The Heaviest Load Is for Kerry Alone

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-assess29jul29.story

The Heaviest Load Is for Kerry Alone
By Ronald Brownstein
Times Staff Writer

July 29, 2004

BOSTON — For three days, Democrats have built a frame for their nominee. Now, John F. Kerry has to fill in the picture.

From the Rev. David Alston, a Kerry crewmate in Vietnam, to vice presidential nominee John Edwards and a procession of retired generals Wednesday night, Democrats have systematically portrayed their candidate as principled, politically courageous, optimistic, forward-looking and, above all, tough and decisive enough to protect America in a turbulent time.

But many analysts agree that praise may quickly fade in voters' minds unless they see those qualities in Kerry when he stands before them, alone, in his acceptance speech tonight.

"There needs to be a more intimate kind of portrait," said David Axelrod, a Democratic media consultant. "He needs to leave here as a fully formed figure in the eyes of the voter … and that is something he largely has to do himself."

Senior Kerry aides, although cautioning that decisions could change at the last moment, said he was unlikely to detail significant new positions today on key issues such as Iraq. That means the speech's success is likely to turn on Kerry's ability to establish personal connections with voters that build trust in him as a leader. <snip>

In a drumbeat repetition, Democrats contend that Kerry's performance under fire in Vietnam proves he can handle the pressures of command. His crewmates "saw up close what he's made of," Edwards said Wednesday night. "Decisive. Strong. Is this not what we need in a commander in chief?"<snip>

Revealing a more personal side of himself, showing a continuity between his military heroism and his political career, and providing voters a clearer sense of his domestic and foreign policy plans are some of the challenges that remain for Kerry, even after all the speakers who preceded him.<snip>