Bob Shieffer brought it up. He asked about the wives in the lives of the two men on stage. George Bush, with a very traditional husband/wife relationship with Laura, said nothing remarkable. (Although he was quite humorous.)
John Kerry, on the other hand, took a nuanced approach that invites questions about what was going on in his answer.
First, his initial answer regarding his wife, Theresa, appears to be passive/aggressive. Kerry began his response trying to identify with the President by saying that he, too, had married up. And then with subtle, nuanced sarcasm, he mentioned that he had "married up" more than most. He was clearly referring to his wife's wealth.
And then he added this line, "I can live with it." (Clearly indicating that his focus was on her money.) His response about Theresa became a joke about his willingness to live off her largesse. Was he really saying that she was his "sugar-momma?" That's what it appeared to be.
What is amazing is that it invites one to reflect on his first wife, another extremely wealthy woman. Are we to assume that he was there with her because he could "live with" that?
In short, Kerry's response demeaned his current wife by referring to her as a means to an end.
What really drives this home is his next series of comments about the strong woman in his life. His wife? Nope, Kerry began speaking of his MOTHER. He went on about her wonderful attributes and what he'd received from her.
We all know that his current wife has been an embarrassment to him. And, his comments about her painted her as a meal ticket on his way "up."
Meal ticket versus Momma.
Would someone tell me what's going on there? |
