John Kerry's Tipping Point

By Don Hazen, AlterNet. Posted September 23, 2004.

There is a growing sense that John Kerry's campaign has reached a tipping point. The watershed moment was a sharply worded and highly publicized speech attacking George Bush's policy on Iraq on Sept. 20 at New York University.

In his speech, Kerry said he would never have supported the invasion of an Iraq that didn't have weapons of mass destruction. By asserting that America is less safe now because Bush invaded Iraq instead of pursuing Osama bin laden – "We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure" – Kerry is now drawing a sharp contrast with his opponent rather than trying to sell himself as a better version of Bush.

Suddenly, there was a sigh of relief heard round the world as Democrats and progressives finally got some sparkle in their eyes. Kerry was talking values, which in turn created greater clarity of purpose and momentum among his heretofore ambivalent, and carping, supporters. It also marked him for the first time as the anti-war candidate, clearly opposed to a war that a majority of Americans say has failed.

The speech represented a clear-cut articulation of progressive values that have been missing in his earlier, more mealy-mouthed statements about the war. It highlighted the two core elements of a Democratic progressive vision: cooperation and promoting the public good.

On the world's stage, America will work together with our allies to fight terrorism and promote peace. Kerry's approach eschews the go-it-alone philosophy that has characterized much of Bush's foreign policy – an attitude that appeals to his fundamentalist electoral base, especially white male voters in the South and West, but endangers the United States in the international arena.

By linking the disaster of the war to the hundreds of billions of squandered dollars in Iraq, Kerry is also articulating the vision of a "strong America" as opposed to Bush's narrow focus on "strong defense." As language guru George Lakoff notes, "A stronger America is not just about defense, but about every dimension of strength: our effectiveness in the world; our economy, our educational system, our health care, our families, our communities and on and on." Bush and Co. – who plan to bleed social programs while offering tax cuts to wealthy individuals and corporations – offer a stark alternative in terms of both values and their vision for the future. Kerry's tough stance, assuming he maintains it, finally gives the base of progressive Democratic voters – including the large majority at the convention in Boston – something to believe in.

Say No to Negativity

More importantly, the speech temporarily silenced the crescendo of second-guessing of the campaign's strategy by its friends, pundits and fellow elected officials. Over the past months, there's been a cottage industry of Democratic Kerry critics, who have been busy talking to the media and handing out free advice.

While these same friends-as-critics may now claim credit for the turnaround, none of this noise was the least bit useful for the candidate or his campaign. It's why Republicans always, always make sure they stay on message in the media. A veteran savvy political observer who prefers not to be named says, "I'm glad Kerry finally got everybody to stop kvetching. That's no way to win an election. Don't forget elections are usually won by those who feel strongest about their beliefs. Enthusiasm is contagious. If the D's get more optimistic and committed, it will spread to undecided and alienated voters."

The free-floating negativity of Kerry critics motivated Michael Moore to write in one of his highly influential e-mail letters:

Enough of the hand-wringing! Enough of the doomsaying! Do I have to come there and personally calm you down?. . . Bush gets a bounce after his convention and you would have thought the Germans had run through Poland again.. . . Stop with all the defeatism, OK? Bush IS a goner – IF we all just quit our whining and bellyaching and stop shaking like a bunch of nervous ninnies. Geez, this is embarrassing! The Republicans are laughing at us.

The GOP is surely not laughing any more.

Speaking to Values

In their public response to Kerry's speech, the Bush team claims to be happy with this turn of events. Bush consiglieri Karl Rove's attitude was, "Bring it on." But the Bush campaign must privately be worrying about running against an articulate and plain-spoken Kerry, rallying his troops by opposing a war that is unpopular. They surely prefer the "nuanced" Kerry, and the public displays of disappointment his vague statements evoke from his own supporters.

Don Hazen is the Executive Editor of AlterNet.

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