Posted on 07/15/2007 9:49:45 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Political analysts widely regard Fred Thompson as a potential, if not likely, candidate in the United States presidential election in 2008. Thompson is a lawyer, lobbyist, character actor and former Republican Senator for Tennessee now residing in McLean, Virginia near Washington D.C.
A recent article in The New York Times (NYT) labelled his wife, Jeri Kehn Thompson as a "trophy wife" and a potential liability in the 2008 race. The NYT article described her as having "youthfulness, permanent tan and bleached blonde hair" and wonders if "so-called values voters" would "accept this union."
Thompson and Kehn, married in June 2002, when he was 60 years old and she 35.
Television commentator and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough compared Kehn to a stripper and asked if "she works the pole."
According to the Associated Press, "trophy wife" originally "meant the second (or third) wife of a corporate titan, a woman who was younger, beautiful and — equally important — accomplished in her own right."
ABC News says that the current definition of "trophy wife" suggests Donald Trump's ex-wife Marla Maples and the late Anna Nicole Smith as examples.
However, ABC News also questions whether Kehn fits this definition. "Though she's blond, beautiful and nearly 25 years younger than her husband, Kehn Thompson, a political media consultant who previously worked for the Senate Republican Conference and a prestigious Washington law firm, doesn't appear to fit the typical description," wrote Emily Friedman.
Karen O'Connor, a political scientist and the director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University, said Thompson may lose support from Republican women, a group he needs. It may also make it difficult to gain the support of the "value voters", who already looking with skepticism when it was revealed he lobbied for an abortion-rights group.
"You have a situation where a candidate happens to have an attractive wife, therefore it’s open season for smutty thoughts and lowbrow humor, and no concern for the fact that this is a wife and mother, a professional woman?" said Mark Corallo, a former Justice Department official who is a consultant and the chief media adviser to the Thompson campaign. "One picture on the Internet and all of a sudden she’s reduced to being a bimbo?"
Ummmmm, the next article from the NYT will say that becasue the Thompsons have two small kids, it will be a distraction if he becomes president. ...”American mothers will turn away from him in droves because they know the pressure ob being president will prevent good parenting...”
A trophy wife like Jacqueline Bouvier.
Hillary, a trophy? Nah, I doubt she's been mounted in over twenty years....
Fred is a stud. This is why the DEMS hate.
I seem to recall reading that his ex-wife AND his former girlfriends all support him.
I wonder if the MSM would be willing to see what BJ's "former girlfriends" think of him... And publish it!
Mark
Might as well say "Political pundits yap on about completely tangential issues because they are vapid and shallow".
It's the "wife" part that is the problem with the left.
If she were some bimbo (and he a leftie), then it would again be "atta boy", and "private business".
Actually, I think that it's with teenyboppers who believe that 70 year olds only want to have sex with them... Not an attractive, intelligent, and accomplished 40 year old woman. And then there's just plain, old jelousy by the incredibly unattractive liberal women in the media, some of whom may not look too bad on the outside, but they just don't understand that true ugliness comes from deep inside... And on liberal women, it eventually bubbles to the surface, as proven by Helen Thomas and Susan Estrich. And no, I'm NOT going to post photos. I like my co-Freepers too much.
Mark
“A trophy wife like Jacqueline Bouvier.”
Usually it’s the much younger wife that comes after the first wife that get that identity. Even though he may have looked much older,particularly after a few years in the WH,Jack was only 12 years older than Jackie. Anyway,Jeri doesn’t qualify as a true trophy wife because Fred did not leave his first wife for her. This is all much ado about nothing.
Another day, another catty MSM thread about Mrs. Fred.
Smokin!
Good point. All of this "trophy wife" talk simply sets the bar of expectations so low that when the public is introduced to Jeri for real, they'll have no choice but to be impressed by here.
As usual, the liberals wind up doing just the opposite of their stated intent...
Me married his first wife when he was 17 and she was pregnant with their first child (the old concept of "Doing the right thing").
He stayed married to his first wife until after all the kids were grown, then they had an amicable parting of the ways
Fred stayed single for many years, then met and married his current wife
Compare and contrast Senator McCain, who divorced the wife who stood by him while he was a POW, then married HIS much younger current wife the same year as his divorce (carrying the implication that perhaps he met wife #2 while still married to #1, and #2 was the motivation for the divorce)
Fred will be 65 next month. Lets not push him up to 70 yet.
By the way Hillary is only 5 years younger than him.
She looks like the typical wife of a movie star attending a movie star awards dinner in Hollywood.
No mystery; when in Rome.
Jeri does have the stuff and knows how to flaunt it....she's gorgeous.
But I agree with you, at some point she will have to start looking a little more like a "stately" lady. Too bad......
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