# Does Teresa Heinz Kerry speak English? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 11, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510 "2004-07-11T02:03:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/41 "2004-07-11T11:05:00Z")
I don’t suppose we have a link to an audio file anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/42 "2004-07-11T11:05:42Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > I’m sorry but it seems to me that calling a relatively benign person such as Laura Bush a “rictus-grinning, stick-up-her-ass, stepford-wife” is a much more egregious insult than saying Theresa Kerry probably speaks French. But I’ve seen no recriminations in that regard. This seems to speak more of partisan bias than of actual assholism, it seems to me. Err. No. Lets try this again. “Rictus-grinning, stick-up-her-ass, stepford-wife” _is_ a more egregious insult than saying someone can speak French…because saying someone can speak French is not an insult. Implying that it is makes you an asshole because it’s…just so dumb. That’s what the recriminations have been about. What potential first lady deserves insult is not currently the issue…although I supposes if you want to defend Laura Bush against chages of rictus grinning or find something i_genuinaly_ insulting to say about Theresa Kerry, just to even things up, you could. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/43 "2004-07-11T12:45:32Z")
Just one more brick in the wall of “them and us” that makes up a very important, albeit covert, part of the campaign for Bush & Co. By innuendo, if Mrs Kerry speaks with an accent, if she speaks a foreign language, then she is different and by extension Senator Kerry is different and not at all like us God fearing, church going, English only, %100 red blooded ‘mericans. Yes, I know the President speaks some Spanish, but he is saved by the fact that he doesn’t speak it very well. It is just part of the politics of divisiveness that is a mainstay of the President’s reelection campaign. It is done because it works. It works because some people really are xenophobic and at the gut level hate and fear foreigners. Bush’s supporters know he needs every vote he can get and are determined to either get that vote or at least deprive Senator Kerry of that vote by any means, fair or foul. The President will not point out that Senator Kerry speaks French or that his wife is foreign born but his toadies, running dogs and wind-bags side kicks sure will. For people who can’t see the difference between electing the President and electing the Homecoming King of East Harness Buckle High this sort of cheap shot can make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/44 "2004-07-11T13:21:48Z")
> [@Mr. Moto](#): > > Theresa Heinz Kerry was once a Republican, true, but she was never a conservative Republican. Her politics haven’t shifted much, by any account. She became more vocal in them after Senator Heinz passed on. Indeed, one could argue that it’s Theresa who’s been steadfast in her Republican principles, while the Republican Party has veered hard right away from the party that embraced Nelson Rockefeller and Barry Goldwater (and, I assume, Senator Heinz as well). I grew up in the '50s and '60s in a Republican family, and what passes for Republicanism these days, at least what’s in control of the government, is a far cry from what the party was like then. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/45 "2004-07-11T13:42:46Z")
Actually, I think Bush speaks Spanish better than he speaks English. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/46 "2004-07-11T13:48:07Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Actually, I think Bush speaks Spanish better than he speaks English. Well, there you go again, **Lib** – damning with faint praise. 😉 [sub]Guess I’ve used up today’s allotment of catchphrases, huh?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/47 "2004-07-11T13:49:50Z")
Oh, yeah. Any minute now, someone will be along to tell me that I’m reciting the GOP talking points. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/48 "2004-07-11T13:50:53Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > **milroyj** , would you care to explain what you meant with that? > > Thank you. Hmm, hello?, **milroyj** , are you answering or what? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/49 "2004-07-11T13:54:34Z")
¿Como se dice en español “nuclear”? **milroyj** , perhaps you misread the sign. This board is about \*fighting \* ignorance, not glorifying it. The ability to speak and understand other languages is a \*good \* thing. What the hell did you think? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/50 "2004-07-11T14:01:05Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Indeed, one could argue that it’s Theresa who’s been steadfast in her Republican principles, while the Republican Party has veered hard right away from the party that embraced Nelson Rockefeller and Barry Goldwater (and, I assume, Senator Heinz as well). I grew up in the '50s and '60s in a Republican family, and what passes for Republicanism these days, at least what’s in control of the government, is a far cry from what the party was like then. Oh, I **so** agree with you on this! I think she talks purty! ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/51 "2004-07-11T14:28:51Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > ¿Como se dice en español “nuclear”? “Nuclear” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/52 "2004-07-11T14:47:58Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Actually, I think Bush speaks Spanish better than he speaks English. Depends on whether he’s speaking or reciting, in either case. He can be a decent reciter. As a speaker, oh vey. Kerry’s main problem is that he speaks too MUCH English… at a time. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/53 "2004-07-11T15:22:33Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > Speaking as a bona fide ('scuse my French) Ovaried Murkin, I’ve never remotely considered _any_ First Lady as anything beyond a person who happened to be married to the President. Some of 'em have used the unofficial position–and that’s what it is–as a bully pulpit for particular interests, but none of 'em should be slammed either way. > The more realistic expectation, IMO, is whether the individual can withstand the crap and fallout associated with the position while handling the unavoidable ceremonial tasks with reasonable grace. Oddly enough I rather regard Bess Truman as the nadir for First Ladies, simply because she made her loathing of the position obvious to the point of simply walking away from it as often as possible. My sole reservation about Nancy Reagan, she of “The Gaze” fame, was her public pissing match with Raisa Gorbachev. (I think it was PJ O’Rourke who dubbed them “catty clothes horses.”) And that was a minor blip. > I don’t vote for 'em and the most I expect is that they handle the public hostessy aspects with due care. AFAIK Laura Bush has conducted herself just fine. Can we get a grip here? Like it or not, they’re still people behind the glare of public scrutiny and microscopic dissection. Four years, much less a potential eight, are a helluva span for any family. > IMO Laura Bush has made an honorable job of the amorphous position, and so would Teresa Kerry. Their styles are different, but I emphatically reject the implication that the ability to communicate across languages is anything but admirable. No lifemate should be faulted for balancing actual family concerns beyond the minimal ceremonial demands. But regarding facility in other languages and cultures with suspicion is just plain hateful, unforgiveably parochial and stupid. That attitude is _comtemptible_, **milroyj**. > > Veb Without being accused of currying favor of Moderators, can I say that this was one of the finest statements in defense of a group of individuals ever to grace this board? _Beautiful_ job, **TVeb**! ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/54 "2004-07-11T15:32:28Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > Wait… What? So you posted an answer to what you **thought** was a GQ thread and then deleted your post because the thread had been “moved” to the pit? “Factual response[s]” aren’t suitable for the pit, or what? But then you posted it anyway? > > Sorry, I don’t get it. 😕 Who knows? Maybe it was just a rookie mistake. I don’t get it, either, but he doesn’t seem interested in explaining further. ---
**Author:** ![Daisy\_Mae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daisy\_Mae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daisy_Mae)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/55 "2004-07-11T16:53:18Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Actually, I think Bush speaks Spanish better than he speaks English. Don’t you mean Mexican? “Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican.”— Dubya, declining to answer reporters’ questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada 4/21/01 - an oldie but still a goodie. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/56 "2004-07-11T17:29:09Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Hmm, hello?, **milroyj** , are you answering or what? It was a lame crack, is all. Not really sure why everyone is so up in arms about it. And I have to agree with **Starving Artist**. Two mods and an admin have posted to this thread, with barely a passing comment on: > [@](#): > > Does rictus-grinning, stick-up-her-ass, stepford-wife Laura Bush but a French joke makes me a contemptible asshole? Huh? P.S. Before **Ale** or anyone else makes insinuations about my not replying in a timely fashion, I am going out to enjoy my Sunday, and won’t be able to respond until later this evening. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/57 "2004-07-11T18:08:42Z")
You’re right **milroyj**. That post didn’t make you a contemptible asshole. You already were one. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/58 "2004-07-11T18:40:36Z")
Martin Van Buren (8th president of the United States) spoke Dutch as his first language. Also, if I am not mistaken, most of the “founding fathers” were Francophiles and spoke French (even in correspondence to other English speakers!), especially Adams and Jefferson. Besides, even if you dislike France, many native French speakers on this planet are not “French” at all. Anyway, I think its egregious to suggest Teresa Heinz-Kerry speaks poor English. Most people seem to understand her just fine, and she seems to have a better grasp on English grammar than certain American born political figures. Yes she does have a “foreign accent” (i.e. influenced by non-English phonetics), but so do millions of native-born Americans; including many between New Orleans to East L.A. - or those from the upper reaches of New England or the southern end of Florida. Then again while bonehead Republicans bash Teresa’s accent, some bonehead Democrats tried to say the same thing about Arnold Schwarzenegger not pronouncing California correctly and other such nonsense. Its silly. ---
**Author:** ![Brandus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Brandus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brandus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/59 "2004-07-11T18:56:16Z")
> [@syncrolecyne](#): > > Also, if I am not mistaken, most of the “founding fathers” were Francophiles and spoke French (even in correspondence to other English speakers!), especially Adams and Jefferson. Except Alexander Hamilton, he loathed France and was an Anglophile. Yet another one of the sticking points in his relationship with Jefferson. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510/60 "2004-07-11T19:26:45Z")
> [@Daisy Mae](#): > > Don’t you mean Mexican? > > “Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican.”— Dubya, declining to answer reporters’ questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada 4/21/01 - an oldie but still a goodie. To do him justice, it’s worth noting that Mexican Spanish is highly dialectal (actually, several different dialects) and he could have been aware of that, having been Governor of a neighboring state with a fair-sized population of Mexican-Americans. I have a hunch that’s not correct, but fairness suggests giving the man a break occasionally, and assuming the best, when it’s not a matter of rights or such. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-teresa-heinz-kerry-speak-english/254510.md?page=4)