kerry had a high bar to reach. Although he is a strong candidate, his speaking in the past has smacked of too much equivocation and not enough passion.
Tonight was truly an exception.
He started slow by sharing anecdotes of his family history. But it was undeniable that his entrance through the assembled throng had filled him with energy. He played up that connection with the crowd as he provided the grand structure to fit John Edwards' detail from the night before. We heard the familiar call to restore America's reputation in the world. He promised to be a President who would believe in science. He swore to cut taxes on the middle class and role back the irresponsible tax cuts on Americans who make more than $200,000 annually. He promised Americans an Attorney General who will respect the Constitution and a Secretary of Defense who will listen to military experts over baseless ideology. Kerry swore to implement every recommendation of the 9/11 Commission and to build an intelligence service based on facts not on politics.
John Kerry took this opportunity to lay out a new Democratic vision for America. This vision is the synthesis of ongoing tensions within the Democratic party. His speech was, as all that preceded it had been, progressive in its policy solutions and moderate in its calls for personal responsibility.
While many of the policies advocated by John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats as a whole are big ideas, it is time that America is called to dream once more. Perhaps the Republicans in Congress will stymy our efforts for true national healthcare. Perhaps we will struggle to implement reforms to the intelligence community. Even if every policy fails, the attempt alone is a dramatic improvement over the Bush administration.
It is time for a change in America and John Kerry inspired my friends and I tonight to believe that change is possible.
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Who is this guy?
You had 20 people in your apartment? Around the TV area? Sam, I hereby step down and annoint you the King of Efficiency.