Democrats Defend Heinz Kerry's 'Shove It'

[JI7]

<Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry doesn't have a problem with his wife telling an insistent journalist to "shove it" when urged to explain her plea for more civility in politics. Neither does Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"I think my wife speaks her mind appropriately," Kerry told reporters Monday when asked about the exchange between his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and the editorial page editor of the conservative Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Asked about the response on CNN's "American Morning," Clinton said Monday, "A lot of Americans are going to say, 'Good for you, you go, girl,' and that's certainly how I feel about it."

A spokeswoman for Heinz Kerry later said, "This was sheer frustration aimed at a right-wing rag that has consistently and purposely misrepresented the facts in reporting on Mrs. Kerry and her family."

Vice President Dick Cheney recently came under criticism for using a four-letter obscenity in an exchange with Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., on the Senate floor. He later was unapologetic about the remark, saying: "I felt better after I said it.">

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040726_631.html

[RandomKoolzip]

1. Hey look...inside that teapot....isn't that a cylindrical cloud formation?

[Maeve]

29. Lot of that going around these days

Since they magically "disappeared" Iraq and Kobe's trial hasn't started yet, what's to report on? :eyes:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Not to freepies, frothers and jerks:

We know what you are trying to do with this. We know what you are up to. We know what your reactions were when Vice-President Lurch dropped the f-bomb on the senate floor, to a sitting senator with whom he has an honest disagreement.

It's not gonna work. Yer' pissing up a drainpipe. Give it up. If you don't, you will only make us louder and more vociferous.

If that is even possible.

F***ing hell, this manufactured outrage from the right is so tedious...

[Fovea]

5. "I am outraged at the outrage."

Didn't a Wingjob say that?

[Rose Siding]

11. Yeah, but that was just torture.

[Hawkeye-X]

17. Vice President Lurch?

When did John Kerry become *'s VP?

Hawkeye-X

[johnfunk]

32. Lurch? Dick "F$#@ing Dick" Cheney looks more like...

...Uncle Fester.

Hmmm... maybe we should call him "Uncle F$#@er" instead...

And heck, given Uncle F$#@er Cheney's potty mouth, maybe the official theme of the Bush-F$#@er 2004 campaign should be Shut Your F$#@ing Face, Unclef$#@er from "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut!"

[deutsey]

3. I'm really angry at Heinz

She should have said "Go fuck yourself," not something so lame as "shove it." :evilgrin:

[colonel odis]

24. she didn't, because she has more class than cheney. n/t

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

28. A real lady...

... does not resort to such language as you request. Teresa did the right thing and provided the right response. What a beautiful woman!

[nosmokes]

4. kids are being sodmised and raped in iraq while in US

custody, yet cheney saying 'fuck yourself' and even more unbelievably heinz-kerry telling a reporter to 'shove it' is what gets everyone all the fuck riled up.

anyone else see problem with priorities here?

[saracat]

16. I do.There is no comparison to Cheney's "go fuck yourself "to a collegue

on the floor of the Senate and Theresa's "Shove it" to a reporter.BTW anyone know what the reporter asked? And of course you are right about the children, but you don't seriously expect them to write about the Iraqi kids do you?we have an election to cover and verbal anaylisis is a large part of it.So , "shove it", will ya?

[nosmokes]

26. they'll never write about the rape of the children

as long as they can divert us with fuck yourself and shove it.

of course the election hasta be covered, but do you seriously believe teresa's offhand comment to a reporter that has been baiting her (my understanding) in the past is a real issue? it just seems to me there's substance out there that's being lost to inanity like this. i picked the iraqi kids, but there's any number of other subjects.

[Upfront]

23. Just Yours.

Some people need to get real.

[nosmokes]

27. har!

[pbg]

6. Look-it's Shakespeare's last drama in a porcelain object!

You'll notice that no one thought to ask what the reporter said to her?

[Gin]

7. what did the reporter say to her? anyone know?

g

[Media_Lies_Daily]

35. He's a reporter for a media outlet owned by Richard Mellon Scaife....

...that should tell you all you need to know.

You know, the guy that funded the "Arkansas Project".

[chookie]

42. This will give you a flavor (yuck)

The guy is acting as an infiltrator at the convention, and was deliberately trying to provoke Mrs Kerry.

Sure, they'll portray it as trying to muzzle the noble efforts of a journalist, but here's a sense of what this guy is like:
In its promotion of his coverage this week, the newspaper wrote, "It's a dirty job dealing with liberals, but somebody's gotta do it. ... What happens when a conservative commentator infiltrates the Democratic National Convention? An outbreak of truth."
-snip-

In a column on July 17, McNickle wrote: "John Kerry and John Edwards, two Johns pimping for a populism that can only perpetuate poverty, haven't a clue. Now there's a campaign theme, eh?" In the same column he observed: "Liberals and socialists (is there a difference?) probably are nodding their heads vigorously about now. 'Yeah, that's the ticket! Go, Johnny, Go!'"
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000585871

This bastard is blogging at
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/opinion/conventionalwisdom/

Now -- if somebody screwed up at the RNC and Michael Moore got into Laura Bush's face and provoked her, the right wing would be celebrating it as a refreshing response to a jerk. Which is how we should be portraying this incident.

[hippiegranny]

60. i agree with you

except that comparing this fuckwit (cheneywit?) to michael moore is sacreligious!

[madrchsod]

8. isn`t "shove it"

a polite way to say-"stick it up your ass"?....

[Kokonoe]

13. I thought shove off, as in leave.

[truthisfreedom]

9. the rethugs manage to make themselves look like idiots at every turn. con-

sider the differences between cheney's outburst and Heinz-Kerry's reaction...

1] cheney was on the floor of the Senate.

Heinz-Kerry was backstage after a speech.

2] cheney's vile language would have earned cspan a fine from the FCC.

Heinz-Kerry's measured words could have been broadcast on prime time, and would have gotten a good solid laugh.

3] cheney's inflammatory remark was directed at a colleague, someone who works directly with him, and a representative of the people who deserves appropriate respect at all times.

Heinz-Kerry's comment was directed at a reporter who was badgering her, who worked for a magazine that had misrepresented her in the past.

4] cheney's putrid language could be overheard by more than 100 US Senators.

Heinz-Kerry's comment would never have been known about if the reporter hadn't "tattled" to right-wing operatives and the sludge report.

everything about this makes the 'thugs look like spoiled children.

[w4rma]

41. Minor error.

There are only 100 U.S. Senators at any given time. Therefore there is no way that anything could affect *more than* 100 U.S. Senators. :hi:

[TahitiNut]

10. She really said "Shovel it."

Knowing the reichbot's fondness for manure, Teresa merely offered words of encouragement.

[KC21304]

12. Maybe she said " Shove off . "

But what did she say in the speech and what did he say she said in the speech that started the disagreement ? That's what I would like to know.

[TahitiNut]

20. The media is UNINTERESTED in the message ...

... and, like People Magazine, focuses on the messenger. The cable media report almost nothing of actual policy positions and deals almost exclusively with:
(1) Pundit prognostications ("will be," "going to," "intends," etc.),
(2) Mind-reading ("believes," "thinks," "intends," etc.),
(3) Spin and interpretations (biased mischaracterizations), and
(4) The modifier Olympics: to see which talking head is able to pack their "reporting" with the slimiest, most insinuating adjectives and adverbs (Candy-Assed Crawling leads; Schneider has his nose up her butt).

[WHAT]

33. To a shovel maker...

what else can be said?

[jdj]

14. If there is a tape, I want to see the transcript of this.

If there isn't a tape, why did they lie and say there was one.

I want the reporter's whole question quoted in print before I make up my mind on whether she misspoke.

But whether he deserved it is another matter, because we all know he did.

[Questionable]

63. Hmm

We all know he deserved it? For asking her to clarify what she meant by un-american?

I saw the tape. If we are to bring a new tone, we should really take the high road and not stoop to this level of denying. There has been enough of this the past four years.


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_205203.html

Her answer prompted the following exchange:

Trib: "What did you mean?"

Heinz Kerry: "I didn't say that. I didn't say that."

Trib: "I was just asking what you said."

Heinz Kerry: "Why do you put those words in my mouth?"

Trib: "You said something about 'un-American activity.'"

A Kerry campaign worker attempted to stop the questioning.

Heinz Kerry: "No, I didn't say that, I did not say 'activity' or 'un-American.' Those were your words."

She walked away, paused, consulted with an associate and returned to this editor.

Heinz Kerry: "Are you from the Tribune-Review?"

Trib: "Yes I am."

Heinz Kerry: "Understandable. You said something I didn't say -- now shove it."

The Sun reporter, Washington correspondent Julie Hirschfeld Davis, thought Heinz Kerry had said only "shut up." But a review of a videotape shot by WTAE-TV confirms Heinz Kerry used the phrase "shove it."

A review of an audiotape recording made by Patriot-News political reporter Peter DeCoursey shows that Heinz Kerry used the term "un-American traits."

[everythingsxen]

15. Link to video +partial transcript

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/index.html

(For those who do not know what she said and he said)

-SNIP-

"We need to turn back some of the creeping, un-Pennsylvanian and sometimes un-American traits that are coming into some of our politics," she told her fellow Pennsylvanians at a Sunday night reception at the Massachusetts Statehouse.

Minutes later, Colin McNickle, the editorial page editor of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, questioned her on exactly what she meant by the term "un-American," according to a tape of the encounter recorded by WTAE Channel 4 Action News.

Heinz Kerry said "I didn't say that" several times to McNickle. She then turned to confer with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and others. When she faced McNickle again a short time later, he continued to question her, and she replied, "You said something I didn't say. Now shove it."

-SNIP-

If you watch the video, you can see her say the words "un-American traits" and then, when asked what she meant by 'un-American', denies saying it. He continues to hound her and she tells him to shove it.

Bad form, IMHO.

[ronnykmarshall]

22. YEAH !

You go Mrs. Kerry!!!

[mom cat]

31. Point of clarification. Theresa was objecting to the charge that she

had made accusations about "unamerican activities" which brings up the memory of the House on Unamerican Activities Committee. I am close to her age and would have taken offense if I thought that anyone was accusing me of labeling others with being Unamerican, The reporter was obviously goading her into making statements that some people are Unamerican and she fought back. Good for her.

[everythingsxen]

40. RE: Point of clarification

The reporter was obviously goading her into making statements that some people are Unamerican and she fought back. Good for her.

Instead she appears to avoid answering at all and the way it looks, she sounds like she is denying having said the term "un-American" at all. To top it off she told him to shove it.

All in all this is a helluva lot easier to spin than whatever comment she might make as a reply.

[Longhorn]

44. She didn't say "un-American activities."

She said "un-American traits." One has to do with actions and the other has to do with attitudes. Apparently, that difference in meaning was enough for her to disagree with the reporter. Perhaps Mrs. Kerry has a history with this reporter or his paper that would explain her shortness with him.

[Beaverhausen]

45. go to this link- once she found out what rag he was with working for

that is when she said to "shove it"

http://mfile.akamai.com/8186/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2004/072...

watch the whole thing.

[everythingsxen]

49. As far as I could tell...

Noone in that entire exchange uttered the words "un-American activities" and neither have I.

I know she said un-American traits. I have said this about 30 times today. I also know he did not say un-American traits. All I saw him say was "un-American". She then denies saying un-American.

[Longhorn]

52. I didn't mean to imply that you used that term.

I had read several others say he asked her about "un-American activities" and I was just making the point that maybe she was denying the entire term, not just the word "un-American," as you had stated.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

37. "Bad form"??? Is it "bad form" as a reporter to stalk the person you're..

...hounding to get that person to answer your question?

Is it "bad form" as a reporter to ignore all previous responses to a specific question so that you can goad them into a response that you will sell copy?

Is it bad form on your part to support a reporter that works for a media outlet owned by Richard Mellon Scaife, funder of the "Arkansas Project"?

[everythingsxen]

39. Yes, Yes and see below

"Bad form"??? Is it "bad form" as a reporter to stalk the person you're hounding to get that person to answer your question?

Yes it is bad form as a reporter to stalk and goad. However, that doesn't stop reporters from doing it. It has been happening for a very long time and no doubt will continue to happen.

Is it "bad form" as a reporter to ignore all previous responses to a specific question so that you can goad them into a response that you will sell copy?

All previous responses? I have seen some lengthy footage of the conference and he keeps asking her what she meant by un-American; she keeps saying "I didn't say that". That does not a response make, when all the reporters in that room and viewers at home (like me) saw her say "un-American". I know she said un-American traits and he was just saying "What did you mean when you said un-American". She could have easily corrected him and civilly answered his question by saying something like "I said un-American traits and I feel that way because..."

Instead she simply said she didn't say that and then when he keeps asking her about it, she tells him to shove it. So now it looks as though she is evasive and worse, a hypocrite and liar. Much better than him having to sit down and edit footage to take quotes out of context. :eyes:

Is it bad form on your part to support a reporter that works for a media outlet owned by Richard Mellon Scaife, funder of the "Arkansas Project"?

I don't support the reporter (well, actually I do support his rights as protected under the 1st Amendment; I assume you do as well?) , I simply disagree with how she handled the situation. It makes her look bad and could potential cost some votes. I doubt it will make a difference in the end though.

I could care less if he was from Satan's own newspaper or if he was writing for a High School paper. She was previously married to a politician and she is a Heinz. She has, I am sure, dealt with a reporter *once or twice*; she should have been aware of her actions and should not have lost it like that.

It has nothing to do with impropriety, it has to do with the appearance of impropriety. As I indicated above, she now looks like a hypocrite and possibly a liar by denying that she said un-American.

[indypaul]

46. Precisely why

antics such as this have driven believability of newspapers
from 28% of population in 1985 to 20% in 2002 according to
a Pew Research study in June 2004 Atlantic Monthly, p.52.
Jerks like this "reporter" only strengthen a belief that
journalislm is still the art of buying newsprint for a
nickel a pound and selling it for a dollar a pound.

[philipowitz]

57. What I think she needs to do...

...is to admit that she was mistaken in denying that she said "un-american", and then leverage the attention to highlight what she really meant, which is that all this republican crapola about Kerry being "bin Laden's candidate", and similar idiocy, amounts to Nazi-like smear tactics.

[KurtNYC]

18. McNickle's is a hired gun

and just look at the McCrap they pay him to write:

Saturday's Boston weather dawned rainy and unseasonally cool -- fall-like. Oh, Democrats are in town. Sunday, it was still cool with sun but with sometimes-threatening skies. Kind of like those Democrat programs that offer sun but, and as the Law of Unintended Consequences dictates, usually rain on just about everybody's parade.

Hopefully the Dem's response will out McNickle's and Scaif. Who let this nutjob near the First Lady?

[snippy]

19. If she was still a republican,

she would have called him a big time asshole and told him to go fuck himself. This illustrates the difference between decent Americans and republicans.

[kskiska]

21. Wasn't it a wonderful gift from Dick Cheney

to give cover to any Dem who wants to give an honest response to a Repig, and be unapologetic about it besides.

[louis-t]

25. Reporter misrepresented what she said...

She said 'un-American traits', he said 'un-American activities'. The press is misrepresenting his misrepresentation. Jeez, I hate typing big words.

[leetrisck]

30. She could have stuck her tongue out (like Jenna)

or called them *holes like bush & cheney and that would have been okay.

[Seabiscuit]

34. Send CNN your e-mail @ livefromcnn.com

CNN is inviting their viewing public to comment on their coverage of the Theresa incident. Give them a piece of your mind, because they're going to read some of the e-mails on their cable channel later today.

Here's the piece of my mind I just gave them:


My wife and I are personally appalled at your coverage of Theresa Heinz Kerry today.

The real story is not about what she said to this right-wing paparazzi-style "reporter" who was harassing her and wouldn't quit (and who was insulting her with falsehoods). You've given absolutely *NO* coverage to who he was and what he was doing and saying which provoked her to shut him up.

Your online website story even refers to her as "Theresa Heinz 'Shove It' Kerry". That's beneath contempt.

If you're going to stoop that low, you could at least strike a balance by reporting daily about Dick "Go F*** Yourself" Cheney. But nooooooo. That would be a little *too* fair, now, wouldn't it?

Your question of the day, "Does Theresa Heinz hurt Kerry's campaign" is also disgustingly loaded with the above insults. You must imagine you're in the brainwashing business to ask such outrageous questions on your Cable TV polls.

Shame on all of you. Ted Turner never would have allowed this kind of yellow journalism on CNN when he owned the company.

As an aside, while visiting your website today I noticed something about "Make CNN.com your homepage." Do you think we're all nuts????

Sorry, but most Americans are not as dumbed-down as you'd like us to be despite your best efforts.

[AspenRose]

36. So let me get this straight....

Saying "shove it" is on the same level as "go fuck yourself?"

These people are desperate...."shove it" is civil in comparison.

Tell it like it is, Teresa.

[Generator]

38. I see it's just another day in the

bullshit factory that is our media.

I'm glad Kerry defended her,that's what matters the most to me.

[johnfunk]

43. ATTENTION BOSTON CONVENTIONEERS (pardon the caps)

It's time to go after the whore media. Teresa has set the tone, and it would be great if every delegate who has had it with the whore media -- especiallyFOX "News" Channel -- had a small sign, say, about 9 inches by 12 inches, so that every time they find themselves behind a reporter for the so-called "news" channel, they can hold it up for all to see the four-word message in bold, black letters:

FOX NEWS:
SHOVE IT!

[graywarrior]

47. Shove it t-shirts somebody!!!

!!!!

[TahitiNut]

48. I suggest: "Pox News"

Far more appropriate. :shrug:

[Missy Vixen]

50. The lady has a spine

and she's not afraid to use it.

>A spokeswoman for Heinz Kerry later said, "This was sheer frustration aimed at a right-wing rag that has consistently and purposely misrepresented the facts in reporting on Mrs. Kerry and her family."<

Interesting that Ms. Heinz Kerry's "shove it" has been reported in all media, while Dick Cheney's "go f yourself" has been vastly underreported.

Teresa is defending herself and her family from untrue and scurrilous press. Good for her. I think I like the idea of a First Lady that isn't a doormat. Hillary Clinton sure isn't, either.

Julie
"Well-behaved women seldom make history," Laurel Thatcher-Ulrich

[Piperay]

51. It's not like she told the guy to

"go fuck himself" or anything like that and I bet she feels better for telling him, I know I feel better that she did. :evilgrin:

[yardwork]

53. Teresa Heinz Kerry is not running for any office.

The press should not be bugging her, imo. The press doesn't bug Laura Bush, do they?

No, they do not.

[Carolina]

54. if you saw the tape of the exchange

Teresa was so classy and her comment so benign. I hope they play the footage ad nauseum so Americans can see how repukes (and their wounded media kin) make mountains out of anthills and use stupid/vacuous crap to distract and distort.

It will backfire since many folks love to hate the media and will relish an asshole being put in his place so elegantly.

[many a good man]

55. Who was the reporter?

Who is Richard Mellon Scaife?

Now there's a good story for the nightly news...

[autorank]

59. Richard Mellon Scaife is...

...the prince of darkness. He funded the anti-Clinton movement from day one and made Ken Starr possible. He is Robert Novak with a cool billion. This is the first of many baitings for Heinz. She'll get a pass this time but the Chris Matthews' of the world are ready to pounce!

[robo]

56. Crossfire: Carville tells Novak to Shoe It ! LOVE IT !

Check it out.

[robo]

58. Mis-Spell = Shove It

[David Zephyr]

61. Teresa Heinz Kerry

This woman is the best thing that John Kerry has going for him.

As for her, "Shove it" comment, good for her!

Go Teresa!

[Questionable]

62. She should have taken the high road.

After she makes her speech concerning a new tone in Washington, she tells a reporter to Shove it, just because he asked her to clarify what she meant by un-american?

Ouch...

She would have been better off just explaining what she really meant. Rather than giving fuel to an on going fire.

[2Design]

64. the man was goading and represents a rag that doesn't report truth

so no matter what answer she gave....to this rw rethug rag reporter, he would have trashed her and has in the past. so I say go Teresa don't take this 'crap' from reporters with 'umamerican traits"

[jo35042]

65. Robert Novak

looked drunk and sounded insane on Cnn tonite. What a load of crap they put up with from him.

Mrs. Kerry should have jammed that little finger right in that idiots eye to demonstrate how to "shove it"

Good for Sen. Kerry for supporting her. That is indeed the important aspect of this load of crap.

[David Zephyr]

66. Richard Mellon Scaife's Paper.

Teresa was being goaded by this reporter from the Scaife's paper which she (being Pennsylvanian) knows very, very well.

And she did not use the term "un-American activities" which has a very, very ominous subtext.

The bigger question is how is the reporter being made to look like a saint?

I may be in the minority here, but I say good for Teresa. It's important to let these bullies know that they are known.