It's as if while we weren't looking John Kerry stepped into the phone booth as Clark Kent and emerged as Superman. Yes, at least for one day anyway, Kerry, master of convoluted context, numbingly nuanced non-answers, and perpetually polysyllabic pentameters, has, voila! turned into a smash-and-slash, take-no-prisoners stump speaker.
A startled political press took note of the transformation in its coverage today. The Washington Post's Lois Romano described Kerry's speech to 800 union members gathered in Atlantic City as "passionate" and "populist."
Romano cited this portion of Kerry's remarks: "I'm running for president to put America back to work...I'm running for president because health care is not a benefit just for the wealthy or the elected or the connected...I'm running for president because I know that we could be a hell of a lot stronger in the world if we were to secure our freedom..."
Both the Boston Globe's Glen Johnson and the New York Times' Robin Toner sat upright for another part of Kerry's sizzling New Jersey speech:
"Our tax code has gone from 14 pages to 17,000 pages. Any of you get your own page? Enron's got its own page. Exxon's got its own page. Looks to me like Halliburton's got its own chapter."
Romano writes that the new Kerry is clearly intended to address critics in his party who find him aloof and elitist and to attract dissatisfied Republicans and swing voters seeking a reason to vote for him.
The press has yet to report who is responsible for the gloves-off, plain-speaking Kerry, last seen months ago in the early primaries. But whether this new message comes from the candidate himself, or from an unleashed speech writer, the boys and girls on the press bus should be grateful. Covering the candidate just got a lot easier -- and more interesting.
