Kerry Says His 'Family' Owns SUV, Not He

[FishForLunch]

Only we peeons should not drive Gas guzzling Trucks and SUV's.

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Friday April 23, 2004 12:46 AM


PITTSBURGH (AP) - Does John Kerry, who supports higher automobile fuel economy standards, own a gas-guzzling SUV? He does, but says it belongs to the family, not to him.

During a conference call Thursday with reporters to discuss his upcoming jobs tour through West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, the Democratic presidential candidate was asked whether he owned a Chevrolet Suburban.

``I don't own an SUV,'' said Kerry, who supports increasing existing fuel economy standards to 36 miles per gallon by 2015 in order to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil supplies.

Kerry also has made rising gasoline prices an issue in the campaign against President Bush. In Houston on Thursday, Kerry said the president broke a 2000 campaign pledge to ``jawbone'' oil-producing nations by pressuring them to increase their output.

Kerry thought for a second when asked whether his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, had a Suburban at their Ketchum, Idaho, home. Kerry said he owns and drives a Dodge 600 and recently bought a Chrysler 300M. He said his wife owns the Chevrolet SUV.

``The family has it. I don't have it,'' he said.

Kerry said it's important for his family to buy American cars and pledged to keep car manufacturing jobs in the country if elected. He said he is interested in a hybrid car, and has talked to Ford about making it the ``campaign car.''

``We're going to keep jobs in America and help the industry be more competitive with foreign manufacturers that are building those cars today,'' Kerry said.

The Massachusetts senator said he'll release more details during the jobs tour about his plans to keep jobs in the country.

``I want cars to be made in Michigan, made in America, made'' by the United Auto Workers, Kerry said.

[MavKikiNYC]

News bulletin: Kerry expected to clarify remarks today on wife's SUV ownership. She does NOT own an SUV, rather it is leased with an OPTION to purchase at a later date. But to suggest that he or any member of his family OWNS an SUV is just part of George Bush's and the far-right wing of the Republican party's dirty tricks campaign to discredit him and make him look untrustworthy, unforthcoming, hypocritical and indecisive.

[Dooby]

Just stupid. Why can't he just play it straight?

Q: Do you own an SUV?

A: Yes, I do. I own a Chevy Suburban. One of the finest cars America makes. I recognize that in today's families, the need for space and comfort in the family car are great. But that doesn't mean we should be complacent and not insist that the all automobile manufacturers work to improve overall fuel economy. I think the misguided notion that oil is a overabundant neverendign natural resource has been proved false. If gas is going to be three bucks a gallon, it is only fair and appropriate that government look to raise the standards for fuel economy in new automobiles, whether they be sedans, minvans or SUV's.

[FishForLunch]

It was his family that bought the Audi, not John F'ing Kerry!

At last count, there were eight ``family'' cars and SUVs, including the 1995 Suburban (15 mpg highway, 12 mpg city), a 1993 Land Rover Defender (12 mpg highway, 10 mpg city), a 1989 Jeep Cherokee (20 mpg highway, 16 mpg city), a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee (20 mpg highway, 15 mpg city), a 2001 Audi Allroad (21 mpg highway, 15 mpg city), a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser (25 mpg highway, 20 mpg city), a 1985 Dodge 600 Convertible (26 mpg highway, 23 mpg city), and a 2002 Chrysler 300M (26 mpg highway, 18 mpg city). Kerry, however, only owns up to the latter two.

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April 24, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - One day after John Kerry stressed the importance of buying American cars to keep American jobs, records show that his wife owns a pricey imported German Audi.

The green 2001 Audi Quattro is registered to Teresa Heinz Kerry at their townhouse in Boston's posh Beacon Hill, according to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Her registration is good through February 2005.

That news comes the day after Kerry reluctantly admitted, on Earth Day, that his family owns a gas-guzzling Chevrolet Suburban SUV but blamed it on his wife, saying: "The family has it. I don't have it."

Kerry added that it's important for his family to buy American and vowed to protect American autoworkers' jobs. Next week, he's launching a "jobs tour" that will take him through the industrial heartland, home to many autoworkers.

Kerry left out the pricey Audi import two months ago when he detailed the cars that his family owns to the Detroit News.

Talking to the Detroit paper, Kerry said: "We have some SUVs. We have a Jeep. We have a couple of Chrysler minivans. We have a PT Cruiser up in Boston. I have an old Dodge 600 that I keep in the Senate . . . We also have a Chevy, a big Suburban."

Asked why Mrs. Kerry has a German import, her press secretary, Christine Anderson, replied: "Teresa is not the first American wife not to take her husband's advice on cars."

A Quattro goes for anywhere from $30,000 to $85,000, depending on the model.

Kerry's stepson, Chris Heinz - who's campaigning for the Massachusetts senator - had a brand-new black Ford pickup parked in Manhattan's Meatpacking District last week and was joking that he has to "buy American," sources said.

President Bush drives a white Ford pickup truck that runs on propane at his Texas ranch.

Buying an imported car can be politically disastrous for a presidential candidate in swing industrial states like Michigan - where buying American is a big deal - particularly when candidates are vowing to protect American jobs.

In the 1992 presidential race, Republican challenger Pat Buchanan hit potholes when it turned out his family owned a Mercedes while he was bashing foreign imports. Bush's dad ran a TV ad attacking him on it.

Kerry's own chief strategist, Bob Shrum, pioneered the political use of attacks on foreign-car imports in 1988 with an ad for then-Democratic contender Dick Gephardt that blasted imported Hyundai cars.

Veteran Clinton strategist James Carville spelled out the political impact of car choices to The New York Times a few years ago, saying an import like a Volvo is a bad choice for someone seeking heartland votes and that an SUV can spell trouble.

"If you're very green, an environmentalist, don't go drive a big gas-guzzling SUV," Carville said.

Meanwhile, Kerry yesterday told newspaper editors here that Bush should give the United Nations a bigger role in Iraq because "multilateralism [is] not weakness but strength."

Kerry also issued his strongest statement in favor of Israel's controversial security fence, saying, "I support the building of the security fence."

In the past, Kerry has raised questions about the fence's location.

[kg_veteran]

I'm with Dooby. Kerry should stop acting like a lawyer and just answer questions.

[dude1394]

He can't help it, he's a senator.