Too much info? Fred Thompson's wife: "I was never an older-man-dater kind of girl before"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20071003/jeri-thompson/

Jeri Thompson: I'm No Trophy Wife

October 3, 2007 04:27 PM EST | AP

WASHINGTON — Jeri Thompson, wife of GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson, shakes off the "trophy wife" label critics have tagged her with for being 24 years younger than her husband. "It's hard not to be defensive," she told People magazine in her first solo interview. "To think back on how hard you've worked, and all anybody thinks about is that you're a trophy wife." In a story for Monday's issue, Thompson said: "I almost think they had to fabricate that trophy-wife stuff because there's nothing interesting to say."

Jeri Thompson is a Naperville, Ill., native who has worked for the Republican National Committee, on Capitol Hill, and at a public relations-lobbying firm. Thompson, 41, says she met her future husband at a Nashville supermarket on July 4, 1996, a few years before she moved to Washington. To hear her tell it, the then-U.S. senator from Tennessee was standing in line with a can of beanie weenies and half a premade tuna fish sandwich.

"I looked at him and just said, 'I'm so sorry,'" Thompson says, adding that he carried her groceries to the car, and she invited him to a friend's party that night.

Years later, she tells People: "I was never an older-man-dater kind of girl before."



Actor and Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and his wife, Jeri, Kehn arrive for a party at the Macedonian Embassy in Washington following The White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, April 29, 2006. The wives of three Democratic and four Republican candidates have been traveling the country talking to voters about themselves, their husbands, their children and, at times, even the issues. And trying to make a connection. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. better delete that

might be construed as sexist...

[terisan]

4. Truth is always a defense against charges of -isms. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. I Was Going To Say "I'd Hit It If She Didn't Talk"

It's probably more shallow than sexist...

[DemBones DemBones]

15. Are you jealous? If so, don't be, they're not

that big when she's not pregnant.

[acmavm]

24. Jealous? Hell no. I'm speaking from underwire experience. You can't

not have support. On top of everything, it will give you backaches.

[TwilightGardener]

45. You know, I read your reply when it was first posted, and I didn't see anything

sexist about it--we're a bunch of delicate flowers around here lately , aren't we?

[Bucky]

31. I assume you're talking about Thompson's poll numbers

rather than his "ear warmers"

[Elidor]

3. Well, she's making up for lost time with Fred. n/t

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. His ticker will be giving out if he keeps this nonsense up.

I mean, he looks like his head has outlasted three bodies already.........

[kestrel91316]

7. "I wasn't a gold-digger, before I was one."

I didn't just say that, did I??? Moi?

:wow:

Bad kestrel. :spank:

[tanyev]

8. Apparently not much of a sentence-structure-using kind of girl, either.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

9. YES...but what she lacks in grammar skills...

...she MORE THAN makes up for in her taste for MEN.

:rofl:

:toast:

[saltpoint]

16. LOL!

[ripple]

10. Necrophiliac, then?

Seriously, he looks like the walking dead.

[Mz Pip]

11. Yeah, right

until an older Senator carriend your groceries. Fat chance you would have given him a second glance if he had been a one of the check out guys.

For some women, it's all about the attraction to power. It's not about age. It's about power. If the dude happens to be an older guy (who just happens to be a freaking Senator) then go for it.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Doctor_J]

12. I love the Thompson Twins

I will be sad when Swamp Thing drops from the race and the twins disappear from the public eye

[AlCzervik]

13. oh horse shit! You know he had his man servant carry her groceries.

fred is lazy.

[hayu_lol]

14. Now you just know it was...

the can of Beanie Weenies that turned her on.

Someone should do a photoshop of 'ol Fred and give him red eyes.

[Imagevision]

17. Thompson looks rediculous, absurd how could anyone take this idiot seriously?

Jooliani is only one step above Fred.

[DemBones DemBones]

18. I am so tired of shallow threads about Jeri Thompson's breasts,

and of that picture. She was pregnant when that photo was taken. When she's not pregnant, her breasts are not that large.

But what do you people obsessing about her breasts think a woman who has large breasts should do? Wear a burka, perhaps? Have breast reduction surgery so you don't have to be offended by seeing large breasts?

I know the OP was about an article about Jeri Thompson, so I'm not blaming the person who posted the OP, but I have to wonder why Huffington Post chose that photo? Why is the left so obsessed with her breasts? There are other photos of her which are more flattering, and show her nonpregnant breasts, but supposed progressives keep snickering about her breasts in that one photo. Why?

Disliking Fred Thompson for his politics is one thing. Disliking his wife for her politics is also fair. Complain all you want about their politics.

But attacking her appearance, or his, for that matter, is shallow. It's not fair to talk about their marriage, either. There is more of an age difference between Dennis and Elizabeth Kucinich than between Fred and Jeri Thompson (32 years vs. 24 years.) Such marriages aren't that unusual and no spouses were dumped in either case. Each man had been divorced for years, Elizabeth had never been married before, Jeri may have been divorced but I'm not sure about that. In any case, each person was single when s/he met his/her future spouse.

AFAIK, there's no evidence that either Elizabeth or Jeri were looking for an older man to take care of them; they seem to have been doing alright on their own. Elizabeth had to go with her boss to Dennis's office, Jeri met Fred in a supermarket check-out line. Unless someone can prove they set up those meetings, they were chance meetings. That's how most people meet the person they marry, I think.

Let's leave all the wives and children alone, Republicans and Democrats, unless they're arrested or make outrageous statements to the press, which would be news rather than gossip.

[saltpoint]

19. A case could be made that the political and marital are never more joined than in 08.

One of the Democratic candidates' husbands used to be in politics.

IMO the two are very much intertwined and the public image is as historically compelling as it is fodder for gossip.

If Mrs. Thompson didn't want people to see her large breasts, my guess is she'd cover them up a bit more than she appears to have in the above photograph. I hope for her sake they don't move to Fairbanks.

Actually I hope they DO move to Fairbanks. There's an improved chance that her husband will be mauled by a bear in Alaska than in Tennessee.

Wives have always played an enormous role in thir husband's political careers. Mrs. Harding finaly got tired of Warren's screwing around and very likely killed him herself. And who could blame her?

Jane Pierce refused to even live in the White House, believing that God was punishing their family for Franklin's running for the top office. She was a religious nutbag to start with but the death of Bennie on that train understandably put her over the top. Pierce died in significant obscurity, a hopeless drunk.

The public image in a 24-7 global world of instant news is very much a big deal. Mrs. Thompson's physical personality is a deliberate act of Mrs. Thompson.

[DemBones DemBones]

28. Yes, it could, but nobody's posting old photos

of Bill Clinton when he was fat and out jogging in shorts and a tee shirt, and it would be rather unfair if they did since he's lost weight and kept it off. This photo of Mrs. Thompson was taken when she was pregnant. Nobody's posting unflattering photos of other candidates' wives and someone might be able to find unflattering photos of all of them when they were pregnant.

People keep posting this photo over and over again. There are other photos of her but they don't get posted because this one shows off her breasts during pregnancy. Yes, they were big and not very well supported, but we're not 13 year-olds here, are we? Haven't most of us been pregnant or had our wives be pregnant or at least had pregnant friends?

"If Mrs. Thompson didn't want people to see her large breasts, my guess is she'd cover them up a bit more than she appears to have in the above photograph. I hope for her sake they don't move to Fairbanks."

"Cover them up a bit more?" With what, a burka? Was she supposed to put on a coat or get a tablecloth or what? I didn't know DUers were so prudish about cleavage.

The comment about moving to Fairbanks is just silly. I'm sure women in Fairbanks wear evening gowns but they also have warm coats, boots, etc., and a woman who moved there would learn to do the same.

As I just told another poster, I don't like the dress but how much choice do pregnant women have when shopping for evening clothes? If we learn she had it custom-made, then I'll say she showed bad taste. Could have been hormones, though.

She looks rather unhappy to me in that photo, perhaps because she realized the dress was not flattering but had nothing else to wear due to her pregnancy, perhaps she felt like shit, as pregnant women sometimes do. She looks far better in other photos that I've seen. I don't like her politics but I feel compelled to defend her because she's a woman and we women are always dealing with sexist shit like this. It shouldn't be happening here.

[saltpoint]

38. O my O my you paint with far too broad a brush.

We tangled over weenies on Chocolate Jesus not a few months back; now we tangle on breasts.

I'm picking up a trend.

I'm sure there are in fact formal events in Fairbanks but the percentage possibilities of Fred Thompson being mauled by an entirely huge wild bear holds primacy with me, so I reassert my wish that he and Jeri relocate there at once, this weekend at the latest.

Also you must concede that fine evening wear, whether in Nashville or Hollywood or anywhere else, is frequently designed, if not invariably designed, to be sexually alluring

Jeri's pregnancy, and by way of said pregnancy her enlarged breasts, are not an issue as far as I'm concerned. A 5th or 6th grader understands your point about pregnant women and large breasts and the rest of us don't frankly require an update.

It is not sexist to comment on low-cut dresses on women when it is the women themselves who choose to wear them. Mrs. Thompson chose that dress, not luring, slobbering sexist males outside her home in Tennessee. I had nothing to do with the selection. You had nothing to do with it. She chose that dress; that dress is revealing and alluring; it's alluring on purpose and by design; and that doesn't make anyone, man or woman, liberal or conservative, a "sexist" for accurate observation anymore than an artist is "blasphemous" for depicting Jesus of Galilee with a wiener, cast in chocolate, during Holy Week.

I didn't hang the damn statue; I didn't choose the damn dress; I'm not sexist.

Update your file, please.

[DemBones DemBones]

49. Strange arguments here. . .

"We tangled over weenies on Chocolate Jesus not a few months back; now we tangle on breasts."

Odd that you remember that. I can't name a single person who posted in that thread five or six months ago.

I don't keep track of who disagrees with me because most of the time we'll agree more often than we disagree.

I'm picking up a trend: Jesus with a chocolate "weenie" is good, a busty woman in a revealing dress is bad. :shrug:


"I'm sure there are in fact formal events in Fairbanks but the percentage possibilities of Fred Thompson being mauled by an entirely huge wild bear holds primacy with me, so I reassert my wish that he and Jeri relocate there at once, this weekend at the latest."

I'm not into wishing for anybody to be killed, even Republicans who annoy me greatly.

"Also you must concede that fine evening wear, whether in Nashville or Hollywood or anywhere else, is frequently designed, if not invariably designed, to be sexually alluring"

Yes, evening gowns are frequently designed to be sexually alluring, How does that excuse all the DU focus on one woman's breasts?


"Jeri's pregnancy, and by way of said pregnancy her enlarged breasts, are not an issue as far as I'm concerned."

Mine, either, but people keep talking about that photo and her enlarged breasts in that photo.


"A 5th or 6th grader understands your point about pregnant women and large breasts and the rest of us don't frankly require an update."

I explained it for the benefit of anyone who is less knowledgable than you.


"It is not sexist to comment on low-cut dresses on women when it is the women themselves who choose to wear them. Mrs. Thompson chose that dress, not luring, slobbering sexist males outside her home in Tennessee."

Do you think of all men as "luring, slobbering sexist males"???


"I had nothing to do with the selection. You had nothing to do with it."

Correct on both counts.


"She chose that dress; that dress is revealing and alluring; it's alluring on purpose and by design; and that doesn't make anyone, man or woman, liberal or conservative, a "sexist" for accurate observation"

It's not the "accurate observation" but the focus of so much attention on observing her breasts, an attitude which is both puritanical and sexist, that concerns me.


"anymore than an artist is "blasphemous" for depicting Jesus of Galilee with a wiener, cast in chocolate, during Holy Week."

"The blasphemy was that the exhibit was scheduled during Holy Week and people were supposed to break off pieces and eat it, which many Catholics viewed as a deliberate mockery of the Eucharist, especially because the artist claimed to be a Catholic. That's my objection, the blasphemy, not the artwork."

I don't object to nude portrayals of Jesus at all and I certainly don't call penises "wieners" or "weenies" as you did in your post.


"I didn't hang the damn statue; I didn't choose the damn dress; I'm not sexist. "

Your reponses are damn sexist. You like the statue because it shows that Jesus has "a wiener" but you dislike the dress because it's too alluring and reveals too much of her breasts. Does not compute.

"Update your file, please."

What file? You think I'm Agent Mike or something?

[saltpoint]

50. I sifted through the smorgasboard post there, good soul, and emerge keenly hungry.

It is odd that you're defending Jeri Thompson with such gumption.

I think she's kinda pukey.

And yes, that's a political statement.

[DemBones DemBones]

54. Perhaps you're hungry because you sifted out

everything I said. I specifically answered everything you said but obviously you don't want to respond.

Fine, you and "wienerdoggie" have fun trashing other women's clothes/breasts and eating chocolate "weenies" together.

I'm through arguing with sexist puritans who repeatedly misconstrue what I say.

[saltpoint]

55. Ok, we will. You may have hit on the nerve command center with

that, by the way.

'Fun.'

You don't seem to respect it much.

[TwilightGardener]

40. She had NOTHING ELSE TO WEAR???? Are you series? They're WEALTHY!

And I'm sure they can afford full-length mirrors in the Thompson household (mine, from Wally World--five bucks!). If we want to laugh at poor fashion taste, then that is our right. I'm quite sure she knew how her hooties looked in that gown. And LIKED it.

[saltpoint]

42. Now wienerdoggie. Fred and Jeri are poor folk. They live in a ramshackle

hut no bigger than a latrine, no indoor plumbing, a low fire in the fireplace where they stew their vittles each night before quiet prayer and modest sleep.

Their flea-ridden but friendly houndog snoozes by the hearth.

They're livin' at the foot of the Cross, they are.

[TwilightGardener]

44. LOL! Salt of the earth, they are. Shame on me!

[DemBones DemBones]

53. I'm serious, not "series." Yes, I know

the Thompsons have tons of money. I also know that in pregnancy something may fit one week and be too tight then. Maybe the dress looked fine a week or two earlier


"And I'm sure they can afford full-length mirrors in the Thompson household (mine, from Wally World--five bucks!).

No doubt. But it might have been the one evening dress she could get into that night, We just don't know.

"If we want to laugh at poor fashion taste, then that is our right."

Knock yourself out. Just don't complain when the fashion police come after our women.

"I'm quite sure she knew how her hooties looked in that gown. And LIKED it."

"Her "hooties"???"

What's with all the grade school euphemisms here?

[Apollo11]

22. It's not so much the size of breasts as the choice of dress

But if you want to invest time defending her honor, be my guest.

[DemBones DemBones]

23. I don't like the dress but how much choice do

pregnant women have when shopping for evening clothes?

If we learn she had it custom-made, then I'll say she showed bad taste. Could have been hormones, though.

I'm not defending her honor, I'm defending the honor of all women.

[Apollo11]

25. Good for you!

I'm all in favor of a woman's right to reveal as much cleavage as she wants! B-)

[DemBones DemBones]

34. I would think most men would agree

with that! I don't understand the condemnation of her for this photo. :shrug:

Yes, she could have used a good bra with that dress but in pregnancy you can discover that the bra/dress/slacks/shoes that fit last week don't fit now. That might have happened to her. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt even if she is a Republican.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised about the uproar this photo keeps causing since there are always a number of people here who get upset about women breast-feeding in public, even if their breast isn't exposed. They're just bothered to see a baby's head under his/her mom's blouse.

Do people freak out about public breast-feeding in Belgium? I've been to Brussels 14 times, but never left the airport, unfortunately. It's a shame we never had enough time to see some of the city. We liked flying SAS, were sorry it went out of business.

[Apollo11]

36. You don't see breast-feeding in public

But maybe I am not looking in the right places? :eyes:

The Belgian airline SABENA has been re-incarnated as Brussels Airlines.

SAS is Scandinavian Airlines, based in Copenhagen and Stockholm.

[DemBones DemBones]

37. It's not usually obvious unless you or

someone you know has breastfed.

I meant Sabena, of course. I probably typed SAS because it's used in crossword puzzles a lot.

I'm glad SABENA has been reincarnated. There's a documentary about Sabena shutting down and it's really heartbreaking, so many jobs lost. It's always terrible when hundreds of people are laid off. Actually, it's terrible when one person is laid off but when hundreds are, their chances of finding other jobs are less.

Sabena always had good coffee and pastries on their morning flights, which was a nice change after flying trans-Atlantic on Delta to Brussels. Delta's food was not too good. Sabena had great service, too.

[noamnety]

27. Thank you

I hate this attitude that candidates wives shouldn't go out in public with their breasts attached.

"They wouldn't wear them unless they WANTED us to discuss their breast tissue in detail."

Offensive misogynistic bullshit.

[DemBones DemBones]

56. You're welcome. I'm glad some of us

are adults who respect women here.

"I hate this attitude that candidates wives shouldn't go out in public with their breasts attached."

:rofl: Yes, they should leave those things at home!

"They wouldn't wear them unless they WANTED us to discuss their breast tissue in detail."

And Hillary wouldn't have "shown cleavage" on the Senate floor unless she wanted the media to prattle about her cleavage. I'm not a Hillary supporter but damn! This was, of course, discussed by female talking heads showing considerably more cleavage than Hillary did. It boggles the mind.

"Offensive misogynistic bullshit."

I think that's going to be my standard reply to any future threads like this. Thanks!

[tammywammy]

52. Agreed

I find the age bashing ridiculous and just plain stupid.

"Let's leave all the wives and children alone, Republicans and Democrats, unless they're arrested or make outrageous statements to the press, which would be news rather than gossip." Agreed 100%

[DemBones DemBones]

57. Thanks. I was beginning to

think DU had been warped into some odd parallel universe in which snide gossip about women was acceptable, like FR or the GOP, for instance.

You and lwfern have restored my faith that there are intelligent life forms here.

[saltpoint]

20. She appears to have no feet. I examine the photograph and, glancing

floorward as it were, see no evidence of footly appendages.

She is ether! Insubstantial mist! An apparition! Haunting beanie-weanie buyers in America's grocery stores!

This should be a week-long series on COAST TO COAST.

[Bucky]

33. Look at that dress closer. You'll see she's actually a mermaid.

[saltpoint]

39. A mermaid. I should have known. The article references a tunafish sandwich.

[Bucky]

47. Yes, so now we know what she meant by "was eating a tuna" the day they met.

He must've been quite the stud, back when he was alive.

[saltpoint]

51. "...back when he was alive" LOL!

[Apollo11]

21. Did I get this right: she was only 30, he was 54 ??? !!!

:crazy:

[DemBones DemBones]

35. Yes, but Dennis Kucinich was 62 and Elizabeth was 29

when they married, so it would be pretty hypocritical of Dems to criticize the Thompsons' age difference.

The Kuciniches seem to be a great couple because they have a lot in common, and she'd be the most beautiful First Lady ever if we could only elect Dennis! I saw an article recently about how Elizabeth Kucinich still buys her clothes in consignment shops and other second-hand clothes outlets. Smart lady! Of course, we already knew that, because she married Dennis. :hippie:

[opihimoimoi]

26. The Master PUBs insisted he run and now look....Its a disaster....

[Bucky]

32. Are you saying Republicans can't competantly plan out major operations?

But but but... they have all those MBAs on their side!

[opihimoimoi]

46. Republicans show major signs of a mental disorder resulting in DELUSION

[JNelson6563]

29. Can you see the Rethug est. women?

Think they'd like Mrs. Fred Thompson as First Lady? Um, probably not.

Ol' Fred doesn't stand a chance and his wife doesn't help his case.

Julie

[Vinca]

30. I imagine Fred became more attractive after she got a glimpse

of his bank account.

[TwilightGardener]

41. Is anyone buying a rich former lobbyist Gucci-wearing luxury sedan-driving Senator

slumming around a supermarket with Beanie Weenies and tunafish sandwiches? Or does this sound like the phony "red pickup truck" equivalent of a How-We-Met story? I remember reading somewhere a few months back that they met because she was an RNC operative. Remember, she let the press circulate false stories of her being an attorney without correcting them, until Freddie was asked directly, months later. I wouldn't put it past her to make this shit up, or at least embellish it--it sounds like cute hooey.

[DemBones DemBones]

58. At least she has the political smarts not to

tell the world that her husband the presidential candidate is so stinky in the morning that their kids won't go near him.

The supermarket story, true or not, was certainly better than that unvarnished truth revealed by none other than Mrs. B.O.

[momster]

43. Nothing Interesting To Say?

Not that you were a lobbyist? Not that you have unresolved legal judgments against you in Tenn.? Not that you seem a little too involved in who works on hubby's campaign? Not that your hubby is suffering from cancer and looks like hell on a biscuit?

[Major Hogwash]

48. Because men with one foot in the grave are sooooo fuckin' attractive to the younger gals!

"Hey, honey, how're you doing today?"

"Fine sweety, get your social security check today?"

"Uh, well, yeah."

"Great, give me the keys to the car, grandpa, my credit card has just cooled off."

[mrreowwr_kittty]

61. Yeah, notice how Fred Thompson the broke ass retired bus driver never ends up with a hot young wife

But these people in May/December marriages where the guy is rich fall over themselves to insist that it's Twoo Wuv. GMAFB. :eyes:

[PDJane]

59. Actually, he's proof positive that it's NOT

the eyes that go first.

[Didereaux]

60. Yes, Jeri you are a 'trophy', but the televangelists love you, er Fred, yes Fred...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12461951@N03/1288079165/


....lets here an effective argument refuting that contention? Anyone?
;)

[Gabi Hayes]

62. you are a very bad person:

aren't you ashamed?