stump speech

noun

Etymology: From a bucolic image of a politician touring little settlements with his boilerplate speech which he delivers standing atop the stump of a chopped-down tree.

1. A standard speech by a politician running for office.

   “A week ago, two or three events a day was the norm for each candidate. They have shortened their stump speeches and are spending less time greeting supporters.”

   ““You're hungry and you want a burrito,” [Jeff] Jarvis exclaimed during one of his frequent stump speeches.”