Who Should Give the Keynote Address?

by: tremayne

Thu Jul 31, 2008 at 12:23


With television coverage of the political conventions being reduced with seemingly every passing Presidential election, there are only a few events on the convention schedule that will get noticed. There are the speeches by Barack Obama, his choice for VP, maybe Hillary Clinton's speech as well as the keynote address.

On a list of the greatest political speeches of the 20th century, keynote addresses (and other convention speeches) figure prominantly. Barbara Jordan's keynote at the 1976 convention is rated 5th overall behind only speeches by MLK, JFK, FDR and FDR again. Also high on the list is Mario Cuomo's 1984 keynote.

So, who should do it this year? I'll break it down on the jump. 

Update from comments: Is Hillary the Keynote or is this headline just wrong. I think the headline is wrong, she's a speaker but not the keynoter.

tremayne :: Who Should Give the Keynote Address?

Here are the keynoters from the last 8 Democratic National Conventions:

1976: Barbara Jordan

1980: Morris Udall (Ted Kennedy)

1984: Mario Cuomo (Jesse Jackson)

1988: Ann Richards (Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson)

1992: Barbara Jordan

1996: Evan Bayh

2000: Harold Ford

2004: Barack Obama

In parentheses I've included the names of people who didn't give the keynote address but gave notable speeches that are often mis-remembered as being the keynotes.

So, two typical types emerge. One is the "up and comer." People such as Evan Bayh in 1996 (although he's been around a suprisingly long time), Harold Ford, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in 1988 (although he was not the keynoter). Then there are the "great speakers." Obviously this category can overlap with the first but these are people who may not be running for President in the future but are sure to fire up the crowd. Barbara Jordan in 1992 falls into this group as well as Cuomo (who kept saying he wouldn't run and didn't) and perhaps Jordan in 1976 (although she was touted for VP back then).

Jordan in 1992 proves the keynoter doesn't have to be a fresh face and may have even filled the role previously.

So, should the keynoter be a fresh face this year or, since Barack Obama is such a young Presidential candidate (like Clinton in 1992) will he turn to a more seasoned orator? Do you think he'll do something like Bush in 2004 (remember Zell Miller?) and reach outside his own party to someone like Colin Powell or Chuck Hagel? I'm not advocating here but considering the possibilities. If he goes with a fresh face Democrat and someone who can give a rousing speech, who might that be?

 

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Who Should Give the Keynote Address? | 40 comments
Teddy Kennedy (4.00 / 10)
No question.  Passing of the baton from the Kennedy generation to the new generation of leadership that will put an end to almost 30 years of conservative dominance.  Also, a fitting tribute to a man who never stopped fighting for working and middle class Americans.  
Fired up (0.00 / 0)
If you want to talk about a great speaker who fired up the crowd, you have to give Gov. Ann Richards her due:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

http://www.americanrhetoric.co...

I'd go with someone from the Mountain West.  Why not Brian Schweitzer?  

Or if Obama picks Kaine for his VP, the keynoter needs to be a woman, perhaps Napolitano or McCaskill?

Schweitzer would be the best by far (4.00 / 4)
1. He wins in the west, rebuilt the MDP

2. Strong speaker (I once saw him run circles around Edwards)

3. Unlike Bayh and Ford, this would signify the party looking forward instead of cowering to the right

4. It would position him even more as a top surrogate for the Mountain time zone

5. Republicans are scared of him, for good reason

On twitter: @BobBrigham

[ Parent ]
Strategery (0.00 / 0)
I think a West-of-the-Mississippi, East-of-the-Pacific-Coast choice would be the most strategic use of the keynote address.

Mark Begich was mentioned, but I think Stevens still has a great shot to beat a divided primary field and then lose to Begich.  Not many post-indictment polls in Alaska will happen before the selection of a keynote speaker, but Begich seems to have a good hold on his race, and momentum in that race would be a (the?) primary reason to select him as the keynote speaker.

Brian Schweitzer would be an excellent pick for his pithiness and his ability to connect with the self-reliant Mountain West.  Because a good case has already been made for him, though, I'll throw out a few other Western possibilities:

- Sen. Tim Johnson of SD is technically up for reelection and could reestablish the clout of the SD Democratic Party after the Clash of the Titans that saw Thune beat Daschle.

- Sen. Ken Salazar of CO is a local boy done good, a dark horse VP candidate with a deep family history in the Southwest.

- Gov. Kathleen Sebelius could do a good job and has in the past, but I don't think either she or Gov. Richardson will be chosen.

- I think it will be Sen. Ted Kennedy, partially out of torch-passing and partially because he's already proven he can deliver a great Convention speech.  Why gamble in this cycle?

[ Parent ]
check Rasmussen today (4.00 / 1)
New Alaska poll already shows Begich widening lead.
[ Parent ]
already announced (4.00 / 1)
it's going to be Hillary.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new...

"A top Obama aide told party leaders in a conference call last night that Clinton has accepted the offer to be the featured prime-time Tuesday night speaker, a high-profile slot that some of Clinton's own people have floated in recent days."

I don't know why this has been so under-reported, unless the story is wrong.

she is speaking (0.00 / 0)
but I think that headline is wrong. I don't think it's the "keynote" speech.
[ Parent ]
i hope so (0.00 / 0)
that would be sort of anti-climactic.
[ Parent ]
The report I heard (forget where) made the point that her speech was not the keynote (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
It's still an open question .. (0.00 / 0)
the report said she is supposed to speak on what normally is keynote night .. but it didn't say she would actually be the keynote speaker
[ Parent ]
Have the keynote on the first night (0.00 / 0)
Hillary wouldn't want to be upstaged, so perhaps the keynote should be on the first night. Have Bill and Hillary speak on the second night.

My preferred rundown:

Monday:
Gore & Keynote (Schweitzer or Mark Warner)

Tues:
Bill & Hill

Wed.:
VP

Thurs.
Michelle & Barack

[ Parent ]
If they go for a candidate pick (0.00 / 0)
Begich is probably the best candidate running this time to promote. He's young, running against a corrupt incumbent, from a red state and reasonably progressive.

If they want to promote someone's national profile, then Brian Schweitzer and Tim Ryan can both give good speeches.

For a unity theme Kennedy and Hillary would be the best picks. Clinton and Ryan would both also work in an attack dog role.

Forgotten Countries - a foreign policy-focused blog

if not Schweitzer, Ryan (0.00 / 0)
I'd prefer to focus on the west positively (why Denver was chosen in the first place), but there is a part of me that would love to see it handed to Ryan with instructions to stomp.  

On twitter: @BobBrigham
[ Parent ]
I like Ryan (0.00 / 0)
Here's why--his speech against the "surge" in February '07:

He will not yield. That should be every true Democrat's motto.

Come to think of it, he'd make a great VP, and would help with Ohio.

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

[ Parent ]
He's absolutely against abortion (4.00 / 1)
If he flip-flopped on that, I'd agree with you, but otherwise that makes him toxic to any ticket.

Forgotten Countries - a foreign policy-focused blog
[ Parent ]
Oops, never mind (0.00 / 0)
He's also openly for earmarks, which is actually a red herring issue compared the things that are far more responsible for the deficit and runaway spending, but which plays poorly politically right now.

Ech, I don't get these anti-choice middle America Dems. That New Yorker poster is so true sometimes. Still stuck in the white bread 50's.

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

[ Parent ]
My thoughts exactly (4.00 / 2)
Sooner or later, somebody is going to have to call John McCain a doddering old fuckwit with even less decency than sense, and if Obama won't do it then I suspect Ryan would be happy to take his place.

Forgotten Countries - a foreign policy-focused blog
[ Parent ]
How about Mark Warner? (0.00 / 0)
He is definitely an up-and-coming Democrat. I could see him as the nominee in eight years.  He's also as close to a lock on his race as we've got, with the added bonus that he is from Virginia.

I'd pick Warner if he has speech-making chops. Otherwise Schweitzer.

[ Parent ]
Andrew Rice (4.00 / 3)
he's young, progressive in a red state, fits into the Obama mold, can connect with red and blue america, can put a focus on the environment. Also, having lost his brother on 9/11 and his personal reaction to that is interesting. And, yes, I do believe he's competetive against Coburn.

My Silver State - Nevada's Progressive Community Blog
Or at least giving him the Keynote might MAKE him (0.00 / 0)
competitive in that race. If Obama could pick up another vote in the Senate (and get rid of perhaps the worst Senator of all) that would be a much better use for the Keynote than giving it to someone who's going to win anyway.

Used well, the Keynote address can really raise a politician's profile. So let's use it well, whether it's for Rice or someone else for whom it could make a real difference.

Of course, whoever it is has to actually be a good speaker!

[ Parent ]
Al Franken ?? (4.00 / 2)
We know he can be funny.  I expect he also has the talent to be uplifting and inspirational.   He would, most likely, increase the television ratings.  

He is in a competitive race and this could be the boost that he needs in MN.  

Franken Could Be REALLY Great (4.00 / 1)
He's already well-known outside the candidate framework, he's very comfortable in the spotlight, and it would just drive the rightwingers nuts.

Best case scenario--he delivers an incredible speech, and the GOP's talking points consist of (1) But, he's Al Franken! (2) But, he's Al Franken! (3) But, he's Al Franken!

Or, you know, Franken and Garrison Keillor could just do a 30-minute duet.  That would work, too.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Garrison Keillor (0.00 / 0)
I really like Garrison Keillor.     He has that "down home" common sense that just about anyone can relate to.   I don't see him as a keynote speaker because I don't see him as a high energy person.    On the other hand, it would be great to get him on the platform for a speech at some semi-prominent time during the convention.    


[ Parent ]
Decisions, decisions... (4.00 / 1)
Senator Ted Kennedy would be a sentimental choice.

Senator Tim Johnson wouldn't leave a dry eye in the house.

Bill Clinton might be a wise political choice and a nice gesture.  And the guy can still turn it on.

Geraldine Ferraro would make things interesting, and it would allow her to regain some dignity that was lost in the heated primaries.  It would also be a kind gesture from Obama.

Ferraro??? (0.00 / 0)
I'm sorry, but just letting her speak at all would be a very kind gesture. But giving her keynote, over much more deserving people like Schweitzer, Mark Warner, Begich, Kay Hagan?

No frackin' way. From what I've heard, Ferraro hasn't even endorsed Obama yet.

[ Parent ]
Ferraro? (0.00 / 0)
Yeah, we need a has-been loser racist as the keynote for the first Black nominee?

I hope you're joking as she is done in Democratic politics. May she roast in hell

On twitter: @BobBrigham

[ Parent ]
I wouldn't mind seeing Noriega give it. (4.00 / 1)
He's a pretty good speaker from what I've seen and he's one of our better candidates.  He's in a tough race where the odds are against him, but the key note address could inspire his fundraising and put the race into contention.  Still, that may just be wishful thinking.

Check out Blue Arkansas:
http://bluearkansas.blogspot.com/
Let's think about what we know about the convention (4.00 / 2)
so far.

Obama is going to speak the last night in front of a huge crowd on the anniversary of "I have a dream". Hillary and a bunch of female Democrats will speak on the anniversary of the 19th amendment. We also know that they will push a massive three date voter registration drive that will happen Sep 1-3. Obama is clearly going for a historical convention and a convention that uses the same themes that his 04 speech did, unity, diversity, patriotism, optimism, history.

Let's think about what fits into that.

-A Kennedy: A history pick. Also reinforces patriotism and optimism. Ted if his health permits, otherwise Caroline Kennedy.

-A Obamacan: A unity pick. Hagel, Powell, Susan Eisenhower are possible picks. Also stresses patriotism, optimism and history.  

-Red state leader: A unity pick. A up and coming leader of the Democratic Party from a red state. Possibly a Senate candidate. Scott Kleeb comes to mind. Maybe Mark Warner, Andrew Rice, Rick Noriega, Gabby Giffords or Tim Ryan.

-A American Dream: Pick someone with a super compelling story, preferably a minority. A diversity, patriotism, and optimism pick. Don't know if such a candidate exists.

-A American Pick: Pick a military hero. Patrick Murphy? Max Cleland? The patriotism pick.

Out of those my shortlist would be

-Scott Kleeb
-Patrick Murphy
-Susan Eisenhower
-Caroline Kennedy
-Ted Kennedy

All would be fantastic picks, IMO. No real order.

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power

American Dream (0.00 / 0)
Dennis Shulman's probably got the most compelling story out of those running this cycle. Failing that, Ashwin Madia or Tom Perrielo might be viable picks. That said, I doubt they have the pull to even be considered for this. Maybe Cory Booker?

Forgotten Countries - a foreign policy-focused blog
[ Parent ]
About Corey Booker (0.00 / 0)
Mayor Booker is a great speaker (in the clips I've seen over my intertubes), but I think the keynote address ought to come from either someone who holds statewide office or someone who has a darn good shot at winning a statewide office this cycle.  (The possible exception would be someone who has a major power base that s/he doesn't want to leave and that s/he could keep and use indefinitely, like Mayor Daley or Rep. Rangel.)

For the same reason I think Tim Ryan would not be the optimal choice this year.  He and Booker clearly have futures and might run statewide in only a few years.  (Voinovich's Senate seat seems to have Ryan's name on it. New Jersey seems trickier because it's a more firmly Democratic state and requires behind-the-scenes work, but it's still feasible.)

I guess I chalk this up to the fact that I'm Memphis-bred and watched Harold Ford Jr. give that speech in 2000 (at age 17).  I was proud that my Representative was giving the keynote, but in hindsight I don't think that was the right choice for a plethora of reasons, not least of which is that (as Obama has shown and Cuomo never consumated) the keynote address can really establish someone as a national player.  It should be used, among other ways, strategically.

[ Parent ]
The strategic pick (0.00 / 0)
I'm sure Steve Hildebrand and Paul Tewes are pushing that hard.

Scott Kleeb and Patrick Murphy come to mind. Maybe Booker, maybe Ryan, maybe Gabby Giffords, maybe Judy Baker (candidate for Congress in MO).  

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power

[ Parent ]
Looking at the previous Key Address speakers. (4.00 / 1)
In 1996- Bayh was completing his final term as Governor of Indiana- He left office with an 80% approval rating- He was basically the Mark Warner of the 1990's. He was a potential candidate for Al Gore's VP runningmate in 2000. In 1998- He ran for the US Senate Seat- held by Conservative Republican Dan Coats- The Seat his father once held until 1980 when lost to Dan Quayle.
In 2000- Harold Ford Jr. was a 30 year old Congressman from Memphis TN. He was a potential candidate for the US Senate- He ran in 2006 when Bill Frist retired.
In 2004- Barack Obama was the 2004 Democratic Nominee for the IL Senate Race- Obama was a shoe  in for the Illinios Senate Seat- He also was a rising star.

He should pick Mark Warner of Virginia- Warner is a former popular Governor of a red battleground state- He is a shoe in for the US Senate and he is a future candidate for National Office- 2012 if McCain wins or 2016 if Obama wins.

The Obama-Kaine sounds like Obama-McCain
The Obama-Bayh- sounds like the N'Sync song.

[ Parent ]
He's also a dull speaker (0.00 / 0)
If we're going to pick a rising star how about a red state Democrat in his early thirties again, but this time. How about Scott Kleeb? He's a very solid candidate who's raising lots of money but behind by about 15 points now. A convention speech would get him HUGE amounts of exposure and money and make it a top tier race. That would make 12 for us.  

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power
[ Parent ]
That's a good idea (0.00 / 0)
I'm not sure if he's a high profile enough candidate to get the nod but he'd be a great pick if he got it.

Madia would fit into the Patrick Murphy category.  Booker would also be fantastic.

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power

[ Parent ]
Like Humphrey in 1948 (0.00 / 0)
I think the last ground-breaking keynote was that of Hubert Horatio Humphrey in 1948, when he pulled the Democratic Party towards Civil Rights.

The best keynote speech for 2008 would be one which breaks new ground in the same way, perhaps in a "Progressive and Proud" mold.

How's Russ Feingold's speaking skills? Gawd, I wish Paul Wellstone were still with us, he'd be great at it.

Pretty darn boring (0.00 / 0)
Russ is a great guy and a progressive but he isn't the greatest speaker.

I don't really know what part of the Democratic Party needs challenging as it did in 48. Perhaps Sherrod Brown could push the party away from it's neoliberal leanings?

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power

[ Parent ]
A few more... (0.00 / 0)
Elizabeth Edwards
Tammy Duckworth
Bill Richardson
Rachel Maddow
Darcy Burner  
1976 (0.00 / 0)
There were actually 2 Keynotes speeches in 1976 - Jordan and John Glenn.

DemConWatch
How could anyone forget a speech by John Glenn zzzzzzzzzzz (0.00 / 0)
An understandable oversight! ;D
[ Parent ]
How about... (0.00 / 0)
Rush Holt?  There have been a lot of good comments here about his suitability for VP--but apparently that is unlikely (?).  Why not keynote?

If Denver Mayor Hickenlooper is a good speaker, that would be a good choice, IMO.  He's done a lot of good things in Denver.  He should also be Obama's Secty of Transportation.

Who Should Give the Keynote Address? | 40 comments
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