# Laura Bush is a multimillionaire **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 2, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148 "2004-10-02T04:04:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/21 "2004-10-02T17:08:43Z")
I could care less how much money Heinz-Kerry (or Laura Bush) might have, unless they’re trying to buy the election. (No evidence of that.) I could care less how they pronounce their names, how they dress, how they wear their hair or who makes a better chocolate chip cookie. I don’t care if a First Lady or potential First Lady sits with her legs wide open while wearing a skirt, chews tobacco or invites the Chippendale dancers over to entertain her and thirty of her best galpals. I also didn’t where Heinz-Kerry was from until she tried to use it for her own advantage. Theresa repeatedly refers to herself as “African-American” when speaking to mainly black audiences. This is nothing but a blatantly pandering attempt to evoke a connection which cannot possibly exist between black-skinned Americans and a privileged, white-skinned European whose birth in Mozambique did not shape enough of an afrocentric identity in her youth (when she lived surrounded by black people) to stop her from moving to South Africa, living there as a privileged white and receiving her education from an all-white university during Apartheid. She personally benefitted from one of the most brutal and insidious forms of racial oppression in the modern era, but now she wants to be buddy-buddy with us, and claim that she’s one of us. No, Theresa, I don’t think so. Is she a strong woman? Sure, she’s strong. But strength doesn’t have to mean stridence, rudeness, brashness nor arrogance – the women on Capitol Hill, Governors Granholm, Lingle, Sibelius or Walker, Condoleeza Rice, Meg Whitman (eBay), Judith Regan (ReganBooks) and Carly Fiorina (Hewlett-Packard) are all excellent examples of that truth. But stridence, rudeness, brashness and arrogance are _exactly_ the traits which garner so much criticism for Heinz-Kerry. She’s supposed to be **helping** her husband in what is essentially a protracted, national job interview, actiing as his representative. But by all appearances, she evinces a distinct lack of willingness to think before she speaks, to consider compromise, consider ramifications, to be diplomatic, to temper herself or her language or to accept that it is entirely possible for her intellectual and social equals to hold differing viewpoints. And all the while, her husband continually supports her, defends her, and has made no effort to keep her off of the front lines, away from reporters or to limit her to written (and carefully vetted) commentary only, without pausing to notice that her continual ad hominems don’t reflect well on him and his campaign. This woman has described America as [hell](http://www.mtv.com/chooseorlose/headlines/news.jhtml?id=1490133), called those who disagree with her husband’s health plan [idiots](http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/9617461.htm) and casually tossed off a [barbed inanity](http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/topstories/articles/0928kerry-fade28.html) indicating that her husband’s campaign could give a damn about an entire state. (And that she has no understanding of the electoral college process.) She’s called her detractors “scumbags.” She’s stated, publicly, that stepchildren should be [treated like pets](http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=45207). These things are offensive. They’re offensive whether they come from a liberal or a conservative, a man or a woman. And more importantly, they illustrate an important reality in the commerce of ideas: when you have to resort to namecalling and pejoratives and outrageousness to get your message across, that indicates a problem with either the points themselves or the person holding them. Theresa, her words and her actions have all been judged, and found lacking. ---
**Author:** ![presidebt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@presidebt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/presidebt)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/22 "2004-10-02T18:01:22Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > The Momma-T bit doesn’t do it for you? The aforementioned shove-it bit right after asking people to be more civil doesn’t strike you as goofy? The odd-ass 60’s-style feminist line she delivered at the DNC? How about the ‘Only an idiot wouldn’t like this’ comment? I have no idea what you are talking about with the Momma-T bit. Please provide a cite. I am familiar with the shove-it remark made at a journalist, but now you’re calling it goofy, not _nuts_. What “odd-ass feminist line” are you refering to? I am also unfamiliar with the “only an idiot…” remark. Could you point out to me the circumstances and provide a news cite? A lot of people here probably know you and so can parse your verbiage. I am not one of them, so please, fill me in. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/23 "2004-10-02T18:06:41Z")
> [@presidebt](#): > > I am also unfamiliar with the “only an idiot…” remark. Could you point out to me the circumstances and provide a news cite? [here:](http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-09-heinz-kerry-health-care_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA) > [@](#): > > “Only an idiot wouldn’t like this [her husband’s health care plan],” Heinz Kerry told the Intelligencer Journal of Lancaster for a story in its Thursday editions. “Of course, there are idiots.” ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/24 "2004-10-02T18:15:27Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > She’s called her detractors “scumbags.” That characterization of her use of that word is in error, the result of a misunderstanding by New York Magazine which was then exaggerated by WorldNetDaily. In fact, she was referring to the generalized existence of scumbags. The actual exchange: THK: “I believe there is a nobility in public service. I believe every citizen can be a public servant. And should be.” Interviewer: “Do you think some of the nobility has gone out of public service?” THK: “Oh, there is [sic] a lot of scumbags everywhere. Not just in politics. In everything. There are a lot of immoral people everywhere.” ---
**Author:** ![presidebt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@presidebt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/presidebt)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/25 "2004-10-02T18:28:36Z")
> [@presidebt](#): > > I am also unfamiliar with the “only an idiot…” remark. Thanks to **TeaElle** I am now familiar with her “idiot” comment, which is indefensible from what I read in her link. And on preview, I see **John Mace** has provided a link for that as well. Thanks to both of you. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/26 "2004-10-02T18:46:54Z")
> [@manhattan](#): > > THK: “I believe there is a nobility in public service. I believe every citizen can be a public servant. And should be.” > > Interviewer: “Do you think some of the nobility has gone out of public service?” > > THK: “Oh, there is [sic] a lot of scumbags everywhere. Not just in politics. In everything. There are a lot of immoral people everywhere.” So is this what part of the stink is? I work in the government, and yes, I know some scumbags personally. They are in the tiny minority, but we do have them. There are “scumbags” everywhere, in every walk of life. To me, it doesn’t matter what Mrs. Kerry or Mrs. Bush say. They are not running for office. In her favor, it is sometimes refreshing to know exactly what she meant, because she said it in a blunt manner. Too often, I feel like the scene from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The Governor gives a little speech, and everyone scratches their heads in confusion. “What did he say? Not a damn thing”. Maybe it’s the moron in me, but I prefer directness. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/27 "2004-10-02T19:53:02Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > The idea that she’s “nuts” is absurd. No, it’s not. > [@](#): > > Was appointed by President George H. W. Bush as part of a State Department delegation representing U.S. non-governmental organizations to an Earth Summit in Rio de Janerio. Anyone who serves as a delegate to “an Earth Summit in Rio de Janerio” is _de facto_ nuts. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/28 "2004-10-02T20:01:38Z")
The thing I don’t get why a nice woman like Laura married Shrub and stuck with him. No actually, the thing I can’t figure out is why she still seems to like him. It’s weird. She really married beneath her level. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/29 "2004-10-02T20:50:53Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > The thing I don’t get why a nice woman like Laura married Shrub and stuck with him. No actually, the thing I can’t figure out is why she still seems to like him. I see why you might think this, but it’s not too hard to see how it could happen. Since 50% of the country like him and think he is a strong leader with a strong moral compass, she simply must be one of those people. The question, of course, then becomes why does 50% of the country like him and think he is a strong leader with a strong moral compass? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/30 "2004-10-02T20:55:17Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > The question, of course, then becomes why does 50% of the country like him and think he is a strong leader with a strong moral compass? Or, conversely, why do 50% of the people in the country think he ISN’T a strong leader with a strong moral compass? As to why Laura married ‘Shrub’ and stuck to him…well, I suppose it COULD be she is in love with him. A better question from my perspective is, why did Hilary marry Billy Boy, and better yet, why did she STAY married to him after his various well publicized affairs? Love? Or politics? A little of both? Something else? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/31 "2004-10-02T21:14:38Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > She’s stated, publicly, that stepchildren should be [treated like pets](http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=45207). You guys are amazing (and I mean \*all \* you guys on the Right. How do you like my broad brush?) The entire quote is > [@](#): > > `I thought, `I love kids, kids love me, I'll be fine.' Baloney,'' Teresa said. `You have to treat stepchildren like pets. You’re nice to them but you don’t get too close or they chew you up. Well, I did it the other way So, she said that as an analogy, that is, that when you first get to know your stepchildren, you should be nice to them, but don’t get too close, or they chew you up. I haven’t had experiences with stepchildren, but in general, with any children, if you become too chummy with them and don’t give them boundaries, they walk all over you, so I can definitely see that being the case with stepchildren as well. Did you actually read the entire quote? Did you simply not get the analogy, or did you indeed get it, but dishonestly misrepresented what she said, just to add one more thing to the “terrible” things she has said. And I love people complaining about the “idiot”, “scumbag” and “shove it” comments from her, when Dick Chenney said “go fuck yourself” to a Senator, and afterwards said “I felt better after saying that”, and nobody from the Right complained how “nuts” he was. I bet most people on the Right were glad he said those words. And now, to feign “indignation” at the “idiot” and “scumbag” comments from Teresa is just plain stupidity and hypocrisy. And one last thing: I’m not familiar with the Boston Herald’s reputation, but from the link you provided, it looks like a piece of shit newspaper. What else can you call it, when, among the other “negatives” they mention about Teresa and John Kerry, they also mention this: > [@](#): > > As for her hubby, the piece says that \*\*Kerry spoke French to Teresa \*\* when he was wooing her, as is his wont. Who gives a damn what language he spoke to her when he was wooing her? Only an imbecile would care. And only a major nutcase would count this as a negative. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/32 "2004-10-02T21:19:29Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > I also didn’t where Heinz-Kerry was from until she tried to use it for her own advantage. Theresa repeatedly refers to herself as “African-American” when speaking to mainly black audiences. This is nothing but a blatantly pandering attempt to evoke a connection which cannot possibly exist between black-skinned Americans and a privileged, white-skinned European whose birth in Mozambique did not shape enough of an afrocentric identity in her youth (when she lived surrounded by black people) to stop her from moving to South Africa, living there as a privileged white and receiving her education from an all-white university during Apartheid. She personally benefitted from one of the most brutal and insidious forms of racial oppression in the modern era, but now she wants to be buddy-buddy with us, and claim that she’s one of us. No, Theresa, I don’t think so. She’s a person from Africa who became an American. Therefore, she is an African-American. I see no reason to exempt white people from the term because of the color of their skin, nor do I see any evidence that Theresa was a supporter of Apartheid. What the hell is the problem here? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/33 "2004-10-02T21:30:43Z")
[Theresa’s views on being First Lady](http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/news/news_2004_0825.html) I especially like: > [@](#): > > Heinz Kerry seemed to take criticisms of herself more philosophically than those against her husband. If Kerry is elected, she said, she’ll conform to her own notion of what it means to be first lady, not anybody else’s. ‘What should be expected of the wife of a president is that she be a supportive wife,’ she said. ‘And that is individual for each couple. Laura Bush is supportive in her own way with her husband; Hillary was supportive in a different way with Bill Clinton. We shouldn’t expect a certain stamp from a woman because she is married to a president.’ > > Every first lady inspires in a different way, she said: ‘Betty Ford was first lady for a short time, yet she made a great impact. She was full of dignity and bravery. Who would have known, so many years later, that she would still be inspiring us?’ > > Note to those contemplating the job of America’s first lady: > > She did it by being herself Good for her. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/34 "2004-10-02T21:45:15Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > Did you actually read the entire quote? Did you simply not get the analogy, or did you indeed get it, but dishonestly misrepresented what she said, just to add one more thing to the “terrible” things she has said. I didn’t dishonestly misrepresent anything. She said that stepchildren should be treated like pets. However she explained what she meant by that, it was a disgusting, offensive thing to say. > [@](#): > > And I love people complaining about the “idiot”, “scumbag” and “shove it” comments from her, when Dick Chenney said “go fuck yourself” to a Senator, and afterwards said “I felt better after saying that”, and nobody from the Right complained how “nuts” he was. I lambasted Cheney for it. It was a severe breach of decorum and an obvious slip of personal feelings into a professional setting. He had no business saying it. But you know what, it was one on one. He didn’t say that every Democrat senator should go fuck themselves, he said that one specific person, with whom he was in heated debate, with whom he a long and ugly history should. That’s quite a bit different than a candidate’s wife saying that I’m an idiot because I disagree one of her candidate husband’s ideas. I don’t like insults, but I particularly dislike being insulted by someone just because I disagree with them. > [@](#): > > And one last thing: I’m not familiar with the Boston Herald’s reputation, but from the link you provided, it looks like a piece of shit newspaper. The Boston Herald is the largest newspaper for Boston and environs, with the 40th highest circulation of major newspapers in the U.S. ([cite](http://powerreporting.com/knight/ma_boston_herald.html)) They’re not some rag, nor a tabloid. You’ve just come to a conclusion about a major U.S. newspaper in a major U.S. city based on **one** sentence in a society column. Does it hurt when your knee jerks that fast and hard? Because it seems like that should hurt. > [@Blalron](#): > > She’s a person from Africa who became an American. Therefore, she is an African-American. I see no reason to exempt white people from the term because of the color of their skin, nor do I see any evidence that Theresa was a supporter of Apartheid. What the hell is the problem here? The problem is context. The problem is that the phrase “African-American” has a fairly concrete meaning which does not include white skinned people born on the African continent, which is why she only describes herself that way to mainly black audiences. The problem is that it’s a thinly transparent ploy, an attempt to falsely create an affinity with an audience by illegitimately using a label which only gets dragged out in circumstances when it benefits her. And I did not accuse Theresa of supporting Apartheid, I accused her, rightly, of benefitting from it, inasmuch as she had access to benefits, facilities, amenities, housing, education, opportunities and services, and enjoyed numerous unequal protections under the law compared to those without white skin. And it was a situation that she willfully chose for herself when numerous other options existed for her. Unless there is some evidence that she lived, shopped and braved the circumstances of a black township while she was there, it’s simple fact. ---
**Author:** ![presidebt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@presidebt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/presidebt)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/35 "2004-10-02T21:47:21Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > Since 50% of the country like him and think he is a strong leader with a strong moral compass, she simply must be one of those people. Nitpick: _roughly_ half of voters, according to polls–that’s _nothing like_ 50% of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/36 "2004-10-02T21:50:55Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > The Boston Herald is the largest newspaper for Boston and environs, with the 40th highest circulation of major newspapers in the U.S. ([cite](http://powerreporting.com/knight/ma_boston_herald.html)) They’re not some rag, nor a tabloid. A large circulation does not imply quality. Fox News, for example, has very high ratings. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/37 "2004-10-02T21:59:37Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > A large circulation does not imply quality. Fox News, for example, has very high ratings. In any case, I checked out the main website of Boston Herald and they don’t seem that bad (Although their top story right now is “Amy Fisher seeks to put tabloid reputation behind her”) Their “Election 2004” section does seem quite good, from some quick reading I did. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/38 "2004-10-02T22:05:41Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > In any case, I checked out the main website of Boston Herald and they don’t seem that bad (Although their top story right now is “Amy Fisher seeks to put tabloid reputation behind her”) > Their “Election 2004” section does seem quite good, from some quick reading I did. That article on Teresa Heinz was still a piece of shit, though. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/39 "2004-10-02T22:39:11Z")
> [@](#): > > The problem is context. The problem is that the phrase “African-American” has a fairly concrete meaning which does not include white skinned people born on the African continent, which is why she only describes herself that way to mainly black audiences. Theresa Heinz Kerry is an African-American. The fact that the image usually conjured up by the term is usually a dark skinned does not prevent other possible uses of the term from being employed. Your insistance that only people with dark skin are allowed to use the term is the same type of Politically Correct crap that _conservatives_ rightfully criticize. The fact that conservatives are now playing the race card shows their complete lack of intellectual consistancy. > [@](#): > > The problem is that it’s a thinly transparent ploy, an attempt to falsely create an affinity with an audience by illegitimately using a label which only gets dragged out in circumstances when it benefits her. She lived in the same country in which Apartheid occurred. She saw what happened, she was there. She may not have personally suffered it, but she is still in a greater position to understand than you or I. She can create any damned affinity she damned well pleases. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148/40 "2004-10-02T23:51:58Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > She can create any damned affinity she damned well pleases. And I, as a black woman, can tell her to take her phony affinity and shove it, a phrase and concept with which she is well acquainted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-bush-is-a-multimillionaire/267148.md?page=3)