When Teresa Talks... (page 2 of 2)

All-Too-Human

She's not the only one who's nervous about the unfolding campaign. You can almost hear the Kerry staffers sucking in their collective breath when Teresa opens her mouth. To her, though, it's a form of liberation after experiencing African dictatorships. "Expressing who you are is extremely important to me," she says. "It's a sign of freedom. And I think most Americans don't understand that, because they've never had to do without. So what some people might think is opinionated isn't being opinionated. It's rejoicing in the fact that I can have opinions."

Still, her off-the-cuff remarks can leave listeners scratching their heads. While laying out the case for her husband's Presidential bid, she says, "I think nobody is truly qualified to be President of the United States. I mean, are you qualified to run the world...not run it, but have that influence? No, nobody is." She goes on to extol her husband's virtues -- he's bright, ethical and a good diplomat -- but the message that hangs in the air is: Vote for John. He's less poorly qualified than the other guy.

On another occasion, a reporter with National Public Radio pointed out during an interview that Heinz Kerry had been a Republican for many years. "Absolutely. And proud of it," Teresa said. She then talked about the first President Bush "whom I love very much. I have voted for him." As if to clear away any confusion, she added, "I don't think the son is the father, and the father's not the son. I prefer the father."

To yet another journalist, she opined that, since her marriage to Kerry, "we've not had a lot of time off. You know, fundraising, fundraising, fundraising. I would like to spend six months with my husband where the word fundraising didn't come up."

However much they may worry about Teresa's candor, Kerry officials profess to seeing her as a huge plus. "She brings energy, excitement and fun," says Stephanie Cutter, the Kerry campaign's communications director. "We traveled for weeks together in Iowa and there were crowds of support for John Kerry -- but by the end of the trip, there were crowds of support for Teresa Heinz Kerry. She speaks her mind, and people very much appreciate that."

Maybe, in fact, her credentials as a moderate will give the Kerry campaign a boost. The Senator has been tagged with the "L" word, and his voting record doesn't give him much ammunition to fight back. Along comes Teresa, pro-choice but admitting to doubts, pro-environment but pushing market-based solutions, pro-women's rights but traditional on matters of family and sex. Undecided voters, who tend to hug the political center, might like the thought that the last voice Kerry hears at night belongs to her.

The most important way she could help her husband, though, is simply to humanize him. It has become almost a mantra: Kerry is cool and aloof. "He's certainly not a 'hail fellow, well met,' " says his friend Senator John McCain. "He works very hard and doesn't spend a lot of time schmoozing."

If anyone can get him smiling and laughing, it's Teresa. "She strengthens him," says Stephanie Cutter. "When they're together, there's a sparkle or a lightness in his eyes that you don't see otherwise."

The problem for Teresa may be that she's all-too-human -- a person without artifice, but also one without much armor. She is more easily hurt than her battle-hardened husband, and he clearly worries that she'll be targeted. Speaking to a reporter, he said, "If they want to attack her, they're going to have to go through me."

Her son Chris is anxious too. "I think my mom takes some of these things more personally. I talk to her about needing to think of this as a game and step outside of herself every now and then."

The woman who didn't want to marry another Senator may have married a President, and now has little choice but to follow her husband to the finish line in November. So she is girding herself the best she can.

"I don't pay attention. I keep doing my work, doing my thing," she says. "What they write, they write. I'm sure there will be stories that I've given birth to children from Mars. And me, coming from Africa, God knows what they'll find in my background."

She laughs and shakes her head. "You know, there are a lot of bored people out there."

Maybe so. But there's a whole lot less boredom now that Teresa Heinz Kerry has taken the stage.

From Reader's Digest - September 2004

 

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• John Kerry On the Record
• Kerry discusses his concerns for the country.
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• Back Into Battle
• War hero and war protester, John Kerry has to prove he's the right man for the nation's toughest job.
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• 16 Books That Define America
• Classic literature to revisit the nation's past.
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• The Teaching of Laura Bush
• She knows a lot about how to keep America strong: It's the children, stupid!
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• Laura Bush: A Second Look at the First Lady
• A new term and Laura Bush is thinking big. Take a second look at the First Lady.
• 
• How to Win in Iraq
• Two Senators give their plans for victory.
• 
• FDR: Voice of Courage
• During troubled times, FDR found a new way to talk to a nation.
• 
• Resolutions for a Better America
• Although you can't single-handedly put an end to political strife or world hunger, you still make a difference. Find out what small actions you can take to create a big impact.
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