We live in the silliest, most superficial country in the world ever and

[efhmc]

that includes 18th century France. A woman, who is a naturalized citizen, gives a speech that calls forth all the old values and beliefs that America did and should still invoke and the pundits/critics say about the speech giver that there was little warmth and that she did not smile enough. Please remind me not to listen to anything before, during and/or after the real speakers and their own personal message. Thanks.

[Kal Belgarion]

1. Just the men

Most, if not all of the female pundits loved it. Just the men on the panels felt "threatened" by a First Lady who isn't like the Mom from "Family Circus".

[efhmc]

6. Female from Christian Science Monitor said that she didn't

smile enough. Great analysis of content.

[flordehinojos]

26. Just for the record,

I thought Teresa Heinz-Kerry wore a smile on her face for most of the speech that she gave, and then there were times when the smile would be peppered with a certain playfulness in her eyes which to me seemed to say something like: There, you see, I can look at truth straight in the eyes, call it, name it and not be afraid of it! I thought it was a certain sort of playfulness which invited the rest of America to stare truth in the face and not be afraid of it. Maybe that is why within seconds of her finishing her speech Joe Scarborough, Tweety Matthews, Howard Fineman and Andrea Mitchell Greenspan were tearing her down on MSNBC.:-)

[southlandshari]

28. Ahhhhhh

I thought she came across as warm, intelligent and happy. And I am one who wasn't a fan before last night. I really am starting to believe that people buy into the Stepford Wife crap and expect no deviation from that robotic demeanor from every woman who steps up to a podium in the political arena.

[donco6]

2. I thought she was impressive.

Especially in the first part, where she set the stage for her talk, that wasn't about "baking cookies with John", but about issues. I really like her.

[cprise]

16. She impressed me too

I had never seen her before.

The speech was not really warm, but it was very personal for me. What I sensed was great experience, intelligence and the gravitas of a Portuguese matriarch. It was eerily like having my late grandmother speak to me about democracy from the other side of the television!

Wow.

[Eric J in MN]

3. Visit The Daily Howler,

www.dailyhowler.com

Bob Somerby of The Daily Howler talks about the banality of press coverage, daily.

[MuseRider]

4. I feel warm just listening to her.

Her smile, her message are both warm and she speaks at times almost as if she was reading poetry. Perhaps it was partly her message for and to women. I find her amazing.

[ronabop]

17. Here's how I see it.

Misogynist with subservient wife: "A man in control, in power."
Man with an equal partner: We are no longer electing one leader, but two.

Our election systems never really understood the idea of equal power in a couple. This causes problems any time the elected does not have a subservient partner.

That is the call to change that people hated Hillary for. A lot of people aren't ready for electing a couple.

-Bop

[Djinn]

5. I don't get the preoccupation with any of the spouses

what does a fist lady actually do anyway? if either Bush or Kerry weer married to dribbling imbeciles (although I gather there's little "if" in relation to Bush) why does it matter really? they're not running for President.

[efhmc]

10. That's is true but when a person has all the attribute of THK, then they

are an asset and should be viewed and used as such. What we really need are many female pres. candidates and then maybe things will be a little more real and not so sterotypical. Americans basically HATE strong women. (My opinion.)

[Cleita]

7. Women, good for cleavage, not speeches.

<sarcasm off>

[LSdemocrat]

8. I really hate pundits

It really is disturbing when you realize that you are smarter than 97% of the pundits and commentators out there.

[kwolf68]

9. I had this argument with my wife tonight

My wife is highly right-wing on womens issues. While I agree with her take that families who choose to have children should sacrifice as much as possible (its not always possible) for their kids and try to have one parent stay at home I completely reject her idea that women "are destined" to be wives and homemakers.

I was disgusted that, "When a human being is born and just so happens to be female her station in life is already set." I told her that was slavery. Needless to say, she went to bed and I stayed up. LOL

[efhmc]

12. Wow. You are a dream man. I stayed at home with my children (lucky

enough to have a spouse that made this happen) and my daughter is staying home with her children because she feels it is important but that does not mean she things of herself as "my kids' Mom". To the contrary, she is constantly dreaming of the day she can go back to work and get paid for that work.

[Zomby Woof]

11. believe it or not

Aaron Brown and 3 panelists (One from the WSJ), all PRAISED her speech,and said good things about her.

Guess I lucked out between that and the CSPAN coverage I watched before CNN afterward.

[efhmc]

14. Wished I had been there. She was so moving and she was also so

evidently moved herself that I was shocked (silly me) to hear the comments I was unfortunately enough to garnish.

[cprise]

19. Intellectuals will really go for her

And probably every human rights activist on earth.

With acute awareness, she lived through the onset and whole terrible history of apartheid.

I could see her up there teetering between self-consciousness and passion for what she knows is right.

[efhmc]

20. What a wonderful phrase, "teetering between self-consciousness and

passion". Beautifully said.

[ugarte]

13. I agree with your headline, but blame it on the idiotic media

After hearing the big media brouhaha over a simple 'Shove it,' I have to believe we truly do have the stupidest media in history.

[efhmc]

15. Sweetie, you and the others here know the difference but many and or

most do not.

[maggrwaggr]

18. the media is being paid to bash her

I don't know why people here expect anything different.

They are doing what they've been told to do.

[mark11727]

21. Isn't anyone going to ask me if I'd rather go to a barbeque with.....

...oh, never mind. </dimwit question>

[efhmc]

24. Okay, who would you rather go to a lovely Portuguese restaurant with?

Okay, this Texan has been to one too many BBQ's and and so has given you an upgrade.

[truth2power]

22. She spoke to my heart.

She has a beautiful speaking voice, and a quiet intensity to her delivery. She spoke of things that matter to me, in a clear and succinct way.

While she was speaking the camera panned to the audience and a man was tapping his forefinger to his forehead and saying something to the person next to him, as if to comment on her intellect.

The Dems get it! And the hopeless press can spin it all they want. Teresa Kerry is the real thing!!

[efhmc]

25. So moving and so real in every way. I loved her.

[liberalmuse]

23. For those who don't have CSPAN...

the 'mute' button is a wonderful thing! Maybe if we don't listen to pundits they'll just go away.

[Window]

27. I loved her speech.

I stopped listening to all news, print and media, after the pukes hijacked the election. I get all my news from DU (thank God for DU). I'm watching the convention on C-Span, without those talking heads who talk out their asses.

[slappypan]

29. we can NEVER smile enough for some people

This is a country where complete strangers feel it's OK to order me to smile when I walk past them on the street. Yeah, some strange man barking "SMILE!" really makes me feel full of sunshine. What is so threatening about a woman with a serious or neutral expression on her face? Must we all run around grinning like overmedicated zombies? Just another symptom of deep-seated misogyny and desire to control others.