Blunt and Influential, Kerry's Wife is an X Factor

[kskiska]

ATLANTA, Feb. 21 — In December 2002, when Teresa Heinz Kerry's husband, Senator John Kerry, came home from his physical boasting about his low cholesterol, she stared at his screening results for prostate cancer and saw trouble where he had not.

"He didn't know anything," she recalled. "He knew zero, zilch."

But Ms. Heinz Kerry, a physician's daughter who peruses medical journals and toxicology articles and is intrigued by alternative medicine and Eastern philosophy, knew enough to have her husband's blood retested for C-reactive protein, a little-known indicator of potentially cancerous inflammation. Two days before Christmas, his doctor told Mr. Kerry that his wife's fears were well placed; he was in the very early stages of prostate cancer.

Ms. Heinz Kerry may well have saved her husband's life. Yet the episode underscores how, politically, she may be both an asset and a liability for the senator. While she is known as a highly intelligent and devoted spouse who looks after her husband, Ms. Heinz Kerry has a reputation as being offbeat if not a little odd, and even some Democratic strategists say that could complicate the Kerry campaign's efforts to make the Kerrys appealing to voters.

On the campaign trail, she speaks in jarringly frank terms about dealing with grief and loss; she talks openly about distinctly un-Western modes of healing, which can leave her audiences as mystified as they are impressed.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/22/politics/campaign/22HEIN.html?ei=5065&en=4817b7dbe4433c21&ex=1078030800&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print&position=

[Malva Zebrina]

1. there seems to be two types of wealthy people who feel

"entitled" and confident. Theresa , so extremely wealthy , has nothing to fear from the allegations that she is a little whacky or a "libality" for seeking her own path--and she indeed has enoughn wealth to do so without the slightest bit of criticism hurled her way.
That is the confidence wealth brings, and then

There is Laura, the manufactured.



If any woman was a liability on this country is the manufactured, quite shallow and dumb, botoxed, eye lifted, Laura the librarian, Bush. Yet we see all sort of puff pieces about this stupid, dull, do nothing, unthinking, woman praising her ability to go off, on our money , all over the Us, to schools that are predominantly black or hispanic, according to the photo ops, to tell these little, "less than" kids to read!! Duh!

[Cocoa]

2. are there any serious news stories about Laura?

all I've seen are ridiculous puff pieces, most recently a completely worthless one by Terry Moran of ABC.

I've never seen a single story that goes anywhere near in depth and critical as this one on Teresa.

[NJCher]

4. in all fairness

What could they go into depth about?

There are two reasons there aren't any articles about Laura. One is that there isn't anything complex or interesting to write about. The second is that they keep her uncontroversial because that is the way republicans expect wives to behave.


Cher

[calimary]

7. Their wives are expected to be seen and not heard.

Sorry, not something I can relate to. Theresa Heinz Kerry seems much more like a woman I "get." She speaks to me as Hillary Clinton did. Also, as Betty Ford did. Women who have something to say, "in their own write" (as John Lennon would put it).

[dfong63]

10. you're kidding, right?

What could they go into depth about?

There are two reasons there aren't any articles about Laura. One is that there isn't anything complex or interesting to write about.

you can bet your bippy there are interesting things that could be written about Pickles... although they just might not be entirely favorable.

has the full story ever been told about her vehicular homicide, or her overcoming alcoholism, her views on abortion? those are just for starters.

[NJCher]

11. nowhere to go

I thought about those items but I rejected them as interesting areas to explore in terms of character. Think about it--she had a car accident, she killed her boyfriend, then what? I didn't know about the alcoholism but the abortion viewpoint might be an interesting avenue if one could get her to talk about it, which would be impossible because they'd put the clamps on her.

Just not much there.


Cher

[The Zanti Regent]

16. The Whore Press covers up Laura the Murderer.

and lies about Teresa.

Teresa never killed anyone to get where she is.

Laura Bush DID!

[patricia92243]

3. Is the first Mrs. Kerry around? Is she likely to bad-mouth her ex?

[mobuto]

9. Yes she's around

Julia Kerry gets along well with her ex-husband, and said she supports him. She had severe emotional problems and depression and says that her husband was blameless in the breakup of the marriage. Her brother is John Kerry's best friend and remains his closest adviser.

[Crachet2004]

5. Teresa is an asset, I think...

I am not sure, but I don't think she was born extremely wealthy...her father was a Portugese Doctor in Africa, or some such?

Anyhow, her dead ex was one of the several democrats who have died while flying-in his case, a helicopter...funny how no republicans seem to have any trouble this way. Hard to tell what thoughts this caused to go through her head.

The GOP may try to make her an issue, but it would be a mistake on their part I think. But they seem pretty prone to mistakes here lately, so who knows? I think she looks hot, in a mature sort of way. I think she is way too high class to get pulled down by junkyard dogs like Rove&co.

[Neecy]

6. actually...

John Heinz was a Republican, albeit a moderate one.

[seasat]

8. I love Theresa's statement on Shrub

MATTHEWS: I'm out of time here. I have to do one tough question.
Do you think George W. Bush deserves a second term?

HEINZ KERRY: Oh, God. You know, I don't think anybody really deserves to be president, if you really think of the responsibilities.
But I must say, he came in with a lack of curiosity and interest about the job. And I think that the results of that was offending a lot of people around the world and really, almost seemingly, being afraid to think on the complex problems that we live in as opportunities, but rather as silos to be disposed of. And, you know, the world is really a very complex, but very interesting
place. And I think you can't have someone who is afraid to be Socratic or is afraid to really go there, who is afraid to even make a fool of themselves, only because they're thinking out loud, not because they're not thinking.
And so I would say, Mr. President, if you want to stay there, please listen to Americans. Don't tell them.

I'd have to say that she qualifies as an asset.

[VLC98]

12. I am interested to know ...

if she would be the first foreign born first lady? Is she an American citizen?

[pippin]

13. She is an asset

"Born in Moambique, fluent in five language . . .After studying in South Africa and Switzerland, she moved to the United States to work for the United Nations. . . .

Turning down offers to run for her husband's Senate seat, she became chair of The Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies. Under her leadership, the Heinz foundations are widely known for developing innovative strategies to protect the environment, improve education and the lives of young children, broaden economic opportunity, and promote the arts.

She started advocating for women early, attending the first meeting of the Women's Political Caucus in Pennsylvania in 1972. She established the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement in 1996 to educate women about pensions, savings, and retirement security."

http://www.johnkerry.com/about_teresa/

[Nancy Waterman]

14. I think she is a naturalized citizen

She is just awesome. I heard her giving a talk on CSPAN while in Iowa. She knows so much about the environment and poverty and what has emaning for people, and she has thought through so many issues. It was just incredible. She could have been running for the Senate.

She evidently does a great deal of environmental work - helping non-profits I would assume.

[grasswire]

15. She's a 10, except in red states.

Smarter than smart, cultured, traveled, accomplished, and complex.

The Gopers will probably whisper about some non-white blood or something stupid like that.

She's a dream first lady. Better than Hillary, even.

[symbolman]

17. I got to meet and sort of hang out with her

while we were in New Hampshire - she's an awesome lady.. VERY intelligent, blunt is the wrong word for her, HONEST is better..

she's playful and cute and loves Kerry a lot, which is more than you can say for a lot of politicians..

She invited us to go to the Carol King concert, but her media guy was being a prick so I thanked her for her graciousness and asked for a rain check..

she introduced me to his body guard, a tall, really cool dude named Marvin - he takes great care of them..

SHE should be Prez, but we can't take sides at the site yet so I'll let the people decide :)

anyone (like the GOP) goes after her, they are going to get it from me..