Kerry Spreads His Populist Message

Belittling recent signs of economic growth as a “Bush-league recovery” and emphasizing a populist message, Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts on Monday offered several proposals to combat the transfer abroad of information technology jobs.

In a speech to supporters here, the Democratic presidential candidate continued his recent effort to portray himself as a crusader against special interests. He denounced “big oil, big pharmaceuticals and big HMOs,” and he accused President Bush of favoring “big corporations and K Street lobbyists.”

“I’m running for president because I believe the American people are calling 911 for help,” he said.

“I think the American people know the system is stacked against them.”

Kerry even unveiled a new campaign slogan -- a poster on the wall behind him described the candidate as “A fighter with results.” The language was reminiscent of the “Reformer with results” slogan that Bush used in 2000 after he lost the Republican New Hampshire primary to Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Repeatedly, Kerry argued that the economy was not working for average families, despite recent gains in the stock market and brisk growth in the gross national product.

Kerry insisted that the overall growth numbers were not translating into wage increases for most workers.

Along with his “Bush-league recovery” line, Kerry said America was experiencing a “special-interest recovery,” a “so-called recovery” and a “job-loss recovery.”

Kerry mostly reaffirmed his existing proposals to stimulate the economy and expand access to health care, while controlling health-care costs and eliminating tax incentives for companies that move jobs overseas.

The new initiatives he offered Monday targeted the trend of companies to shift information technology jobs abroad -- particularly those involving call centers that handle sales or technical questions from consumers.

Kerry said companies should be required to inform consumers if their calls are being handled by technicians in foreign countries, rather than in the United States.

“A quarter of a million call center jobs have now been sent overseas in the past three years,” he said. “I’m announcing that if you are doing business over the phone, people are going to have the right to know whether the companies ... are using American labor or sending the calls -- and jobs -- overseas.”

More striking than the proposals was the language Kerry used to describe them. Often considered a cool patrician before the campaign, Kerry continued his effort to redefine himself as a passionate populist. He denounced “Benedict Arnold” companies that shift jobs abroad and “crooked CEOs who call this White House home.”

Most of the leading Democratic contenders have adopted such populist language, reminiscent of Al Gore’s 2000 general election campaign theme of “the people vs. the powerful.”

Kerry and the others -- former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina -- are also turning away from the Clinton administration’s efforts to court business and instead are stressing anticorporate messages.