Presidential hopeful Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., displayed his humorous side to 350 students in the Kirkland Junior Common Room last night, quipping that the nine-member field of Democratic presidential candidates has been a boon to the nation’s employment rate.

“These are the only nine jobs that George W. Bush has created,” Kerry quipped to a round of laughter.

Kerry’s briefly spoke at Kirkland, in an event co-sponsored by the House and by the Harvard College Democrats, before his appearance on “Hardball: The Battle for The White House.” The MSNBC show is broadcasting live Monday nights from the John F. Kennedy, Jr. Forum (see related story, front page).

As Kerry arrived, the crowd waiting for him kept the senator from his usual walking pace, confining him to mini-steps.

He arrived with a gaggle of Harvard Students For Kerry, many of whom had followed him up to New Hampshire to canvass two weeks ago, and focussed on one of the campaign’s dominant issues.

“When you leave Harvard you will be among the most privileged in the country,” said Kerry, himself a Yale alum whose brother, father and daughter all attended Harvard. “But you still won’t have an easy time finding jobs.”

In his attacks on the Bush administration, Kerry specifically alluded to the famous inaugural words of John F. Kennedy ’40, who instructed Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you.”

“All this administration asks people to do other than shopping after September 11 and joining in the war on terror is to ask them to join in a tax cut,” Kerry said.

Drawing an uncharacteristically personal connection, Kerry highlighted his commitment to healthcare reform.

“I was diagnosed with prostate cancer nine months ago,” he said, telling the crowd about his fast, high-quality treatment. “Every person’s healthcare is as important as a Congressman’s.”

Kerry peppered his speech with lines about the recently-ended Red Sox season. His speech approached the realm of poor taste when he joked that Bill Buckner—the famed first baseman whose error lost the 1986 World Series for the Red Sox when a ball passed between his legs—tried to kill himself by laying on train tracks, only to have the locomotive pass between his legs.

Kennedy quotations and sports jokes aside, Kerry’s Kirkland conversation strongly attacked the Bush administration for a “lack of leadership,” even calling Bush a thief.

“While he steals from the Children’s Defense Fund, Bush refuses to fund [social programs] because he wants to give the tax cut,” Kerry said.

College Dems President Gerard McGeary ’04 said that this week’s event “compares favorably” to last week’s visit to Kirkland by Senator John Edwards.

This crowd was much larger, “but that’s to be expected with a Massachusetts candidate, ” he said.

Russell M. Anello ’04, a Democratic voter, said he remains undecided about which candidate would win his vote.

“[I want to] check out Kerry, see what he’s like in person... [The] media attention hasn’t been impressive,” said Anello. “He needs use his charm and smile a lot.”

Unlike Edwards, Kerry did not appear with his wife, but he did bring his daughter Vanessa, who is studying at Harvard Medical School.

She plans to take off four months to work on the campaign, but has no plans to work in any possible Kerry White House and will return to medicine.

—Staff writer Jonathan P. Abel can be reached at abel@fas.harvard.edu.