First Ladies
Moms View Message Board: The Kitchen Table (Debating Board): First Ladies
I know that we are not voting for First Ladies, but rather presidents...but can anyone imagion Heinz-Kerry as a first lady??? I was listening to a talk radio show today and it was obvious that they are not big fans of hers, but it did get me to thinking about that. I can't even begin to see her representing our country in any way. Is there something about her that I just don't see???
I made up my mind about her back in June when I found this article about a visit she made to a child-care center.
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?t=Search&doc=/2004/06/30/stories/national/1030194.txt
She said,
Quote:"“You can’t moralize about whether a mother should stay home to raise a child or not,” she said, adding that, too often, it is not financially feasible anyway."
Now, I don't mean to offend working mothers. I was one myself, and my dh and I chose to have me stay home and sacrifice a few things because we knew that it would be the best thing for our family. IMO, society might have fewer troubles with our children if they had a lot more mommies at home to pay attention to them. I believe that Heinz Kerry was pandering for votes by trying to aleviate the feelings of guilt and sorrow that many WOHM's often feel when they leave their children with people they barely know, feelings which are a perfectly natural human part of being a mother.
I obviously vote that if there is any way possible (and there are ways to if you try hard enough) that more moms need to be home with their babies to provide the love and attention that no daycare provider could ever give. To me, it IS a moral issue, and if Mrs. Heinz Kerry becomes our first lady, more and more moms will be listening to her instead of their own consciences.
Dr. Phil had a good show where he interviewed her and John Kerry. She really came across well in the longer format. An intelligent woman with well thought out ideas who's not willing to comprmise ideals. I don't think that plays well when people only have short news clips and small interviews to watch. It actually got me thinking about my not-so-good views of Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan. I think my views of them were more coloured by my politics than I realized and that if I'd seen them in the same format I'd seen Heinz-Kerry I would have liked them a lot more.
I think she'd make a neat first lady for you guys. Not like any that came before but each First Lady seems to re-create that role for themselves. Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton were active politically, Nancy Reagan took a very strong and public stance on social issues, Barbara Bush was a quiet mother figure. The Prime Ministers wives here rarely have such a prominent role and I'm little jealous of the freedom your first ladys have to create themselves.
Laura Bush I'd love to have over for a warm, cozy dinner party. Heinz-Kerry would be my pick for great debates in a book club. Whichever one fills the role will be an asset in my mind.
As for the mentioned quote, I doubt she was pandering. It's seems very much in line with everything else I've heard about her. If anything she would likely be aware that a remark like that would be contraversial so I admire the fact that she still said what she thought.
I do agree that more moms (and dads) could and should be at home with their kids but I don't think that's the moral issue. The moral issue for me would be more something to do with our duty to ensure that children have a loving and secure childhood. A parent at home is part of that but not the whole. I think if I could finish her quote it would go on to say that children should be the wider concern and that moralizing the choice to be a working mom or not shifts the focus from the children, even the father and the family, and lays blame soley at the feet of the woman. It focuses on someone to use as the scapegoat. I don't know if she would have said the same but it's a shame there's only that one quote to go on. I would have liked to have seen a whole conversation with her on that.
I think that it is sad when women are not allowed to have a strong opinion & voice it.
I think the quote I read is very true. Why make mom's feel bad because they have to work by making it a moral issue, in this day & age a lot have too.
I also believe that she would make a good First Lady, I think she is strong, smart, & caring.
Emily, I am sorry that you think that I would not "allow" Mrs. Heinz Kerry to voice her opinion. I, however, am also "allowed" to voice my disagreement with her opinion.
The only thing that I have to say about the Dr Phil interview is just that...it was an interview and edited. They can make things look as good or as bad as they want them to look! I personally think that I have seen enough unedited things that she has said that I would be a nervous wreck having her sit at some big international dinner and just wonder what was going to come out of her mouth!! I personally don't know her...but she doesn't appear to be someone I would really care to know either.
Lisa, I did not mean that you were not allowing her to voice her opinion. I am also very much aware that you are allowed to voice yours. I apologize if it sounded different to you.
I stay at home because I feel that it is important while my children are still young. I don't think that anyone could make me not want to stay at home. But because I stay at home we have no extra money, that is a sacrafice we are willing to make. Not to mention daycare prices are horrible & the waiting lists are LONG.
Oh, come on! You want to debate whether Theresa Heinz Kerry would make a 'good' first lady? What attributes did Laura Bush have that made you believe she would make a good first lady? What exactly do you have against Heinz-Kerry besides the person she's married to?
I can't help but think back on all the first ladies that have come before and wonder how many people believed they weren't "first lady material" based on this, that or the other thing. I'm more concerned about what comes out of the President's mouth than what the first lady says!
The Dr. Phil interview would be edited by the Dr. Phil staff - not the democrats. It certainly wasn't a 'hard' interview so I don't think they could have come out looking particularily bad. I think they looked good in it simply because it had nothing to do with politics and was about a subject most people love to talk about - family. They seemed to be good people (like the Bushes) and it was nice to get to know a bit more about them personally.
As for how she'd do at an international dinner..Probably just fine. Considering her background she's likely an old hand at that sort of thing. Nevermind that big international dinners would likely involve people who enjoyed good debate and conversation with an outspoken person.
http://www.johnkerry.com/about/teresa_heinz_kerry/
There's the site with a bit of background about her. Considering what she's accomplished is no wonder she's an outspoken women...and being an outspoken women obviously didn't hurt a bit considering what she's accomplished. She sounds a bit more interesting than her husband. 
Emily, I accept your apology!
I understand that we won't know what kind of first lady she will be until (or if ) her dh gets elected. However, based on what I have seen and heard, she seems out of touch with middle America. Think about it- she's SO RICH! I heard that she had NEVER been to a Wendy's restaurant and had no idea what a hamburger was.
I have the Dr. Phil show on tape- I just still have to watch it. When I do, I will let you know what I think!
I guess maybe that is the best way to some her up. She is way out of touch with the real world.
Teresa Heinz Kerry brings extraordinary ability, experience, and accomplishment, to her husband’s campaign for President. Her extensive philanthropic work finding solutions to many of the most pressing challenges facing our nation, demonstrates she will be a leader helping our nation explore these issues, such as protecting the environment, our children, and the rights of women. She has been a fighter for human rights, and a strong supporter of the arts.
Born in Mozambique, fluent in several languages, she has combined compassion and common sense to become a force for innovation and social progress as leader of one of the nation's large private foundations. After studying at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of Geneva, she moved to the United States and got a job working for the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations. In 1966, she married Senator John Heinz whom she met when they were graduate students and with whom she had three sons. Shortly after celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in 1991, she lost her husband in a plane crash.
Turning down offers to seek election to her husband's Senate seat to take care of her sons, family and professional responsibilities, she became chairman of The Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies. Under her leadership, the Heinz foundations are widely known for developing innovative strategies to protect the environment, improve education and the lives of young children, reduce the cost of prescription drugs, promote the arts and help women achieve financial economic security. She established the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement in 1996 to educate women about pensions, savings, and retirement security.
Their mutual interest in environmental issues brought Teresa and John together. She was first introduced to John Kerry by Senator Heinz at an Earth Day rally in 1990. In 1992, she met Kerry again at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro when President George H. W. Bush appointed her as part of a State Department Delegation representing U.S. non-governmental organizations. She and Sen. Kerry were married in the presence of her three sons and his two daughters on Memorial Day weekend in 1995. Teresa has received numerous awards and 10 honorary degrees for her many works. In September of last year, she was presented with the Albert Schweitzer Gold Medal for Humanitarianism, for her work protecting the environment, promoting health care and education and uplifting women and children throughout the world. She was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001.
In addition to her three sons and two step-daughters, Teresa is the almost inordinately (but understandably) proud grandmother of one grandchild.
I got this off the Kerry web site.
I think she will be an asset. She obviously has some great achievements under her belt.
Didn't we already have this debate?
I think the interesting thing is that she's the focus of this and not Laura Bush. I don't mean to say it's simply political but because Laura Bush is a more traditionally acceptable wife figure.
Honestly, I think both women should ditch the men, join forces and run to be co-presidents. Then we'd have the best of all worlds.
Laura Bush doesn't like being called the First Lady.
Colette we touched on it in another debate & agreed to leave the wives out of it because of how heated it got.
Ditto Sunny.
Give me a break!
Sorry, I must have missed that posting... sorry I brought it up!
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