Sebastian White :: Heinz Kerry Lauds Husband as Leader

NEWS

Heinz Kerry Lauds Husband as Leader

The Alfred Sun | July 28, 2004
By Sebastian White

BOSTON, July 27—The jokes flying among the well-caffeinated Democratic National Convention press pool haven’t exactly been kind to the "Teresa Heinz Show," as journalists have taken to calling the unpredictable stream of consciousness coming from the flamboyant and unapologetically controversial wife of presidential candidate John F. Kerry.

After telling a Pittsburgh reporter Sunday night to "shove it!” members of the media have been left wondering—even eagerly awaiting—what she’ll say next. Her loose-cannon nature also caused some concern prior to her address at the Fleet Center Tuesday night, with Democratic leaders concerned that she could deviate from the script and inadvertently add fire to Republican-led efforts positioning the Democratic Party and its members as firebrand liberals out of touch with mainstream America.

But fears were allayed when Mrs. Heinz Kerry took the podium, her richly inflected Portuguese accent swooning an audience of enraptured Democrats excitedly teetering “We Love Teresa” placards over their heads and cheering for the woman they hope will be their next first lady.

Dazzling in a tailored ketchup red suit, she made her way on stage after an emotional introduction from her politically active son Chris, proclaiming, “My name is Teresa Heinz Kerry, and by now I hope it will come as no surprise that I have something to say.”

Heinz Kerry proceeded in her characteristic whispery tone to cast herself as a wise, foreign-born woman deeply concerned with the ongoing and worldwide struggle to protect freedom and civil liberties. Heinz Kerry said it is time to hear and celebrate those “whose wise voices have for too long been excluded and discounted.”

She also juxtaposed her experience as a student in rancorous apartheid-era South Africa with her commitment to protecting the ideals of her adoptive United States, something she said is endangered in the current political climate. “We can and we should join together to make the most of this gift we have been given…this gift of freedom and this gift of America."

But it was Heinz Kerry’s emphatic support for her candidate husband that was ultimately the centerpiece of an evening themed, “A Lifetime of Strength and Service.” Adding personal anecdotes and experience to strengthen the case for a Kerry White House, Heinz Kerry told delegates and the millions watching the evening’s program at home that her husband would be a true leader who “will restore our faith in ourselves.”

“John believes that we can and we must lead the world as America, unique among nations, always should,” she explained, “by showing the face not of our fears, but of our hopes.” Ever the cheerleader, she said Kerry “believes in the right future…No one will defend this nation more vigorously than he will.” And predictably contributing to the week’s theme of lauding Kerry the military hero, Heinz Kerry reminded Americans of his three Purple Hearts and his experience in war-torn Vietnam, saying, “he will always, always be first in the line of fire.”

If her sole mission was to add personal depth to her colorful public persona, as her handlers probably hoped she would, Heinz Kerry may have succeeded with her quarter-hour stemwinder. Delegates like Keith Orr of Ann Arbor, Mich., said that her message ultimately transcended party lines and spoke to the core of idealized America.

“I loved the way she emphasized that strong women with strong families are good for America,” he said.

It’s unsurprising that both the media and much of America have trouble putting their finger on the pulse of Mrs. Heinz Kerry. Although Mr. Kerry is the very definition of New England WASP—St. Paul’s, Yale, and Beacon Hill to boot—Mrs. Heinz Kerry is a more exotic mélange never before seen on the White House campaign trail. She combines the values of a strong Latino heritage with the erudition of a European education and the privileges of African wealth (she grew up in Mozambique, the daughter of a Portuguese doctor).

A most peculiar kind of new American royalty, it is unclear whether Mrs. Heinz Kerry's strengths will buoy her husband’s prospects, have no effect at all, or actually detract from candidate Kerry. Will her undeniable worldliness be reason for suspicion, or will it be seen as an unprecedented addition to the unofficial office of first lady? Until her contributions can be clarified and quantified, pundits are having a field day with her rolling eyes and brazen style.

Mrs. Heinz Kerry refused to apologize for her very public flap with the reporter on Sunday, instead issuing statements saying she was only defending herself and her high-profile family against ongoing attack from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, a newspaper owned by Richard Mellon Scaife, a well-known donor to conservative causes.

“I don't, like anybody else, want to be trapped or be misrepresented intentionally by someone," she said. "That's what happened and I defended myself."