Posted on 10/14/2004 7:23:42 AM PDT by xzins
Bob Shieffer brought it up. He asked about the wives in the lives of the two men on stage. George Bush, with a very traditional husband/wife relationship with Laura, said nothing remarkable. (Although he was quite humorous.)
John Kerry, on the other hand, took a nuanced approach that invites questions about what was going on in his answer.
First, his initial answer regarding his wife, Theresa, appears to be passive/aggressive. Kerry began his response trying to identify with the President by saying that he, too, had married up. And then with subtle, nuanced sarcasm, he mentioned that he had "married up" more than most. He was clearly referring to his wife's wealth.
And then he added this line, "I can live with it." (Clearly indicating that his focus was on her money.) His response about Theresa became a joke about his willingness to live off her largesse. Was he really saying that she was his "sugar-momma?" That's what it appeared to be.
What is amazing is that it invites one to reflect on his first wife, another extremely wealthy woman. Are we to assume that he was there with her because he could "live with" that?
In short, Kerry's response demeaned his current wife by referring to her as a means to an end.
What really drives this home is his next series of comments about the strong woman in his life. His wife? Nope, Kerry began speaking of his MOTHER. He went on about her wonderful attributes and what he'd received from her.
We all know that his current wife has been an embarrassment to him. And, his comments about her painted her as a meal ticket on his way "up."
Meal ticket versus Momma.
Would someone tell me what's going on there?
I love my wife, I love my country, I love God.
I'm not defending him, but I don't believe she feels any love for him either. She still refers to John Heinz as "my husband", not "my former husband" or "my first husband". And she still wears the engagement ring that he gave her.
I think she married Kerry just to stay inside Washington social and political circles.
He's squandered plenty of TAHRAAAZA's inheritance (and her son's). He probably already knows his meal ticket is about to run out. Trolling for a RICHER wife. I would bet money on that. When he loses, he's not going to stay with her. He just needed her money to make a run at the WH.
He also never said that he loved Teresa.
Bush certainly did. Because George Bush loves Laura.
I hadn't thought of that, but you are exactly correct.
He didn't even use her name. Wow.
I think he's afraid of her, but willing to go along for the financial ride he gets.
Kerry came across as just another snotty, snobby, snooty, snarky gigolo! Insulting the rest of us "little people", reminding us how rich *he* is, and how *poor* the rest of us are.
He couldn't even mention his wife by name, nor how her strengths have helped him. The only thing he pointed out was how her money has come in handy. They say Mrs. Kerry is a strong woman. I disagree. She might be outspoken, but she certainly didn't show any strength when she picked a loser like him as a spouse. Loneliness tends to make one act on emotion rather than common sense. She laid down with a dog and woke up with fleas.
Good post. I thought this question was a defining moment in the debate last night.
It's almost the inverse of a Kitty Dukakis moment: Kerry failed to say he loved his wife/family when given the chance. Staggering.
Scheiffer threw him a softball and he couldn't say he loved his wife.
In fact, he said more in his answer about Bush's wife than his own wife.
If the standard last night was wooing women voters and if women were still watching at the end of the debate, this was potentially devastating to Kerry.
He couldn't even say he loved his wife or say something nice about her.
He had to go into a lame Al Gore dead relative speech about "integrity" and then lamely try to tie that back to the question about his wife and daughters.
I wonder how TeRAYza would have responded if she was in one of those focus groups last night after he took a rhetorical dump on her like that.
One other thing: Did you see how Schieffer giggled like a school girl on Kerry's lame response on his wife's money? What the heck was that all about?!
Especially since he tends to blame everyone else instead of himself for his failures. Guaranteed he'll put part of the blame on her mouth. I wouldn't want to be a member of that family after November 2nd. There's gonna be alot of anger and hostility going around.
Repeated attempts to give sKerry credit for some intellect by referring to his statements as "nuanced" won't wash. He speaks in carefully rehearsed blurbs triggered by talking points. He is in fact, despite what the MSM says, the slower of the two men, unable to either think on his feet or understand the implication of his statements on the rare occasions when he does speak extemporaneously.
In this exchange, Bush revealed his genuine humanity, kindness and self effacing humility. sKerry, on the other hand, revealed his inability to judge the reaction of the people around him by casting his wife as an object of acquisition, and his mother (this was another carefully rehearsed blurb looking for a place to happen) as someone whose dying wish was that her son develop some character.
This rehearsed drama explains why Cheney's daughter came up twice within a week. They were too stupid to realize that it had a backlash effect the first time. What diplomats these two would make!
He never mentioned her name or said anything about her at all except that she and his daughters had "integrity, integrity, integrity." The camera showed her looking in her lap, hiding. If it had been me sitting there, I would have been fighting back tears. I almost felt sorry for her. I think she is very emotionally dependent on her and he hurt her last night. She has a lot of "issues" and it's his job to protect her. Last night, he showed he was willing to toss her aside to win.
Kerry has put political ambition above his own personal relationship with Theresa. He wasn't so defensive about her at the Democratic Convention. However, once he and his election team realized she was a liability, he hasn't stood up for her publically anymore. IMHO, this puts his mother's admonition, "integrity, integrity, integrity," into clearer perspective. His comments last night weren't lost on Theresa last night. After the debate, she looked very upset.
The security moms need to consider what it means that Kerry could not say "I Love My Wife" when given the opportunity, and given the president's example from which he COULD HAVE COPIED. They need to consider his focus on Theresa as a meal ticket. They need to consider what it means that he is more attached to his Mom's apron strings than he is to his wife. They need to consider what it means that Kerry left his first wife when she developed health problems.
Security moms will realize that Kerry offers no security at all.
No wife, no country, is SECURE with Kerry.....he'll find a nuanced, flip-flop way to leave them holding the bag.
Actually, I think that if Kerry loses, he will blame everyone around him including Tereza and dump her. Again, I almost feel sorry for her.
PERFECT! All of the drugs those idiots did in the 60's/70's REALLY did some damage. Dr Spock for example, ruined an entire generation.
Maybe kerry really wants to "go where he's been".
Kerry makes me sick with his arrogance. In the last debate he tauts the fact that he believes no one in the audience earns as much money as he lays claim to (through his marriage), and in this debate he tauts the fact that no one has married up as high as he has. It should be pretty obvious to common folks like me and many others that he feels "better" than most, if not all, people. I have a feeling this man will one day find himself knocked off his pedastal wondering why the rest of the world doesn't see how worthy he is! Throw up!!!
I'm betting Teresa's lawyers have long had divorce papers written up and at the ready, waiting for Teresa's word.
Did anyone else notice the striking difference last night? First Lady Laura Bush exhibited her usual grace, charm and class. Ta-Ray-Zuh looked like she had just awoke with a real bad hangover.
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