Kerry's task: clarify his message

Moreover, even now, many Democrats proudly wear "Anybody But Bush" pins, a sign of intensity within the party, but in some ways marginalizing their own nominee.

Critics say that since Kerry effectively clinched his party's nomination in March, he's done little to move his message beyond an "I'm not Bush" theme. "Most candidates get specific and have a message at a much earlier stage in the cycle," says William Mayer, a political scientist at Northeastern University in Boston.

Professor Mayer contrasts Kerry unfavorably with Clinton, who, he says, had a "very clear" message at this stage in the race, based on his economic plan (although, Mayer adds, the economy was significantly worse in 1992, thereby giving Clinton a better platform for his argument).

Still, the basic threads of Kerry's message are clear: The Massachusetts senator is presenting himself as someone who's been tested in a war he didn't support, who came in contact with - and led - a cross-section of Americans during that experience, and is now prepared to unite the country in a time of terrorism.

He is also focusing specifically on the middle-class economic "squeeze" - a component that has become even more central since his selection of Sen. John Edwards as his running mate. Lately, Kerry has been incorporating certain elements of Senator Edwards's primary campaign message about "Two Americas," one rich, one poor, into his own speeches.

Surrogates are working hard to reinforce those themes by echoing the same phrases, calling Kerry "a proven, tested leader" with "a lifetime of service and strength."

"He'll close the deal at this convention by being positive, by showing his vision for the country, and by showing the American people he's a proven, tested leader - strong at home, respected abroad," said Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, the convention chair, at a Monitor breakfast.

But the challenge, observers say, is to turn these catchphrases into something meaningful to voters. And the best way to achieve that is by linking the themes to the candidate's biography. While Edwards can talk about growing up in a North Carolina mill town, as a way to bring the economic argument to life, Kerry is likely to focus on his service in Vietnam to impress an image of him as a strong leader.

"It's easier for people to identify with stories than with slogans," says Bruce Reed, president of the Democratic Leadership Council. "That's one of the reasons why the convention is such an important time - because people get to take the measure of these men and see their character and what their lives add up to. It dramatizes what they stand for in a way that a political slogan couldn't do on its own."

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