Kerry asks Philly to help him lead

by MICHAEL J. MISHAK

Two days before accepting his party's nomination for the U.S. presidency, Sen. John Kerry asked a few thousand soaked Philadelphians for their help in his bid for the White House.

But before the eager crowd, who waited out several rain showers and oppressive humidity last Tuesday, July 27, could hear the Democratic candidate's vision for "A Stronger America," many would wait two-plus hours as people slowly filled the courtyard at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for an evening rally, capped by fireworks.

The event was part of Kerry's last stop on his "America's Freedom Trail" campaign tour, which also courted voters in Virginia and Florida last week. Both the Bush-Cheney and Kerry-Edwards campaigns have been spending considerable time in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state with 21 electoral votes.

In 2000, the state went to former vice president and Democratic nominee Al Gore. Kerry's visit served not only to steel the coveted Philadelphia voting plurality, but also to recruit citizen cheerleaders in hopes of convincing an ever-dwindling number of swing voters to vote Kerry.

A recent New York Times/CBS poll showed 79 percent surveyed had already made up their minds about whom to vote for in November. In stark contrast to 1992, when some polls showed nearly two-thirds of voters as persuadable, both camps will likely be fighting for about 20 percent of the electorate this fall.

Kerry supporters like Russ Allen, of Jenkintown, will be taking the Democrat's message to the streets.

It took Allen months to get over the 2000 presidential election.

A self-described "Gore acolyte," Allen was devastated. Four years later, the wound still festers.

"I'm embarrassed for my country for the first time ever," Allen, 46, said, awaiting Kerry’s arrival at last week's rally, digital camera in hand.

He describes the Democratic presidential nominee as "a natural born leader."

"We don't have that right now in this country, and we need it," Allen said. "We just can't survive four more years of this. The damage would be too deep to repair."

Allen has never volunteered for any political campaign, but he said he and his wife plan to run voter registration drives this year. “It feels like 1968 again,” he said.

Though his views are more aligned with those of the Green Party, Allen plans to vote Kerry because, for him, the stakes are too high. “This is the wrong year to wield influence,” he said of Green and other third party candidates. “It was wrong last time.”

Standing beneath three vertical banners bearing the words “Liberty,” “Freedom” and “Independence,” Allen called the Electoral College “archaic,” favoring an electoral system based on the popular vote.

If last week's rally is any indication, Kerry can rely on an energized base not only in the city, but also in some of the area's outlying counties.

Kevin Cavanaugh traveled 20 miles from Collegeville to see Kerry speak.

Olive Kendig, her husband, Gary, and their daughter, Liz, trekked to Philadelphia from Lancaster last Tuesday.

Scott Saeowsky, of Bucks County, said the rally was his first-ever political event.

Still awaiting Kerry, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, chairman of the Democratic City Committee, led the crowd in chants of “KER-RY! KER-RY! KER-RY!”

City Controller Jonathan Saidel, State Sen. Vincent Hughes and U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel, who is vying for Sen. Arlen Specter’s seat this fall, rounded out the city’s Democratic warm-up team.

“Philly is where we win Pennsylvania,” Hughes said. “It’s Kerry time.”

As Hoeffel decried President Bush and the administration’s economic policies, some in the crowd grew restless, their attention focused on the more immediate goal of scoring the free t-shirts being distributed by volunteers.

After thanking the city’s labor unions for their expected support on Election Day, Brady called for a moment of silence in honor of those fighting in Iraq. “Oh please,” a woman said. “We all know we’re fighting for oil.”

Just before 6:15 p.m., a wave of citizens crowded along Kerry's entrance route, vying for space along the steel barricades. Volunteers passed out American flags and Kerry signs to a soundtrack that featured Boston's "More Than a Feeling," a custom-tailored Bruce Springsteen cut, and much of the early U2 catalog, notably the driving "I Will Follow."

Philadelphia's daily newspapers reported remarkably conflicting attendance numbers (The Philadelphia Inquirer used the figure 3,000, while Philadelphia Daily News used 10,000), and a request for the "official" count by the Local to both the Philadelphia Police Department's Civil Affairs and Public Affairs offices went unreturned.

After prolonged promises from the warm-up acts, Kerry arrived, pressing flesh and exchanging waves as he made his way to the stage. With U2's "Beautiful Day" pumping through the P.A. system, the crowd enjoyed its first glimpse of sun.

Kerry took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and extended his arms in the champion pose of Rocky Balboa.

“I may not have run up the steps,” Kerry said, referencing the fictional underdog boxer and the pinnacle of his famous training run. “But I’m going to win the knockout punch.”

Defying the stone-faced, no-nonsense caricature that has dogged him in the national press, Kerry showed humor and humanity at turns throughout his 30-minute speech.

Comparing himself to his vice-presidential nominee, Kerry said he and Sen. John Edwards shared the same first name and had legal training, then led into the punch line. “John Edwards was chosen by People magazine as the sexiest politician in America,” he said, pausing. “I read People magazine.”

When heckled by a small group of AIDS activists holding signs, Kerry shushed the booing crowd, “I want everybody to hear what they're saying because I support it and we're going to get there and we're going to do it.” He continued, using the opportunity to introduce another campaign theme. “We need more of a conversation in America. We have to turn down the decibels,” he said. “We cannot continue to divide. We must unite to win.”

Just before ending, Kerry stumbled verbally, mistaking the art museum for a library. “The world is waiting for you to walk off these library steps,” he said, stopping as the blunder registered among the crowd. “Art museum. It’s getting late, you know.” He was forgiven. The crowd, many from a city that famously once booed Santa Claus, chanted his name. “I just walked through it and saw all the art. So I’m not completely dopey.”

Throughout his speech, Kerry's message centered around his campaign's theme of "making America stronger at home and more respected in the world." Sharing the hardships of Americans around the nation, Kerry touched on job outsourcing, health insurance reform and energy independence.

Most importantly, Kerry conveyed passion and strength, revealing the character that will be the hallmark of many Americans' choices this November.

“I will and I can fight a more effective war on terror than George Bush,” Kerry vowed.

The Bush administration has overextended the military and instated a “backdoor draft,” Kerry said, referring to the use of the National Guard in Iraq.

Later, he said, “I pledge to you, if you trust me, I will never hesitate to protect our country. But I will exhaust all remedies, including bringing people to our side. That is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength.” The sentiment roused the evening’s loudest applause.

On returning to America after his tour in Vietnam, Kerry said he found a “country divided” and “leaders who misled about the facts.”

“The United States should never go to war because it wants to,” he said. “We should only go to war if we have to.”

With his remarks, Kerry cast a veil of doubt and suspicion on President Bush, questioning the motives for war. He also targeted the president's own integrity with several references to a need for honesty, even invoking a 44-year-old quote by former President John F. Kennedy from a Philadelphia visit.

"These are difficult and dangerous times, in which we have great opportunities and great challenges," Kerry said, recalling Kennedy's words. "The only way that I know that a free society can meet its responsibilities is for those who lead to speak the truth."

The comments were followed by his pledge to fight "a more effective war on terror."

But before the rally closed with fireworks and Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," Kerry placed November victory in the hands of the electorate.

“We’re not going to win this election talking to each other,” Kerry said. “We have to bring people back to the belief that voting can actually make change.”

“Every four years, each one of us grabs hold of democracy,” he said. “We need to reclaim our own democracy. We need to do what Jefferson did down the street. This is the most important election of our lifetime.”

“This election is more in your hands than ours,” Kerry said. “You have to turn these beliefs into voting issues. America’s best days are ahead. Let’s make it happen.”

Northwest movement

In Chestnut Hill, Democratic National Committee workers have been canvassing Germantown Avenue in recent weeks, soliciting passerby for contributions. Grassroots efforts are also visible, but small.

Though Northwest for Kerry, a grassroots get-out-the-vote group, opened its Mt. Airy headquarters in June, the organization has been slow to build momentum. With just eight regular volunteers, the group is running voter registration drives in selected areas throughout the Northwest (Market Square in Chestnut Hill, the Acme supermarket in Mt. Airy and the Northwest Regional Library in Germantown), said volunteer Brian R. Morgan, 48.

With such limited staff, the Northwest for Kerry field office at 7152 Germantown Ave., donated by local committeeman Ken Weinstein, is only open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Morgan said.

Morgan, like many, is a first-time campaign volunteer. Unemployed, Morgan said he lost his job last year when his company moved to New Jersey, then closed shop.

John O'Connell, Democratic 9th Ward Leader, said about 50 volunteers have already signed up to work all day on Election Day. Encouraged by the level of interest, O'Connell said a small group of volunteers, who he recently worked with on a voter registration run, has remained faithfully committed. "I've never seen a presidential campaign that has excited so many people under the age of 25," he said.

He expects a flurry of activity by mid-September when the Democratic National Committee could flood Pennsylvania with busloads of workers fighting to ensure a blue state in November.

"We won't be kicked into high gear until September," O'Connell said.

Also, O'Connell said there is a local movement to derail independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's position on the ballot. A group of local Democrats, including some who support Nader's causes, recently held training seminars, he said, showing volunteers how to scrutinize nominating petitions.

"I think it's going to be very close in Pennsylvania," O'Connell said. Even though Nader has only been polling around 2 percent, O'Connell said the independent candidate is more likely to siphon votes from Kerry than Bush.

House parties and fundraiser have also been playing an important role in this year's election.

Keely McCarthy, of Mt. Airy, said nearly $16,000 was raised for Kerry at a recent fundraiser she organized last month. Many of the attendees and contributors had never been to a political fundraiser, McCarthy said. "It brought new people into the process, and that's important because it helps people to feel that they are part of the campaign."

—Staff intern Ed Mahon contributed to this report.