http://makethemaccountable.com/podvin/more/041023_Misogyny.htmBy David Podvin
Three quarters of Americans surveyed say they admire Laura Bush, while only one third have a favorable view of Teresa Heinz Kerry. The result is unsurprising because this is a misogynistic country that insists its First Ladies must play the role of June Cleaver, dutifully frying bacon while tastefully adorned with a string of matching pearls. The American people also exalt mediocrity, hence Miss Laura is cherished for being uninspiring just as Bob Hope was revered for being unfunny.
As viewed by Middle America, Heinz Kerry suffers greatly on a comparative basis: Laura is ingratiatingly mundane, while Teresa is disturbingly brilliant. Laura is pleasingly subservient, while Teresa is annoyingly independent. Laura is obediently traditional, while Teresa is maddeningly nonconformist. And Laura cares about her own little world, whereas Teresa cares about the whole, wide world.
Most importantly, Laura Bush is so very non-threatening, unless like me you feel threatened by oppressive banality. Teresa, on the other hand, does not possess that Stepford wife sensibility; it is hard to envision her dissolving into tears because the soufflé fell. When people heckle Heinz Kerry, she does not gaze plaintively toward the Secret Service in one of those touching damsel-in-distress moments – instead, she heckles the hecklers back, and they are the ones who experience distress.
For all of these sins, Teresa Heinz Kerry is perceived by the average American as being an uppity cunt, which makes her my hero. Hillary Clinton was a superb First Lady because she caused conservatives incalculable grief, but I think this one has even greater potential. If her husband can make it into the White House, there is the very real possibility that the outspoken Teresa will soon fill the emergency rooms of American hospitals with right wingers suffering from debilitating anxiety attacks.
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hoping the mods will let this pass: the last two paragraphs of the article
In our semi-civilized country, women are still expected to defer to men, yet Heinz Kerry is a woman with a social conscience who defers to no one. Such defiance makes her an agent of change in a land where attitudes about gender need to be changed. The United States must eventually embrace women as full human beings, and that can only happen after existing prejudices are forcefully confronted. The process requires placing into positions of prominence some kick ass broads who refuse to honor antiquated customs or be intimidated by malicious critics.
Teresa Heinz Kerry is a kick ass broad of the first magnitude, and if on Election Day voters serve this nation well, the American people will soon have a truly admirable First Lady who drives most of them right up the wall.
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