He wasn't throwing them any red meat. He was trying like heck to sound like a Republican.
I can't wait to see what Newt Gingrich is going to say about this speech.
My impression is John F*ckin' sucked. The speech was too long, it lacked a theme and he never told us how his Administration would be different from that of President Bush. It was long on generalities, dwelled on anecdotes, short on humor, and sound me-too Republican. Apparently Kerry wants to frame the election as contest between a real Republican and a Republican Lite. Which means he will lose. The simple rule is if people are given a choice between the genuine article and the pretend one, they will choose the genuine one every time. Its human nature. What I'm most struck by is that Kerry is a liberal and could not find it in himself to tell a national audience, "I'm a liberal and proud of it." He did not once mention either the "L" word or the "P" word for that matter this evening. And he wants the election to be about big ideas. Yeah, he'll win over people by thinking if he pretends to be a Republican, their hearts will melt for him. What I think killed this speech is its utter lack of honest, heartfelt sincerity. It was all about telling the American people what he thinks they wanted to hear. And that my friends, is his downfall: Kerry will NEVER be a leader.