John Kerry and

The First Lady: While there is no set role for the First Lady, often understood or implied roles exist for what these women should or should not do. Traditional roles include hostess, being supportive of the president (as a wife), accompanying the president abroad, and recently their own projects, which are generally domestic issues. Hillary Rodham Clinton has sparked new debate about what the role of the First Lady should be, and the two styles of Bush and Heinz Kerry differ on this position.

Description of candidate's position: Heinz Kerry has an interest in the following issues: the environment, human rights, women's rights, education, and democracy. She has worked to promote these issues, both in the U.S. and internationally. Born in Mozambique to Portuguese parents, she is fluent in five languages, including English, Portuguese, and Spanish. She is currently the chair of the Howard Heinz Endowment and Heinz Family Philanthropies, which focus on improving education, decrease prescription drug costs, and economic improvement for women. Kerry Campaign link. If John Kerry were elected president, she has said that she will keep her Heinz Foundation position. Link Speaking candidly, she tells things as she sees them, such as when she told reporter to "shove it" in reference to untrue statements. Heinz Kerry defended this action as honorable: "You know, I defended my rights. I defended my freedom and personally I defended my integrity, and I think any American would do that. And I would certainly applaud them for doing that and find them very weak if they didn't." CBS Interview July 27, 2004

Quotation: Teresa Heinz Kerry has a life of her own, and while she would help to support John Kerry as president, she would not give up herself to do so. Instead, she would do what she feels is right: "What should be expected of the wife of a president is that she be a supportive wife […] 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." August 25, 2004, Kerry Campaign website. In another interview, she commented that the most important thing as a presidential spouse is to keep the president honest and be yourself: "Probably the most important thing a spouse -- eventually I hope it's a man -- of a president has to do is keep them honest, remember who they are, not let people who'll say anything derail them, keep them strong and healthy and keep them hopeful […] They keep asking, 'Who's your favorite first lady, Who are you going to be like,' […] I say I'm going to be me." Detroit Free Press, January 14, 2004

Assessment:

Positive: Sally Kalson, writing about the potential First Ladies, describes Teresa Heinz Kerry as an independent woman, who could help redefine the role of the First Lady while also being an asset to the presidency: "This is a woman who has made her mark running one of the largest independent foundations in the country, […] whose interest in -- and ability to affect -- the environment, education, children and families, art, culture and economic development is widely known; who was born, raised and educated in Africa and Europe; who speaks five languages and is comfortable in international settings […] Heinz Kerry would be every bit as much a role-buster. Early on in this primary campaign, Heinz Kerry was portrayed as something of a loose cannon, beyond the "control" of her husband's handlers. Some voters found that refreshing and hoped she wouldn't change. But whether it was ever an accurate portrayal, the last few weeks have shown her to be an asset to Kerry's campaign." Post Gazette, January 28, 2004

Negative: Naomi Wolf, noted feminist critic, argues that Heinz Kerry is distracting Kerry from his own issues, and potentially disrupting the presidency: "Teresa Heinz Kerry's speech, which all but ignored her husband, did more to emasculate him than the opposition ever could. By publicly shining the light on herself rather than her husband, she opened a symbolic breach in Kerry's archetypal armor […] The charges are sticking because of Teresa Heinz Kerry. Let's start with "Heinz." By retaining her dead husband's name--there is no genteel way to put this--she is publicly, subliminally cuckolding Kerry with the power of another man&emdash;a dead Republican man, at that. Add to that the fact that her first husband was (as she is herself now) vastly more wealthy than her second husband […] you have a recipe for just what Kerry is struggling with now: charges of elitism, unstable family relationships, and an unmanned candidate […] I am a feminist, but I still believe that a candidate's spouse, male or female, needs to understand something that Republicans get now but Democrats still don't: It is not about them. If you are a president's wife--or husband--your life and imagery do not belong just to you. For the duration, you belong to us, and you need to reflect and respect our own aspirations and dreams." New York Magazine, September 27, 2004

Comparison: Laura Bush fits much more of the traditional role of a First Lady, while Teresa Heinz Kerry argues that she would not let the role define her, but let herself define the role. Heinz Kerry brings experience on issues such as the environment, women's rights, what it is like to be an immigrant, among others. Her knowledge of these issues, along with her ability to speak five different languages, would be an asset to the Kerry presidency.

Link to Bush's First Ladies page.

Please note: If this topic interests you, PBS will be airing a special on this topic, entitled "The First Lady: Public Expectations, Private Lives," Monday October 25, 9 p.m. central time on Iowa's Public Television Channel (LPTV). (For other states, please check your local listing by entering your zipcode in the link below.) Margaret Warner will be doing in-depth interviews with First Lady Laura Bush and Teresa Heinz Kerry, as well as former First Ladies. Link