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
Honest to God? What a sleeze ball......
...much...
Caption this pic?http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1840801/posts?q=1&;page=251
Kucinich’s Secret Weapon (”6-foot-tall red-headed beauty” wife)Nose to Nose he was toes in it. Toes to toes he was nose in it!
ok, what’s wrong with her?
Not enough cheeseburgers...for one
First question that comes to mind is.... what time did it show?
Good question
Thanks for the info link. However, in the case of the hotdog vendor I wonder if the time was something else. If he was a typical youth it will bother him greatly to discover he chose a time that companies and ad agencies (the man!) have been using for decades. As far as tattoos, piercings, etc., go I am often reminded of a song from the 60’s by John Hartford with a line that went: “What’s the difference being different, when it’s difference now that looks alike”
I don’t remember. But, it’s guaranteed his watch was exactly right exactly twice daily. Most watches are never exactly right.
Galadriel meets Gollum
Agreed.
And now I'm thinking.... "Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?" :-)
I had to ask, I clicked on your home page and saw you were Norwegian! So am I. Both sets of grandparents came from Norway around 1900! Love most of the food except for lutefisk. Especially love lefse! Krumkake is good too! Thanks for answering!:)
Good Night! This is a window into the Peace Movement as clear as there can be. My Moon Bat Alarm went off so loud that my dog ran under the bed.
At 30 years of age, Elizabeth Kucinich qualifies for Dennis Kucinich’s daughter in age. This is 61 years old Dennis Kucinich’s third marriage which also qualifies Elizabeth as a trophy wife.
I will say this one thing,
my tires screeched to a smoking stop when I clicked on Kucinich:
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIIICH!
I think I hurt myself.
If Dennis were elected, they would make a great team, Elizabeth said.
“Can you imagine what it would be like to have real love in the White House and a true union between the masculine and the feminine?”
What does THAT mean? And who's the masculine guy she's referring to?
My dad and grandmother came in 1917 and he went back to Norway around 1937 or 38 to find a bride—my mother. I figured he was close friends with her brother and that’s why he went to visit his family. They were married in 1938.
I could never stomach lutefisk. My grandmother used to put them in her bathtub filled with lye and I refused not only to eat the fish but also never to bathe in her tub! I did like fiskeboller and fiskecaker though. Mom would make fiskeboller with white sauce. MMMM.
I went to Oslo with my mother back in 1982, about a year before her death. She knew she’d never see her family again because she had cancer, so it was good that we went. Nice, nice people.
Jeg elsker deg! Maryxxx
There is already real love in the White House between a masculine and a feminine. Cheez. What is Elizabeth talking about?
I’m sorry your experience with her was so bad. Unfortunately that’s not an uncommon scenario. My second husband was a saint compared to the first one, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Mxxx
I’m glad you recognized that your second one wasn’t your first. It’s something my darling ex never did. I got the fallout from everything he did. He was a pathological liar, and his last act was to steal her VW van, clean out the bank accounts, including the one they set up for the yet to be born daughter’s college fund.
Guess what, She’s MY daughter now, and is doing quite well in college, thankyouverymuch. He’s never met her, and as far as we know doesn’t even know if she was born, is a girl or a boy, or anything.
His loss (and he will never know just how much he’s lost) My gain.
Can anybody say “green card”? :)
Yes, I agree. My kids and grandkids are well worth 25 years of misery. But I hope I learned something from it. Sometimes you don’t. I didn’t want to take the old me into the new marriage either. That wouldn’t have been so good (smile). Good job raising the daughter. Shows you have good values and qualities. Mxxx
Some folks will do anything to get away from The UK’s National Health.
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