Photo 8 Highlights of the Convention in
Boston.
Opinion 10 Daily Opinion picksthe winners
and losers oftthe Convention.
b E - Iir-tinyrsit riur &Monday, August2, 2004
One-hundred- thirteen years of editorialfreedom Summer Weekly
www.michigandaily.com Democratic National Convention Coverage ©2004 The Michigan Daily
Visit w w.michigandaily.com for full
1versions of the Daily's Demnocratic
Naional Conivention coverage.
Kerry accepts democratic nomination
David Branson
Daily Staff Reporter
BOSTON - When New Mexico Gov.
Bill Richardson called the Democratic
National Convention to order at 4:00 p.m.
last Monday, every speaker from Democratic
National Committee Chairman Terry McAu-
liffe to former Senator Max Cleland set the
stage and built up the reputation, strength
and record of John Kerry, now officially a
presidential candidate.
The speakers list preceding Kerry featured
many historic Democratic Party leaders like
former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy
Carter, as well as all of the former Democrat-
ic presidential-hopefuls, dozens of Capitol
Hill members, keynote speaker Barack
Obama and running mate Sen. John
Edwards. After the four-day drum roll antici-
pating Kerry's steps onto the Fleet Center
Convention floor, he faced enormous expec-
tations by giving a climactic 56-minute
acceptance speech Thursday night.
"On my first day in office, I will send a
message to every man and woman in our
(U.S.) Armed Forces - you will never be
asked to fight a war without a plan to win the
peace," Kerry said. "Saying there are
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn't
make it so. Saying we can fight a war on the
cheap doesn't make it so and proclaiming
Protesters,
'mission accomplished' certainly doesn't
make it so."
The war in Iraq is widely considered the
most important issue this election, an issue
Kerry has tackled as a major, but not only,
failing of the Bush administration.
"I will be a commander in chief who will
never mislead us into war. I will have a vice
president who will not conduct secret meet-
ings with polluters and rewrite our environ-
mental laws. I will have a secretary of
defense who will listen to the advice of our
military leaders. And I will appoint an attor-
ney general who will uphold the Constitution
of the United States,"Kerry said. "My fellow
Americans, this is the most important elec-
tion of our lifetime. The stakes are high. We
are a nation at war, a global war on terror
against an enemy unlike any we have ever
known before."
President George W. Bush, however, criti-
cized Kerry's voting record in Iraq, intelli-
gence funding, taxes and other issues. "We
heard a lot of clever speeches and some big
promises," Bush commented Friday after the
Convention.
Thursday's acceptance speech was
marked by Kerry's detailing of the Bush
Administration's flaws and calls to "judge
me by my record," a notion the Bush Admin-
istration is more than eager to do.
"After 19 years in the United States
Senate, my opponent has had thousands
of votes but very few signature achieve-
ments," Bush said.
Bush and Kerry both began extensive
campaign tours of the United States after the
convention, both focusing on the Midwest,
an area hit hard by the faltered economy.
Kerry plans to use his speech during a two-
week, 21-state tour of the United States to
ride the traditional "bounce" in party support
that conventions historically provide.
"When I came here my motto was 'let's
get America back on track,' and it had
nothing to with John Kerry and John
Edwards. But after tonight, itsis about the
individuals for me," said Karen Gutman, a
writer and delegate from California.
"Kerry is an individual and an extraordi-
nary choice. Before, I was hoping he
would be, but now I really feel this candi-
date can really be an excellent leader. I've
been waiting for him to say something
with the authority he did tonight."
Kerry's speech received varied respons-
es from attendants in the Fleet Center, but
many people shared the same sentiment
that Kerry's speech was a successful
speech to jump-start his campaign for the
presidency.
"I don't think any candidate can ever live
up to the expectations the convention sets
out. I think the convention is just to heal
some of the wounds of
the primaries and
calm the infight-
ing," said Will
Kimlaw, a Cam-
bridge resident and
graduate of Tufts University.
"His speech was excellent
though - it addressed all the
major issues for voters and the
most important point is it was
an all positive speech."
At one point during the
speech, Kerry directly
addressed Bush about cam-
paigning positively.
"I want to address these
next words to President Bush.
In the weeks ahead, let's be opti-
mists, not just opponents. Let's
build unity in the American family,
not angry division. Let's honor this
nation's diversity and let's respect
one another," Kerry said.
The next day, Bush responded with
pointed statements about Kerry's
inability to lead a country with any '
competence."My opponent has good
intentions, but intentions do not always
translate to results," Bush told support-
ers. "When it comes to choosing a presi-
dent, results matter."
supporters rally outside Fleet Center
By David Branson
Daily StaffReporter
BOSTON - Only attendees with proper cre-
dentials entered the Fleet Center last Monday
through Thursday nights, but the convention
never stopped outside the center's doors. Each
day before delegates, guests and press packed
the security checkpoints on Causeway Street,
the convention rushed at a frantic pace from
hotel, to library, to city parks from Boston to
Cambridge.
At the Sheraton Hotel in the Prudential Cen-
ter, nearly every state held Democratic Party
meals for residents, delegates and politicians of
their respective states. In Cambridge, home of
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and
Harvard University, authors and politicians
spoke to eager crowds.
But the bulk of protesters assembled in the
Boston Common - outside the Fleet Center
itself and far from most media sources.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean spent
the week traveling the city while Kerry toured
the East Coast. At the Royal Sonesta Hotel on
Tuesday afternoon, Dean teamed with filmmak-
er Michael Moore and former Secretary of
Labor Robert Reich to speak about America's
future and the necessity of a strong and unified
Democratic party. Supporters arrived at the
Sonesta and other venues hours before the
events began, where lines up to a mile long
formed wound down stairs, out doors and
around blocks.
"John Kerry has cohesive plans for our coun-
try, but that's all policy. For right now we need
to talk about politics," Dean said. "Politics is too
important to be left to politicians."
The Sonesta held only 800 people inside, but
Dean and the entire speaker's podium moved
outside after they finished to mirror the speech-
es for the 1400 that had gathered outside the
terrace. In both cases, Dean was received by
thunderous applause and concluded with a
winded rant ending in, "We need to stop being
afraid of being Democrats in this country!"
When Moore arrived, he placed a similar
emphasis on people, not policy, while lambast-
ing the Bush administration and the media for
its failings.
"You can't compare this election to any elec-
tion before Sept. 11 because it's cool now to
talk about politics and it's suddenly uncool to be
apathetic," Moore said. "I, we, the people, we
need [the media] to ask the questions, demand
the evidence. Don't ever send us to war without
sending us evidence. You do us no service by
hopping on the bandwagon."
But Moore's sharp-tongued criticisms of
Bush do not often ring through the entire
Democratic Party. Michigan Gov. Jennifer
Granholm spoke Tuesday along with Lt. Gov.
John Cherry about the usual lack of shots at the
Republican Party during the convention.
I think it's a great strategy because I don't
think the people who can be persuaded really
want to hear all those comments," Granholm
said. "In my speech, I had a couple lines that
were really red meat, but [Kerry's officials]
asked me to take them out. They want us to
make sure we are not bashing the administra-
tion and I think that speaks to the fact that
Kerry is [in] control."
Michigan has been hit as hard as any state
with job losses, education under-funding and
low voter turnout in elections, all factors which
cement Michigan's importance in November as
a critical swing state.
FOREST CASEY/Daily
Protesters crowd underneath closed train tracks
in front of the Fleet Center in Boston, Mass. last
Monday. Many of the complaints voiced involved
not being allowed access into the convention.