NEW YORK, ANY MINUTE NOW – Stung by four days of nonstop criticism and skittish about four weeks of sliding poll numbers, Democratic party officials today announced plans to hold a national nominating convention for their presidential candidate, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.
This would be, by some counts, the Democrats’ second convention of the year, including their gathering in Boston in late July. But having seen their modest post-convention bounce disappear under the relentless assault of the Republican campaign machine, party leaders were eager to have a second crack at convincing the nation’s voters to choose Sen. Kerry this November.
“We think we’ve got a great story to tell,” said Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe at a news conference here this morning. “Holding another convention will give us a chance to share that story with the American people.”
Asked whether the Democrats had already had – and, in the view of some observers, squandered – that opportunity in Boston, Mr. McAuliffe was quick to deny it. Rather, he insisted, the case for his candidate was simply “too big for one city.”
Accordingly, negotiations are now under way to convene in another location, most likely in the Midwest, in late September. The roster of speakers beyond Mr. Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, is still being worked out, Mr. McAuliffe said. And while the first convention’s theme was “Stronger at Home, Respected in the World,” Democrats will gather this time under a banner proclaiming, “Oh, and One More Thing … “
“Just because they’re the incumbents,” Mr. McAuliffe declared, referring to the Bush-Cheney team, “that doesn’t necessarily entitle them to having the last word. Why can’t we have the last word?”
Mr. McAuliffe, according to other party officials, was intent both on responding to the numerous Republican attacks on Mr. Kerry and on setting out his own candidate’s attributes in much greater – and more appealing – detail. Many strategists had noted the Democrats’ intensive focus on Mr. Kerry’s service in Vietnam, to the virtual exclusion of other subjects. The Republicans, for their part, were only too happy to fill in the blanks.
“People think all he did in the Senate was vote against weapons,” said one frustrated senior Democrat, who asked not to be identified because he still has dealings with the Kerry campaign. “Maybe this time we can talk about some of his accomplishments, and his ideas for the future.”
Mr. McAuliffe voiced similar sentiments, although he tried to portray the Democrats’ near-constant spotlight on Mr. Kerry’s military service as inadvertent.
“I know this sounds crazy,” Mr. McAuliffe explained, “but we thought the convention was five days. By the time we found out it was only four, it was too late to go back to the printer.”
“My bad,” Mr. McAuliffe conceded.
A more deliberate choice, by contrast, was the Democrats’ decision to limit any direct criticism of President Bush during their first convention. Indeed, the president’s name was rarely spoken in Boston. The Republicans meeting here, it quickly became evident, showed no such reticence in going after Mr. Kerry.
“In retrospect,” said Mr. McAuliffe, “I guess voters have gotten to where they expect both sides to rip the other guy to shreds. I don’t know what we were thinking.”
The logistics of putting on a convention are no small matter, particularly on such short notice, but Mr. McAuliffe cited recent technological advances as making achievable what would once have been impossible.
“Did you see how the Republicans had all those computer-generated flags and fireworks?” Mr. McAuliffe asked. “Well, you can do the same thing with delegates. And we have this great new software for signs, funny hats, applause, the whole thing.”
Mr. McAuliffe was equally upbeat about getting media attention for the Democrats’ convention sequel. (“Those guys will go anywhere for free food.”) He also appealed to the media’s sense of civic responsibility: “They need something to replace the Kobe trial, don’t they?”
And if all else fails, Mr. McAuliffe said, he was ready to deploy his ultimate weapon.
“We’re inviting the Bush twins.”
Rick Horowitz is a nationally syndicated columnist. Contact him by writing to rickhoro@execpc.com.
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