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Heinz Seeks to Disavow Kerry Connection
AP | 3/29/04 | Charles Sheehan

Posted on 03/29/2004 6:25:27 PM PST by The South Texan

Heinz Seeks to Disavow Kerry Connection

By CHARLES SHEEHAN, AP Business Writer

PITTSBURGH - H.J. Heinz Co. has launched an election-year campaign of its own, this one to distance the ketchup maker from what is shaping up to be an acrimonious presidential race.

The company has sent nearly 50 letters to radio and television talk shows nationwide to tamp down chatter on the airwaves and Internet suggesting revenue from ketchup sales will benefit the campaign of pending Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites).

His wife is Teresa Heinz Kerry, heiress to the $500 million family ketchup fortune.

The company has received about 150 calls this month from consumers vowing to boycott Heinz products, or in some instances to buy more, said company spokeswoman Debbie Foster.

"It's just crazy," Foster said. "We haven't been involved in politics since Morris the Cat ran for president in 1988" — when the company ran a spoof campaign with Morris, the face of Heinz 9 Lives cat food, as the finicky candidate.

Heinz Kerry, who was married to Republican Senator H. John Heinz III when he was killed in a 1991 plane crash, is not on Heinz's board and is in no way involved with company management, Foster said.

Collectively, Heinz Kerry, along with her children with John Heinz and The Heinz Endowments which she chairs, own less than 4 percent of outstanding company stock.

The company has not seen any effect on sales. But it took action after The Heinz Endowments was accused of funding Peaceful Tomorrows, a group for Sept. 11 victims' families that criticized President Bush (news - web sites)'s use of footage from the attacks in political ads.

The Heinz Endowments President Maxwell King and David Potorti, co-director at Peaceful Tomorrows, have repeatedly denied any link.

While many talk shows have since backed away from those claims, Internet chat rooms are still buzzing with calls for a Heinz boycott.


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004; boycott; heinz; kerrey; kerry; ketchups; peacefultomorrows; teresaheinz
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Gee, I wonder what internet chatrooms they are talking about?

Good job FR!

1 posted on 03/29/2004 6:25:28 PM PST by The South Texan
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To: The South Texan
Bottom line must really being affected if they are puting out press releases like this.
2 posted on 03/29/2004 6:27:47 PM PST by truthandlife ("Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Ps 20:7))
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To: The South Texan

Ketchup Boy

3 posted on 03/29/2004 6:29:15 PM PST by cinnathepoet (Directly, I am going to Caesar's funeral)
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To: The South Texan; MeekOneGOP; Sabertooth; Prime Choice; Registered; devolve; JohnHuang2; B4Ranch; ...

"Heinz Seeks to Disavow Kerry Connection"

Uh bouy . . . .

DO YOU WANT KETCHUP WITH THOSE LIES!?

4 posted on 03/29/2004 6:29:23 PM PST by Happy2BMe (U.S.A. - - United We Stand - - Divided We Fall - - Support Our Troops - - Vote BUSH)
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To: The South Texan
Short Heinz. Go long on Hunts.
5 posted on 03/29/2004 6:29:28 PM PST by Crawdad (I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no class.)
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To: The South Texan
Bwaahahhaha. I guess Heinz is little worried about name association. I would imagine that any company tied to Dukakis was sending out similar messages the morning after the tank test drive.
6 posted on 03/29/2004 6:30:38 PM PST by Rokke
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To: The South Texan
The Heinz Endowments President Maxwell King and David Potorti, co-director at Peaceful Tomorrows, have repeatedly denied any link.

Yeah, they "denied" a link---but is there a link? As someone said, Reporters aren't that stupid---but they think we are.

7 posted on 03/29/2004 6:30:49 PM PST by John Thornton
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To: The South Texan
The Heinz Endowments President Maxwell King and David Potorti, co-director at Peaceful Tomorrows, have repeatedly denied any link.

Yeah, they "denied" a link---but is there a link? As someone said, Reporters aren't that stupid---but they think we are.

8 posted on 03/29/2004 6:31:09 PM PST by John Thornton
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To: The South Texan
I've been eating Heinz products for 75 years now. As of the advent of The Lurch (Kerry) Del Monte now graces my table. My daughters have switched too. NO MAS!
9 posted on 03/29/2004 6:32:14 PM PST by Joee
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To: The South Texan
Really only one question needs to be asked. Does Heinz-Kerry draw a paycheck, dividends, interest, whatever, from the Heinz corporation? If so, that's reason enough. If not, let them prove it.

This also speaks volumes as far as the Heinz corp. knowing which side their bread's buttered on. Wasn't there a study showing that married people with children vote overwhelmingly Republican?
10 posted on 03/29/2004 6:32:49 PM PST by Objective Reality
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To: The South Texan
Buy Hunts! Okay they might support the left too.... but anyone make their own??
11 posted on 03/29/2004 6:34:02 PM PST by GeronL (www.armorforcongress.com..... put a FReeper in Congress)
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To: The South Texan
"Collectively, Heinz Kerry, along with her children with John Heinz and The Heinz Endowments which she chairs, own less than 4 percent of outstanding company stock." This is a point I have been making for weeks.

Reading for content makes me beleive the Kerry's don't get too involved in company matters. Boycotting this company seems really silly & irrational. FR has way too many boycotts already.

12 posted on 03/29/2004 6:34:04 PM PST by familyofman
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To: The South Texan
Collectively, Heinz Kerry, along with her children with John Heinz and The Heinz Endowments which she chairs, own less than 4 percent of outstanding company stock.

Good LORD!!! FOUR PERCENT of the goldamned HEINZ CORPORATION?!?!!!? Can I have FOUR PERCENT of the HEINZ CORPORATION, since it's such a paltry pittance?!?!

God Almighty, give me FOUR PERCENT of the GoodFlow Juice corporation, and I'll never have to punch a clock again!

13 posted on 03/29/2004 6:37:02 PM PST by Objective Reality
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To: Crawdad
I went to using Hunts as soon as I found out about Teresa Heinz. They were not getting any more of my money until they disavowed her.
14 posted on 03/29/2004 6:40:13 PM PST by PhiKapMom (AOII Mom -- Support Bush-Cheney '04 -- Losing is not an Option!)
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To: Crawdad
and Bush beans...
15 posted on 03/29/2004 6:40:45 PM PST by Godfollow
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To: The South Texan

16 posted on 03/29/2004 6:40:58 PM PST by Redcoat LI ("help to drive the left one into the insanity.")
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To: The South Texan
Saw this headline and thought, "What? Is she divorcing him?"
17 posted on 03/29/2004 6:42:21 PM PST by VadeRetro
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To: Happy2BMe
Clever!
18 posted on 03/29/2004 6:42:39 PM PST by Libertina
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To: The South Texan
The company has not seen any effect on sales.

Hrmph... they didn't get my $2.50 tonight. I went with Hunts, thank you very much.

19 posted on 03/29/2004 6:42:54 PM PST by workerbee
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To: The South Texan
What I want is to be able to buy a bottle of the ketchup you get in those little plastic containers at Whataburger.
20 posted on 03/29/2004 6:43:21 PM PST by Pilsner
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