It's Awfully Quiet in Here

[kchoya]

It's been more than twelve hours and no comments on John Kerry's speech.

I would probably give it 2.5 out of four stars. The delviery was ok, but he seemed rushed a lot of the time. He kept pushing forward and not giving the hall time to react. When you keep rushing through "signature" line -- "help is on the way" -- you're going a little too fast. (asied from the fact it was too similar to "hope is on the way" from Wednesday and the exact same line as Cheney in 2000).

I felt that the first 85% of the speech was a lot of generalities about improving the economy and doing better on the war/foreign relations front. Maybe that's the Republican me, or maybe I was expecting something different.

It worked well for the hall and the Democrats; I don't know how effective it will be on the undecided vote.

Overall, a good solid speech, but not a home run.

[showcase]

Well, I only heard the tail end of the speech, but I'll give it a go.

Like you (apparently), I thought the speech ended well. I didn't have a problem with the pacing, and my understanding is that the DNC handlers had instructed all speakers to maintain a pace suitable for TV, rather than the hall. I also thought he provided a little more detail on his vision, and what kind of President he intends to be. He obviously dodged the thornier issues like his vote on authorizing war in Iraq (which apparently will be highly featured in the latest childish "flip-flopper" ad from the RNC, set to the theme song from Flipper), but that's to be expected.

On the half (or a third, or whatever part I saw), I say it was a 3, 3.5. The broader context may have brought it down some, but then again, I had low expectations, since everyone said this type of speech is not Kerry's strong suit.

[PushyGuyFanClub]

I would encourage people to watch the John Kerry "documentary" at www.rnc.org. The "Flipper" theme runs for no more than 10 seconds, and while the theme music and graphics may be overdone, it is quite telling to watch Kerry's myriad positions on Saddam Hussein and the war on Iraq. In his own words, Kerry calls for regime change on multiple occasions before 9/11 and before Hussein was even suspected of having WMD's. While Kerry's most recent arguments about the $87 billion may be "nuanced" (in the eye of the beholder), over the long run he does not commit to politically difficult decisions.

[Z]

as opposed to bush, who just commits in highly arrogant, uninformed ways that result in lots of people dying.

[PushyGuyFanClub]

I can't hold anything against people who stand against this war in principle. Not a debate I'm trying to pick right now. Kerry, however, has no governing principle that I can see. He would have had us attack Iraq in 1998 if he were President and then what? Pulled out when it became unpopular? As attack ads go, this video is one of the more forthright (in this case selective editing cuts through bureaucratese).

[nychoya3]

I'd give the speech a solid 3 stars. Actually, I think the speech itself was more like a 2.5, but I'd give the delivery 3.5. I thought it was a very human and generally likable speech and that Kerry came across well and someone that you could listen to for the next four years without wanting to kill yourself.