"They misunderestimated me." -George Bush, November 6th, 2000
Kerry is wooden, stiff, and cannot connect with the American people. Kerry is wooden, stiff, and cannot connect with the American people. Kerry is..."Reporting for duty!"
Kerry used what Bush termed "the soft bigotry of low expectations." Because everyone thought he was going to do a pathetic, dull speech, he gets up and gives a good speech and everyone sees him as William Shakespeare.
However, there's a danger. During 2000, the "Bush is dumb" meme became so much part of the mainstream that Bush reached the point where if he didn't drool on the podium, he'd be seen as winning. Bush is clearly not Churchill, but he isn't as stupid as we like to think. Kerry may have set himself up in a situation where if he doesn't ream Bush in the debates he'll be seen as the loser, and the SCLM will try to point that out at every chance possible. Maybe Kerry's speech last night was too good?