Posted on 05/27/2007 10:55:32 PM PDT by Gondring
May 25, 2007 —
There is no doubt about it, 2008 presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, stands out.
Kucinich is the only candidate who wants to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney over the Iraq War; as he did in the 2004 election, he's proposing a Department of Peace, and has introduced a House bill calling for a universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health care system.
And if that weren't enough, the self-proclaimed peace candidate has a secret weapon.
Kucinich is the only candidate married to a woman 30 years younger and more than 5 inches taller than him.
This 6-foot-tall red-headed beauty is making her husband stand out now more than ever, and Elizabeth Kucinich is taking center stage on the trail, at Democratic debates and on her husband's Web site.
Elizabeth Kucinich may not have the traditional biography that some political spouses possess, but that doesn't mean she's short on experience or goodwill.
Born Elizabeth Harper, she grew up in Upminster, England. The volunteerism bug bit her early on: Shortly after high school, she moved to India to work at one of Mother Teresa's homes for poor children. She also volunteered in a rural village in Tanzania, the British Red Cross Refugee's Unit and cared for detainees at London's Heathrow airport.
She attended the University of Kent, earning a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies and theology, and a master's in international conflict analysis.
Mrs. Kucinich worked at the House of Lords in London, which eventually led to a job, an ocean away, in Chicago.
The then-Ms. Harper had been living in United States only a month before she traveled with her Chicago-based employer, the American Monetary Institute, to Rep. Dennis Kucinich's office. It was a meeting of chance that she would never forget.
Instantaneously drawn to each other, Mrs. Kucinich recalled, "I walked into his office. I saw him and I knew. I knew nothing about his political views. I couldn't even pronounce his last name, but I saw him and I knew."
Kucinich was instantly attracted to the young, spunky woman as well but didn't know if she felt the same about him. Then, with one click on his e-mail a few days later, he knew he had a chance with the English beauty.
The two exchanged e-mails daily and once again by rare chance discovered they would be in New Mexico for work at the exact same time.
The congressman invited Ms. Harper and her boss to lunch at "Terms of Endearment" movie star and friend Shirley Maclaine's home. Maclaine, who is godmother to Kucinich's daughter, asked the three visitors to stay the night.
Elizabeth Kucinich said it was that night that she knew he was "the one." After leaving Maclaine's house, they spoke on the phone and decided soon thereafter to get married.
She said she'll never forget that phone conversation.
She told ABC News, "Over the phone I said, 'I can't stop thinking about us and I think we should get married.'" The congressman had been thinking the same thing.
The new bride jokes that "He didn't actually propose to me until the day before the wedding. That's when he got down on bended knee."
The couple married in the public square of the congressman's hometown of Cleveland in 2005.
At first sight, the couple stands out. She's tall; he's short. She's in her late 20s; he's in his sixties. She has a tongue ring, the congressman does not.
"Attention: Welcome to the next generation. The woman who has a tongue ring and wears pearls," Elizabeth Kucinich joked about her accouterment of nine years.
"Some of the blogs and things, they've called me a dirty hippie," she exclaimed in bewilderment to ABC News. "I've never thought of myself as a hippie chick. I am happy with who I am & it's an expression."
Elizabeth Kucinich, who is new to media critiques of her personal style, adds with a laugh, "I'm wearing pearls today!"
The self-confident Mrs. Kucinich has been on the front lines of her husband's second bid for the White House.
She hits the campaign stump for the congressman while he's in Washington working his day job, and tackles policy issues head on.
"If you get Dennis, you get me," she said.
And she argues she's no novice to the campaign trail either. Her husband won re-election to the House in 2006, shortly after their marriage, but the congressman was a bachelor during his first bid for the White House.
"I've been married for just over a year and a half, and I've already been though a primary, a general and a presidential election, so I am learning fast and learning on my feet."
Learning on her feet, Mrs. Kucinich will definitely keep on her toes.this election cycle
You were spared that!
;-)
Told ya!
How’s the resolution? I guess I’ll go check it out.
My first marriage was made in that department, too. It’s called mistakes you make when you’re 19 and don’t know any better (smile).
At 38...
She was smitten by The Hobbit Candidate. What else needs to be wrong? Reading her bio, it is evident that if you look inside to try to find the core person, there is no there there.
No, but I know who you are talking about. I think she was maid marion in Robin Hood, Men in Tights.
You mean he calls his Woody, Allen?
A tramp is a tramp no matter where they are. I live in Seattle downtown where EVERYONE has their tongue pierced...all tramps.
That’s a rather broad brush.
Please stay in Seattle.
and some people know that marrying a politician will reel in BIG BIG $$$$$$$$$$$..I think thats obvious here, why else would that doll be hanging with that half pint , half loony Marxist?
By 38 you should have known all you needed to. But, my husband was 51 before he married (me). He was tough to train.
That’s what I thought. I should have...
Me too. It took her years to train me never to do anything spontaneous or nice for her.
Even the slowest of us will eventually learn that when every little gift, every thoughtful act, and every petal of every flower you dare bring home is proof positive that you are cheating on her, stealing from her, lying to her, or are feeling guilty about some unimaginable transgression, that it is better to save one's emotions, money, time and effort for the inevitable divorce.
Good thing I'm not BITTER...
Probably just an Internet bandwidth control thing. A lot of companies firewall off all streaming video.
I wonder if there’s a pre-nup. But knowing Kucinich, I figure he’s worth about $12.68
You must have a pierced tongue or a daughter who has one. Sorry to tell you, but pierced tongues are trampy and you should encourage whoever to take it out.
Nope. She doesn’t.
OTOH, she’s not the only female I know either.
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