Democrats rally to their man

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry returned from a nearly weeklong vacation yesterday to collect the endorsement of one-time rival Howard Dean and have the torch passed from former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, the last two Democrats to win the White House.

On what party Chairman Terry McAuliffe dubbed “Unity Day,” the Massachusetts senator attended an $11 million party fund-raising dinner with the former presidents and most of his erstwhile opponents for the Democratic nomination, was endorsed by the United Auto Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The same day, he returned to the Senate to vote against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which attaches criminal charges to harming or killing a fetus, independent of crimes to its mother.

Mr. Kerry secured the nomination 10 days ago with a win in the Illinois primary, then began a vacation in Idaho last Thursday.

But the presidential playing field looks very different than just a week ago. President Bush has released a slew of TV advertisements in key states, as well as advertising on national cable channels, and has closed the gap in polls, with the two men now running about even.

At the Unity Dinner last night, Mr. Kerry promised to fight back.

“This year, our opponents don’t have a record to run on, but only a record to run from. So they’ve turned to the old, negative politics. I pledge to you with all of my passion, with all of my soul and heart: We’re going to fight back and we’re going to win in the right way, that lifts our country up instead of driving our politics down to the lowest common denominator,” he said.

Mr. Kerry also employed humor, just as Mr. Bush did earlier this month in unofficially kicking off his campaign and saying Mr. Kerry “has been in Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue.”

The Democrat poked fun at Mr. Bush’s economic record.

“I want to start by saying something nice about President Bush. Of all the presidents we’ve had with the last name of Bush, his economic plan ranks in the top two,” Mr. Kerry said.

The Democratic Party appears united going into this year’s election, though opposition to Mr. Bush seems a greater motivator than enthusiasm for Mr. Kerry.

That was clear at last night’s dinner, held at the National Building Museum.

“They drove us into each other’s arms,” former Texas Gov. Ann Richards said. “We are so united that, before their wives got wind of it, Joe Lieberman and Al Sharpton were on their way to San Francisco to get a marriage license.”

Not far from Democrats’thoughts was the possibility that independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader could ruin that unity.

Mr. Carter said that when he was president, Mr. Nader used to give him advice. Last night, he said he wanted to return the favor: “I don’t want you to cost the White House for the Democrats this year, like you did four years ago.”

For his part, Mr. Clinton went after the Bush administration, saying it had turned the good will following the September 11 attacks into “a ruthless attempt to concentrate power and wealth.”

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