Heinz Kerry's rebuke of writer causes a stir
The buzz at the FleetCenter and beyond yesterday swirled around the two words Teresa Heinz Kerry uttered to an aggressive newspaper columnist the night before: "Shove it."
The blunt words, captured on videotape, became grist for the gossip mill among the gathered media, delegates, and politicians as the utterance was played over and over on CNN while Heinz Kerry prepared for the speech she will deliver tonight to the Democratic National Convention.
It all started when the opinion page editor of the conservative-leaning Pittsburgh
Heinz Kerry told the group, "We need to turn back some of the creeping, un-Pennsylvanian, and sometimes un-American traits that are coming into some of our politics," according to a tape of the encounter recorded by Pittsburgh television station WTAE.
When the opinion editor, Colin McNickle, asked her to explain what she meant by "un-American," the wife of the likely Democratic nominee first denied saying it at least twice. She then conferred with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and others. When she faced McNickle again a short time later, he continued to question her, and she then pointed her finger at the journalist and replied: "You said something I didn't say. Now shove it." She then turned on her heel and walked away.
John Kerry came to his wife's defense yesterday. "I think my wife speaks her mind appropriately," Kerry told reporters. US Senator Hillary Clinton said on CNN's "American Morning," "A lot of Americans are going to say: 'Good for you. You go, girl,' and that's certainly how I feel about it."
Heinz Kerry's freewheeling speaking style sends chills down the spines of Democratic strategists, but is considered a welcome rarity among delegates. Yesterday, Heinz Kerry's frankness won praise: "This is a new era. Believe me, she's a woman of the 2000s," said Jerri Cavalovitch, a retired police communications worker from Pittsburgh attending the convention. "I'd have probably decked him."
Some Republicans were quick to pounce. John Feehery, spokesman for GOP House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, circulated a statement at the FleetCenter saying: "John Kerry's wife is becoming more of an issue. . . . The American people don't select their presidents based on their spouses, but this publicity is not what the Kerry campaign needs now.
The statement concluded, "[S]he promises to be a fun story."
Other Republicans sought distance from the incident, apparently intent on allowing Heinz Kerry's words to stand on their own. Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie declined to comment. Kevin Madden, a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign said only, "She is a spirited campaigner."
Marla Romash, senior adviser to Heinz Kerry, said "This was a moment of utter frustration in response to a right-wing newspaper that has consistently and purposely misrepresented the facts over the years about Mrs. Heinz and her family."
Asked to identify the offending newspaper entries, Romash said, "It wouldn't take anyone long to Google and find examples."
McNickle did not return a phone call yesterday.
The Tribune-Review is owned by Richard Mellon Scaife, a leading supporter of conservative causes and a Bush campaign donor. According to Audit Bureau of Circulation, the paper's largest reported circulation was 181,000.
Promotional material for McNickle, posted on the Tribune-Review website states: "What happens when a conservative commentator infiltrates the Democratic National Convention? An outbreak of the truth. It's a dirty job dealing with liberals, but somebody's gotta do it."
Yesterday, Heinz Kerry was preparing for her prime-time speech, her spokeswoman said. She planned to attend the FleetCenter events last night.
Around Boston, delegates -- Democrats all -- chimed their support for the presumptive nominee's wife.
Pam Snyder, a Democratic county commissioner from Jefferson, Pa., said: "I don't think she's stepping over the line. Everybody has a breaking point. She's human, too."
The setting for the Sunday evening incident was a Pennsylvania delegation reception at the State House in Boston. Heinz Kerry, who was married to the late Republican Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania, still maintains a home in Fox Chapel, Pa.
At the reception, Heinz Kerry spoke of growing up in Pennsylvania and pleaded for civility in American politics, saying the tone in some campaigns nowadays are "un-American." Heinz Kerry said her late husband never took issue with her tendency to speak frankly. Nor does her current husband, she said. "Maybe he wouldn't try to stop me," she quipped to the crowd. "You know, I'm older."
Bill Patton, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, said he attended the speech and that, upon leaving the State House, Heinz Kerry smiled and seemed unperturbed. "She was very happy," he said.
Globe correspondent Sofia Santana and Globe reporter Scott Greenberger contributed to this report.
