Some are all ayes for a Kerry delay on an acceptance
It is the big payoff of every political convention, the moment that makes the years of backbreaking ward and precinct spadework worthwhile. The party's pick takes the stage and speaks the magic words: I accept your nomination for president. The crowd goes wild. The balloons drop. Triumphant fists pump the air.
As the political world knows by now, the presumptive Democratic nominee, John F. Kerry, might not speak those words at this year's Democratic convention in Boston. He is considering delaying his official nomination to raise more money this summer.
But to hear Democratic party officials from across the country tell it, delegates won't mind missing out on the traditional climax of the national political convention one little bit. Kerry must do whatever it takes to beat President George W. Bush, they say.
"We're all excited," said Derek Wooley, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic party. "We've known for a long time who the nominee is going to be, and the convention is a formality at this point. Democrats, especially in Louisiana, believe that if there is something we can do that's legal and ethical and all aboveboard, any help we can get to beat George Bush, then we want to do that."
Delegates will wait for their payoff this year, Wooley and others said yesterday. If Kerry needs the nomination maneuver to keep monetary things even with Bush, then so be it. They'll still show up in Boston and wave their signs and shake their noisemakers.
"I don't think it's a letdown, because we want him to win, and if that's what he needs to do to win, why, I think all of us are pragmatists about it," said Scott Sterling, chairman of the Alaska Democratic Party. "It's still worth [going], absolutely, you bet."
Indeed, some state party officials said yesterday that they admire Kerry all the more for coming up with the maneuver.
"Our delegation is just excited to have a strategic thinker as a nominee," said Jon Summers, communications director for the Nevada Democrats. "Everyone here seems to think it's a smart move . . . It's going to be every bit as exciting as it was going to be before. Everyone knows this is a strategic step. Would it be nice to hear the words? Sure. But it's better to win."
Kerry had nothing to say publicly yesterday about whether he will be nominated at the convention, despite a media report saying he was within 48 hours of announcing a decision.
One top aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Kerry was discussing the issue with aides yesterday and gave no sign a decision was imminent. For example, the aide said, Kerry still had not reached out to the Federal Election Commission, seeking an advisory opinion on the legality of the move. He has received briefs from campaign lawyers expert in election financing laws.
"Generally, we know what's on the table," the aide said. "We just have to decide if we want to do it or not."
If Kerry does decide to do it, he will not face widespread rebellion. For many delegates, the Democratic National Convention will be about beating Bush, said Gordon Fischer, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party.
"Iowa Democrats are so concerned and angry about the direction of the country, and we just want a change," Fischer said. "The only thing Iowa Democrats want is for John Kerry to win, and set a new course that will help create jobs, lift the economy, and bring us out of chaos in Iraq. And if Senator Kerry and his campaign team determine the best way to do that is to not officially accept nomination at the convention and accept it down the road, that's fine."
Not every delegation will be thrilled, however. Ron Oliver, chairman of the Democratic party of Arkansas, said Kerry would be making a mistake if he were to delay his official nomination so that he can continue to raise money.
Accepting the nomination before the delegates is a "decades-old tradition," Oliver said. Bucking that tradition will take the wind out of the convention, he said. Whatever advantage Kerry gains in fund-raising will be offset by "bad feelings and bad publicity," he said.
"I think that dampens the whole feeling. I just think it's a mistake," Oliver said. Accepting the nomination on the convention's final night "is one of the most exhilarating moments. If you love politics, that is the holy grail of American politics, that speech and the balloons coming down is the most magnificent part of the whole political process. It will feel empty if he doesn't accept."
The general mood in the Democratic leadership contrasts sharply with the view of political pundits, who question Kerry's strategy. One of them, Garrison Nelson, professor of political science at the University of Vermont, called the proposed maneuver "the tail wagging the dog." The moment when the candidate accepts the nomination is "the whole point" of the convention, he said.
"The point is to be there at the moment when you have turned your party's nomination over to the great man and he has accepted it," Nelson said. "That's what you're paying for, what you busted your buns years and years for, to get through county committees and state committees and you're finally there at the national stage. It's one of the great dramatic moments of American politics. And just to take it away because you want to have more money to spend. . . I hope this is just some silly trial balloon."
Glen Johnson of the Globe Staff contributed. Yvonne Abraham can be reached at abraham@globe.com. 