THE TERESA PROBLEM

On the other hand, the rest of last night was pretty grim. Kennedy was utterly uninspired; Dean was dreadful (what was I ever thinking when I thought he was a good candidate?); and children should never be allowed on political podiums. Ron Reagan was excruciating, but the issue is a real one, and is one of those where the Democrats can show how the religious right completely controls the current White House. Heinz-Kerry’s speech obviously should not have been given. Until now, I’ve never worried about Teresa in any substantive sense. I love her freshness, her attitude, her difference, and the fact that she is a multi-lingual immigrant. But we won’t be electing her and I have no interest in her half-baked political pablum. It is not a feminist achievement to use your marriage as a device to gain political power. Hillary is now a respectable pol because she got elected. H-K’s lecture was condescending, unnecessary and pointless. We needed to know who she is. We only know a bit more than we did. We found out nothing about her husband. She was also dull – in the way that very rich people often are. It’s been so long that they ever really needed to worry what other people think that they lose the capacity for caring. I just hope to God that Teresa will not be running the White House. For the first time, she’s a net negative in my view of whether Kerry could be a good president.