Dems 'Fight' With 'Strong' Words

CBSNews.com producer Jarrett Murphy reports from Boston.

An electronic banner ringing the FleetCenter constantly flashes the words "A Stronger America" or "The Real Deal" in military-style font. Signs passed out to the delegates in the hall echo that "stronger America" phrase. The in-house theme music also has a military feel — with lots of drumming and trumpets, it recalls the theme from "Patton" or "Bridge Over The River Kwai."

Even Kerry's entrance to Boston by boat, with those former crewmates aboard, reflecting one his favorite campaign lines: that "We may be a little older and a little grayer, but we still know how to fight for our country."

That word — "fight" — and its brother-in-arms "strength" have been among the most popular words from the podium in the convention's first three days.

John Edwards talked about his work "fighting for the kind of people I grew up with." Then he got elected senator and "fought those same fights against the Washington lobbyists."

"John (Kerry) understands personally about fighting in a war," he added later. Edwards also made a few references to strength, saying three times that he and Kerry will "make America stronger."

Edwards also liked to say that his running mate is a "man."

"When a man volunteers to serve his country … that's a man who represents real American values. This is a man who is prepared to keep the American people safe … John is a man who knows the difference between what is right and what is wrong."

Edwards' wife Elizabeth mentioned variations on the word "fight" no less than seven times, according to her prepared remarks.

Earlier Wednesday, Ret. Lt. Colonel Steve Brozak, a Marine who switched parties and is running for Congress in New Jersey as a Democrat, said he "will proudly follow John Kerry into battle."

Rev. Jesse Jackson said the men on the ticket "will fight for health care for all … will fight for our environment and civil rights."

"These are familiar fights," Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts said Tuesday night. "We have fought and won before."

Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn agreed: "We must fight like we've never fought before to put them in the White House."

Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey said Kerry will be a "strong voice" for Israel. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein called Kerry "a strong, new leader, prepared and ready to confront these challenges." New York Congressman Gregory Meeks said Kerry and Edwards "will make America stronger by reinvesting in minority communities."

"John Kerry and John Edwards will make America stronger at home and they'll restore our respect around the world," said Nevada Sen. Harry Reid.

"We can build that stronger America together," said former Sen. John Glenn.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer mentioned variations of "strong" five times, while his colleague from New Mexico Jeff Bingaman used it four times. Former Vice President Al Gore favored "fight." For former President Clinton, it was Fight 5, Strength 3.

"John Kerry has the strength to keep America strong," Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri said.

Certainly, not every speaker has used these words. Keynote speaker Barack Obama, for one, did not. Some speakers transcend the them: When Rev. Al Sharpton worked the crowd into a frenzy Wednesday night, the electronic banners switched from "A Stronger America" to "Shout!"

And this isn't the first convention where words like "fight" and "strength" were used generously. One difference this year is reflected by the massive security net that surrounds the FleetCenter: military police officers patrolling elevated railway tracks, Secret Service officers in flak jackets at gates and trucks weighed down with tons of sand blocking the roadways.

In that changed atmosphere, Democrats have said they intend to seize the issue of national security from the GOP — or at least neutralize it.

Democrats also seem to be countering the impression that they are, in California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's phrase, "Girly men." The presumptive vice presidential nominee, Edwards, seems to have led the charge Wednesday night, says Richard Goldstein, a cultural critic who writes for the Village Voice.

"Republicans have made fun of his masculinity," Goldstein said of Edwards, noting Matt Drudge's lampooning of the Edwards and Kerry embrace. "Republican campaigns are all run by advertising executives. They know all about subliminal messages."

"When Democratic men emerge, they're portrayed as too feminine," Goldstein said. "That's the Democratic strategy and it's a real strategy. The Democrats are trying to counter that."

The Dems' repeated use of "fight" and "strong" is not surprising in that context. And evidence suggests it is effective. The 1979 Army field manual on psychological operations says the technique of repeating "an idea or position" is extremely valid and useful because the human being is basically a creature of habit and develops skills and values by repetition."

Some in the audience Wednesday said they were getting the message.

"You know I can't remember what exactly the line was," said Terese Yewell of Washington, D.C., when asked what she liked about Edwards' speech, "but he was making a reference to Kerry, the fact that he had volunteered for Vietnam and that that kind of patriotism and commitment is something that the country needed now."

By Jarrett Murphy