This and that: just comments that don't fit anywhere else

[TayTay]

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/372469p-316667c.html
12/7/05

Among others sharing their insights, Sen. John Kerry defends the women in his life.

"Teresa is a total contradiction to the public perception," the failed Democratic presidential candidate says about his wife. "If I had to describe her in one word? Nurturing."

And apparently Alexandra Kerry's nipple-revealing red-carpet appearance at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival was more painful than I'd imagined. "My daughter got blindsided by the flashbulbs," he says. "Her dress was terrific without the illumination. What happened was that all these flashbulbs going off simultaneously created a see-through effect. She was mortified and terribly upset. Hey, these things happen. As a father, there's nothing you can do but be there for her."


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[TayTay]

1. Yeah, we are a sports mad town: Kerry staff changes announced

in a column in the sports pages of the Boston Globe (and buried mid-story at that.)

Jon Jennings, a Celtics assistant coach under Chris Ford in the early 1990s, has been hired by Senator John Kerry to be director of the senator's offices in Massachusetts. Jennings has been in politics since leaving the Celtics bench 1994; he worked in the Clinton White House. He staged an unsuccessful run for Congress in Indiana last year . . .

Sigh!

[jenndar]

2. Oh, that is so sweet.

He really is an incredible husband and father.

[karynnj]

3. The comments about Alexandra sound so Kerryish

It's easy to see why it seems his daughters were so close to him. I was great to see that they both admired and respected him, but were completely at ease teasing him about unimportant things.

The whole thing must have been awful for her - especially because it got so much attention because he was her dad.

[LeftyLizzie]

4. So sweet . . .

He really is a good guy, isn't he? That's what I'm always trying to tell people: he may come off as dry or boring, but deep down he's just a genuinely good guy, which is what really counts.

[beachmom]

5. I made the mistake of clicking on a freeper link (yeah, THE freeper site)

about Alexander Kerry. It was that article about how she is going to write a book and the film about the 2004 campaign. The first comment was to post that picture. I literally averted my eyes, and scrolled down because the whole thing was a complete accident, and I feel bad. Anyway, the comments were downright vile. Really awful. Like that being a film director isn't a REAL job, and then nasty things about her body. It just isn't right. I suppose a lot of people give it to the Bush twins, some of it deserving, some not. But, in general, I think it's wrong to go after family. As Kerry's ex-wife once said "Hey, I'M not running for office. What does it have to do with me?". I think she has a point there.

Nevertheless, Kerry does try very hard to protect the women in his life. It's very apparent how much they mean to him.

[Blaukraut]

6. Call me crazy

But I thought that Alexandra looked stunning, despite the see-through dress. She looked classy and beautiful. Maybe it's the European in me, but I didn't think it was a big deal back then at all. Besides, this was Cannes. Topless is de rigeur - at least at the beach :-)

[karynnj]

7. What bothers me is that the press published the pictures

Every reporter had to have seen that the dress was elegant, sexy, but not revealing under normal light. It seems sleazy that they would do this - more so because the woman's family meant that it would get far more distribution than wanted. They had to know it would hurt her.

I do realize that the US is both more sex obsessed and more prudish than Europe.

[Blaukraut]

8. I know what you're saying

Poor Alexandra probably was mortified when the pictures were published over here. That's just the problem - they were printed as they were, with full knowledge of the journalists about how they would be received by the American public. But, I also think that the captions and the context of the photos contributed to the perception.
Overall, I honestly don't think that Americans are more prudish than Europeans per se. The laws about what constitutes obscenity are stricter over here for one. That gives the appearance of prudishness, even though people themselves probably aren't. As to being more sex obsessed, I think that might be true, but only because it is made to seem dirty and forbidden.