The 15,000 people who packed the Smith Fieldhouse certainly weren't put off by their liberal guest. One student said the anticipation made it seem like the crowd was waiting for a rock star.
At the start of his speech, Kennedy referred to BYU President Ernest L. Wilkinson, a stridently conservative Republican who once took a leave of absence to run as a GOP candidate himself.
"I had a very nice conversation with Dr. Wilkinson," Kennedy said, then paused for laughter. "And I promised him that all Democrats would be off the campus by sundown."
Similar self-deprecation probably would be well-received when U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks today at BYU, where an apparently welcoming, though probably smaller, audience is expected at a University Forum in the Marriott Center at 11 a.m.
That Reid is a Democrat and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presents a duality considered unusual at BYU and in Utah County, where most vote Republican and many associate the church's values with the Republican Party — despite numerous statements by the church that it is politically neutral and values both political parties.
There is irony, then, in the fact Reid is the first Mormon to lead his party in Congress and therefore is the highest-ranking Mormon in American political history.
That fact, and Reid's place in the tumult that surrounded Vice President Cheney's controversial visit to BYU six months ago, raised some expectations for fireworks prior to Reid's visit.
Reid's role as one of the Democratic Party's chief critics of the Bush administration is also considered polarizing by many at BYU and in Utah, where support for the president remains among the strongest in the nation.
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff furnished a good example of that in April, when he spoke at a rally supporting Cheney the day the vice president spoke at BYU's graduation. Reid had just declared that the United States was losing the war in Iraq. Shurtleff responded by dubbing Reid "Hezbollah Harry."
Reid has criticized Bush on other issues, as well. Last week, he used the word "heartless" to describe Bush's veto of a bill to increase funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
Reid also dove into a kerfuffle with conservative radio talk-show icon Rush Limbaugh last week, calling for his resignation.
But instead of anti-Reid protests, the build-up to Reid's BYU visit has been limited to classroom discussions, relatively tame letters to the editor in the Daily Universe and an opinion piece in Monday's student paper by noted political science professor David Magleby.
Several of the letters were from members of the BYU College Republicans or like-minded conservatives who said they would not protest Reid's visit. Why not? To prove they are better hosts than the College Democrats, whose protests of Cheney drew national attention and were historic for a campus where political activity is rare and usually buttoned-down.
Magleby, now the dean of the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences, noted that Reid is a convert to the LDS church and committed church member, and he urged civility: "Whether we do or do not agree with Sen. Reid on any particular policy matter, he deserves our respect and appreciation for his long career in public service."
BYU's board of trustees invited Reid months before Cheney's visit, university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said. Reid will not be awarded an honorary doctorate, as was Cheney, because the degrees are only presented at commencements.
No students requested protest permits, but there is a possibility anti-Reid signs could pop up in the Marriott Center. The flap over Limbaugh led a discussion group at www.freerepublic.com to whip up enthusiasm for sneaking signs into BYU.
The posts at the Web site revealed the depth of concern about Reid among some LDS. One called Reid a MINO, or Mormon in Name Only. "Rich in OC" wrote that "Reid is a notable Mormon. Of course, in his case, the second 'M' is silent."
Suggestions for signs included "BYU gave you a (microphone), let Limbaugh keep his."
Jenkins said BYU will maintain the standard level of security it uses at campus forums and devotionals. For Cheney's visit, the Secret Service required a search of every person in the capacity crowd of 22,000.
If someone brings a sign, "We will ask them to remove it," Jenkins said. "We would do the same for any devotional or forum speaker."
Signs or no signs, Reid could borrow from Bobby Kennedy, who turned to Wilkinson at the end of his speech 29 years ago and said, "Now, doctor, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
E-mail: twalch@desnews.com