"Let America Be America Again" Says John Kerry

[Spin Police]

Kerry Settles On Campaign Theme, 'Let America Be America Again'
Thu May 20 2004 09:41:50 ET

While continued violence in Iraq and economic worries at home have sapped public confidence and hurt approval ratings for President Bush, worried Democrats have complained that their nominee-in-waiting has been too slow to project a clear message and establish himself as a strong alternativem the WALL STREET JOURNAL repots on Thursday.

But John Kerry's three-day Western swing this week could prove a turning point.

At a time of national self-doubt, the Massachusetts senator hopes to project an image of reassuring strength that melds 'can-do' American optimism with a call for a return to the sense of community." Kerry said, "Talking about 'Let America be America again' is tapping into that value system that people think makes this country strong. What is it that makes us strong, and what do we have to do to get that back, to let America be America? Strength means people being able to do better in their jobs. Strength means having the courage to stand up to special interests that steal the agenda here in Washington. Strength is fighting to have health coverage for children." The Journal adds, "The line comes from the title of a Langston Hughes poem. Mr. Kerry first wrapped it into an appearance on Monday in heavily Republican Kansas with civil-rights leaders, where he commemorated the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education court ruling. He then took the words and made them more distinctly his own."

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