Written by the campaign’s chief writer, Michael Gerson, the speech has been through at least 15 drafts, with Bush weighing in throughout the process. The final result, a senior campaign advisor told Newsweek, will introduce Bush the candidate–and the person–to voters.
In the 30-minute speech, Bush will lay out the tenets of his “compassionate conservatism,” touching briefly on policy issues including education, Social Security, Medicare and taxes. The Bush camp had issued a flurry of policy proposals on those topics and others as the primary election season wound down. Bush’s acceptance of the GOP nomination will steer clear of wonkish specifics about those proposals. Instead, the speech will focus on the Bush team’s broader themes in hopes of capturing the attention of voters just now tuning into the campaign.
That tack, offering a more personal look at the candidate, mirrors the Bush camp’s approach to the convention as a whole. Bush has made brief appearances via satellite each convention night so far, trying to give prime-time audiences glimpses of his personality and values. And before his acceptance Thursday night, the campaign has scheduled a filmed tribute that will play up the candidate’s biography and introduce him as the Man from Midland–a charismatic, down-home son of Texas.
That friendly, from-the-heart motif carries some risks. Following well-received speeches this week by his wife Laura, retired Gen. Colin Powell and Sen. John McCain, Bush will be expected to wow a worked-up convention crowd. And he will still need to balance any wholesome appeal with real substance, enough to overcome criticisms and convince voters he isn’t just a frat boy from Midland. Heavy on heart, light on policy, may work with convention delegates, but will it carry Bush through November?
