What the hell is wrong with Teresa Heinz?

It seems to me that there has been a lot of ribbing on Teresa Heinz lately, particularly because she speaks her mind, did not take Kerry's name, and knows six different languages. We have a first lady who has more spine and substance than our two presidantial candidates, and she gets persecuted for it. Good gravy.

 

What is to one person as "speaking her mind' is anothers "loose canon". Some of the critisism is justified. I'm thinking of the "Shove It" statement. The night before the Convention begins, she gives a few remarks at the end of which suggesting it is UnAmerican and UnPennsylvanian for the level of political discoursce to sink so low. This could be been an attempt, while the TV cameras were on, to tone the harsh Anti-Bush remarks. These remarks were tape and she did use the word UnAmerican. A journalist at the end of the remarks attempted to find out, from her, what she meant by UnAmerican. She denied using the word, and eventually told the journalist to shove it. She was wrong. She did use the word. The journalist was correct. He was attempting to get her definition of UnAmerican. She never accounted for herself or regretted the encounter, let alone apologize.
There has been other such occassions. While her first husband was still alive, she called the Democratics and Ted Kennedy in particuar, the same terms she currently decries as UnAmerican.

I don't too many take too seriously her hyphenating her last name. That was a personal decision. I haven't heard any critisism of this.

As for the 6 languages, a person can be just as obnoxious knowing only one language as a dozen languages. On the other hand, they can also be just as warm and inviting knowing 6 languages as with 1. The persons attitude is the main determinate with how they relate with others, not what they know.

 

When I read about that myself I had questions, because she did in fact say UnAmerican and I absolutely hate that term, mostly because the right has used it so much to tell those of us against the war in Iraq. I don't like being called unAmerican simply because I have an opinion that differs from someone else. That in and of it self is unAmerican. The reporter had every right to find out what the hell she was talking about when she said it, just like Republicans should have to define what they mean by it exactly. She simply didn't have a good enough explanation, after trying to say she didn't say it (which was a bad idea). She shouldn't have told the reporter to shove it, but quite frankly, how many times have any of you wanted to tell a reporter, or anyone for that matter to shove it?


Doesn't matter, that isn't going to hurt Kerry's campaign. If anything it makes her appear to be like many other people in this country. I'd love to tell a reporter to shove it! As far as I can tell, most people have forgotten it already.

 

all i know is that Teresa Heinz said un-american traits and the reporter said un-american activities. what else was said during the questioning, i have no clue because i didn't see that and what i know is what the news in my area had on...so there could have been other things. thats all i saw, but i really don't care if she said "shove it", i could care less about that.

though i think people should speak there minds more...more of saying "shove it" and dick cheney dropping "fuck you". i would love seeing more of that. seriously, there just words and if theres a word or words that can carry an impact that is very high, i don't see why not using them.

 

People won't forget this as much as they will set it aside. They have more immediate concerns, such as working, providing shelter for their families, Football training camps starting up, etc. The "Shove It" comment will become a part of the background noise along with much of the rest of this Election cycle hype. Should there be another incident coming from T.H.K., then certainly it will serve as a reminder of what has previously been said and how it was said.

Their explanation was Theresa is a woman who speaks her mind. Sounds like nobody, including John Kerry, wants to cross her. Muzzeling her is not an option. She has a long history of speaking her mind in such a fashion. She will do so again. Question is will she speak her mind in front of cameras or off the record?

 

I've got no problem with her speaking her mind, but she better know what the hell she is talking about before she opens her mouth. And if she doesn't like a reporter's question, or interpretation of something she did in fact say, she cannot run around telling everyone to shove it. She has to back up what she is saying. What if someone asked Bush why he invaded Iraq and the only answer he could come up with is "shove it". I've got no desire to muzzle anyone, everyone should speak their minds, just make sure you have something to say and hard evidence to back it up otherwise, it would be best to keep your mouth shut about it, at least until Kerry is elected.

 

Yep, conservatives hate to see an outspoken woman. It's ridiculous. Out of all the important things she's said, "shove it" is the one people will remember.

 

She's a billionaire pig. I don't listen to what people like her have to say, I'm not an idiot.

 

I would listen, she's gonna be the first lady

Wealth or lack-there-of does not determine whether I'll pay attention to what someone says or not. Sometimes people can't control their financial situation, whether it be good or bad. Their ideas are not to be dismissed based on that alone.

 

I like Theresa Heinz. She has balls even though she's a billionaire... not like one of these stuck up oh-i'm-going-to-sue-you-for-making-me-break-a-nail type of people.

 

So we should listen to the first lady, simply because she is such or going to be such as one stated? Ummm yes very logical. And we should be happy that she is a billionaire that does not get her nails done. Ummm ok. No wonder this country is fucked.

 

As cutelildeadbear has noted, this is a complete copout. The reporter asked her a very simple and valid question about public comments she had made. Rather than explaining herself, she denied making the comments and told him to shove it. This isn't being "outspoken;" it's evasive and obnoxious.

 

That reporter is from a news agency that's been hounding Teresa for a decade or more. It's easy to get annoyed by someone hounding you.

 

Yes Shaggie, it is, but if her husband wants to be president, then quite frankly she better get used to it. I mean it isn't a surprise to her that the media would be there. Duh. And it shouldn't be a surprise to either of them that they are going to be questioned on every little thing they say or do. That is the point of the media, or at least it should be. I really hate it when people who are famous start saying "I miss my privacy". Oh yeah, well then you should have taken a nice office job and lived in a small town where no one gives a flying fuck about you. You know exactly what you are getting into when you hold a press conference. And you know that everyone isn't going to agree with you. Or at least I hope you know that.

See at first, I felt the same way, oh this reporter was being an annoying dick and good for her for standing up for herself, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized she didn't answer the question, simply because she had no answer for the question and she realized at that point she had put her foot in her mouth by using the term unAmerican (which again I will say I hate that word). She was frustrated, which is understandable, but not an excuse. Like Huckfinn said she wasn't being outspoken, outspoken would be Hillary Clinton, this woman is just being a bitch who thinks she can get away with saying whatever she wants without consequence because people will see her as a strong woman. To me saying shove it doesn't make her strong, or even opinionated, it makes her dumb. Had she any intelligence at all she would have come back with at least an answer to the question, or for christs sake something a little more witty than shove it. What is she 12 years old?

I just honestly cannot believe that the reporter was hounding her so much that it is the reporter's fault. Their job is to hound people.

 

I think she should marry Cheney, who told someone 'fuck off' right on the Senate floor.

Anyway, he was hounding her pretty good hoping to create a stink, because she was going to give her speech at the convention in two days.

What Heinz did makes her even more of a target of reporters. It's like the situation before with the baseball players Albert Bell and Jose Canseco who used to get upset with the pitcher and fans. They both became favorite targets because people knew they could get them upset.

 

Yeah I heard about the Cheney thing. I wish I could go to the Senate floor and tell... well everyone there to fuck off.


On a completely unrelated note, I just got back from lunch and while I was out I found the most disturbing thing... ok so it wasn't that bad. They have Bush and Kerry bubblegum cigars.

I think it has all gone a little too far.

 

If they're going to make presidential cigars, they should at least have a Clinton one......

 

The bubblegum cigar thing is actually kind of funny. . .

I'm not a Kerry fan, but I respect Teresa for speaking her mind. And Cheney too, for that matter, even if I want him out of office. I mean, everyone let's off steam every once in a while. Cheney may be a corrupt bastard, but he's still human.

 

I like the way you refer to her as the first lady; let's hope that's more than just wishful thinking.


I saw her speak last week when Kerry came to Portland. Although she speaks her mind, it's clear that she's also uncomfortable speaking in public, and she's not going to like being pressured by reporters. Journalists are going to have to respect that if they want her cooperation.

 

No, a reporter's job is to investigate, to do research, to write stories which are factual and to report them. "Hounding" people is NOT on the job description of a reportor with any class.