Senator Kennedy's rhetoric rests on a simple argument. In New York past Thursday, the candidate spoke perhaps 10,000 words, but it all boils downs to this:

1. As the U.S. enters "the most difficult and turbulent and revolutionary times in its history, the next President must "set before the people the unfinished business of our society" even if it calls for sacrifice--and lead as Roosevelt did, to our "rendezvous with destiny."

2. "If our society is strong at home, we will be respected abroad" and thus serve as an inspiration to freedom all over the globe."

3. Domestic failings have sapped our strength, and yet the Republican leadership remains "frozen in the ice its own indifference," and the G.O.P. candidate claims that "we've over had it so good." Unemployment is high; half our steel capacity is unused. Nixon has fought against a minimum wage of $1.25 an hour, adequate periodical care for the aged, and aid for education.

4. As the government polls show, U.S. Prestige has declined, because we have "given an image of reaching middle age and beginning to fade."

5. Thus, the 1960 election is between those who wish to stand still" and close who believe "it is incumbent upon us as the chief example of freedom to build a strong and vital society."

Rough Riding

While the "New Frontier" is selection invoked as a slogan, the spirit of progress and adventure pervades Kennedy's rhetoric. Again and again in a single speech, the Senator draws applause with an appeal "to help us those this country forward again." Its choice of adjectives--"strong," "vital," "energetic," "vigorous"--would have delighted Theodore Roose veldt. The Rough Rider has reappeared, pale and wan, as the new frontier man. His bugle blast has faded into an earnest call for "a society with purpose, a society with strength."

In his months of presidential campaigning, Kennedy has perfected a set of rhetorical devices fully as clever as Nixon's. Most successful is his incessant portrayal of Republicans as a lot of fat, contented fellows sunk deep in club chairs, ignorant of the challenges we face, utterly unconcerned about social ills.

Caught between a defense of Eisenhower's record and his own vision of the future, Nixon has repeatedly urged that "a platform is not to stand on, but to build on." Ignoring this device, Kennedy, in a similarly fatuous construction, tells cheering crowds, "this country is great, but it can be greater"--as if Nixon thought the U.S. were soon on the decline.

Sneeringly, Kennedy links his opponent to economic failings and advises audiences that a vote for Mr. Nixon is a vote in favor of unemployment, slums, and overcrowded schools. "If you think that $1.25 an hour minimum wage is extreme, if you think that $50 a week is too much," he says, "then Mr. Nixon is your man."

Roosevelt References

Kennedy's campaign seeks strength in the myth of F.D.R. Never a speech goes by without a quote. "In 1986," John Kennedy says, "Franklin Roosevelt said. "Thus generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny'." And repeatedly the Senator speaks in Roosevelt's language--of "a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference," or of "setting before the American people the unfinished business of our society."

Using the 'secret' polls on U.S. prestige as an example, Kennedy hints that his opponent is hiding the truth. "I regard our obligation not to please you but to serve you," he says, "and in my judgment, in 1960, a candidate for the Presidency should be willing to give the truth to the people, and the truth is that what we are doing is not good enough."

But more impressive than a candidate's rhetoric is his style of campaigning. On the platform Kennedy is self-assured. He invariably begins with a request for "your support in this campaign," and always gets applause at the outset. Throughout his usually brief, fast-moving speeches, the audience pays close attention. When the Senator jokes, the crowd laughs, easily and spontaneously. When he asks for help to "move this country forward," the people cheer.