 John and Elizabeth Edwards, with their son, Jack, 4, and their daughters, Cate, 22, and Emma, 6, at the FleetCenter yesterday. (Globe Staff) |
Edwards promises 'hope'Says he, Kerry share blue-collar values, will keep America strong, safeJohn Edwards last night spun the story of his rise from working-class roots into a prime-time pitch for changing the leadership in Washington as he made a vigorous case for electing John F. Kerry president, casting the Massachusetts senator as a war hero who shares his blue-collar values.
"This is a man who is prepared to keep the American people safe and to make America stronger at home and respected in the world," the North Carolina senator told cheering delegates before reprising his call for "one America," united across class lines. Edwards repeatedly urged the delegates to take home a message for their relatives and neighbors about the possibilities of a Democratic victory in November: "Hope is on the way!" Tears welled in his eyes as he mentioned his deceased son, Wade, in his opening remarks, acknowledged his parents, and basked in lengthy applause -- his debut on a national stage. Although Edwards occasionally flashed a broad grin, he generally struck a serious tone, spending as much time on security issues such as nuclear proliferation and hunting terrorists as on his trademark populist themes. He drew his heartiest responses from the placard-waving crowd when he promised to reject "hateful" negative politics and again when he pledged to work to heal the nation's racial divide. On their third day of political pageantry, the Democrats also turned to the business at hand, officially extending their presidential nomination to Kerry, who glided into town yesterday on a boat in anticipation of his acceptance speech tonight. While Edwards was the featured speaker last night, the focus in the rowdy convention hall was squarely on the man seeking to unseat President Bush. Most of the carefully orchestrated message turned on one facet of Kerry's life: skippering a boat crew down the hostile Mekong Delta during the Vietnam war. Speaker after speaker extolled Kerry as a Democrat willing to aggressively defend the nation against terrorism, a trait polls show that voters tend to associate more with Bush. As the national broadcasts went on air, seven retired high-ranking military officers strode onstage to a brass anthem with the crowd chanting "USA! USA!" and waving thousands of American flags. And though the president's name was rarely uttered, the implication with almost every Kerry war anecdote was clear: Kerry served in combat; the president did not. Edwards vividly made this point through Iraq, where the death toll of American soldiers recently crept past 900, with more than 5,000 wounded. "The word hero was made for them. They are our best and bravest. They will never be left behind, and you understand that," Edwards said. "And they deserve a president who understands that on the most personal level." The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and US Senator Bob Graham addressed the hall earlier in the evening. Jackson ended with his refrain of "keep hope alive." Graham, a former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the Bush administration "has not secured the beach" in the war on terror. But it was Sharpton who brought the crowd to its feet with cheers and laughter when he derided Bush's recent attempt to influence African-American voters to consider the Republican Party, with a reference to the donkey that symbolizes the Democrats. "It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule. That's where the argument, to this day, of reparations starts. We never got the 40 acres," Sharpton said. " We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres. We didn't get the mule. So we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us." Polls indicate that most Americans have strong opinions about Bush. But Kerry is more enigmatic to them, even to many Democrats. The fight to define him between Republicans, who call him an unprincipled elitist, and Democrats, who extol his wisdom and experience, may be the deciding battle of the election. And Edwards's primary role for the next four months will be to convince Americans of the latter, using the same persuasive skills he employed so successfully in two decades as a trial lawyer. Last night's speech marked Edwards's first true turn on the national political stage, the latest highlight of a Horatio Alger tale that began in small North Carolina textile mill towns where he grew up, and which he hopes to conclude in the highest echelon of power. Democrats attending the convention in anticipation of Edwards's speech overflowed the FleetCenter, causing fire officials to shut off access to the main floor. At the entryways, Boston fire and police officials argued with some delegates and members of the media who sought access. "You mean the FleetCenter is too small?" asked an angry journalist, contending that the press section had empty seats. "No, the Democrats are too big," a firefighter shot back. "There are people on the floor who shouldn't be." Scott Salman, a Boston Fire Department spokesman, said access to the main floor from upper floors was halted at 10:20 p.m. "If you left, you weren't allowed back in," Salman said. But members of Congress were permitted to pass freely, he added. The man Edwards seeks to replace, Vice President Dick Cheney, took a pointed jab at Edwards during a speech in Utah yesterday, using self-deprecating humor to underscore his Democratic competitor's relative lack of experience: "They say Senator Edwards got picked because he's charming, good-looking, sexy. . . . How do you think I got the job?" As the crowd broke into laughter, Cheney added: "Always bothers me when people laugh at that line. I'm not sure why they do." Later in the speech, taking aim at the opposition on both the domestic and international fronts, the vice president said Kerry has voted to raise taxes 350 times in his career, and noted that both Kerry and Edwards voted in support of the Iraq war but against an additional $87 billion for US troops there. Edwards's working-class roots have long been his political calling card, giving the millionaire attorney working-class credibility in some quarters that many liberal Democrats lack. "I grew up in a small town in rural North Carolina," he said. "My father worked in a mill all his life, and I will never forget the men and women who worked with him. They had lint in their hair and grease on their faces." Throughout the campaign season, Edwards has adhered tightly to his message. He has given literally hundreds of verbatim renditions of his populist "two Americas" stump speech, rarely deviating. Last night, his speech consisted mostly of that same material, combined with his more recent praise of Kerry. "We shouldn't have two different economies in America: One for people who are set for life, their kids and grandkids will be just fine, and then one for most Americans who live paycheck to paycheck," said Edwards. He outlined marquee social policies advocated by Kerry, including a health plan they say would lower annual premiums by up to $1,000, and tax credits to help pay for child care and college tuition. But last night he also focused on national security policy, reiterating Kerry's recent promise to enact the recommendations of a bipartisan 9/11 commission, which found that widespread security and intelligence failures permitted the terrorist attacks. "We are approaching the third anniversary of Sept. 11, and I can tell you that when we're in office, it won't take us three years to get the reforms in our intelligence we need to protect our country," said Edwards. And he made a muscular pledge: "We will have one clear unmistakable message for Al Qaeda and the rest of these terrorists. You cannot run. You cannot hide. And we will destroy you." Weeks ago, as Kerry was ruminating over his running mate pick, a groundswell of support for Edwards emerged from the Democratic base. That enthusiasm was evident yesterday. "I think one of the things he brings to the table is a wonderful background that can resonate with middle-class America," said Chuck Ross, a Vermont delegate clutching a "Firefighters for Kerry' " sign. "He came from humble beginnings and has made himself into something that is quite extraordinary. He has an ability to speak to middle-class America. He's got charm. He's got charisma." These last attributes are seen by many as compensating for Kerry's often dour and detached manner in public. Patrick Kahler, a delegate from San Bernardino, Calif., said: "They balance each other. Just like in a good marriage -- you need someone to balance you."
Susan Milligan and Bryan Bender of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Raja Mishra can be reached at rmishra@globe.com. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
|
