Smoking Gun has Kerry hotel needs: healthy fare, movies, "No Evian"

[DeepModem Mom]

John Kerry Hates Celery!
During 2004 tour, Democrat and wife were more demanding than Dick

MARCH 27--In the spirit of bipartisanship, The Smoking Gun today extends our review of political tour riders across the aisle to examine Senator John Kerry, whose list of demands (and that of his wife) makes Sprite-lovin' Vice President Dick Cheney look like a travelin' rube. The riders for Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry were compiled during the last presidential campaign and were circulated by the Democratic candidate's advance team, a member of which provided them to TSG. The documents (one is actually labeled "Confidential") detail Kerry's food favorites and drop the bombshell that the Massachusetts senator "hates celery." His hotel rider notes that the "phone and the ability to order movies in suite should always be turned on and ready to go for JK's arrival," things that make him "very happy." The more detailed rider, of course, belongs to the politician's spouse, who likes celery and snoozing on a "Heavenly Bed" in a Starwood hotel that has "good air circulation." She also digs flax bread, stone crabs, peanut power butter, filet mignon with veggies, and bottled water apparently run through a "reverse osmosis filter." Why are we not surprised?...

http://www.thesmokinggun.com//archive/0327061kerry1.html

[Mass]

1. Do they have Bush?

[BlueEyedSon]

13. Jack Daniels and mirrored coffee tables.....

[ourbluenation]

31. there went my coffee - Thanks a lot!

:rofl:

[madokie]

15. jim beam, jack daniels, and ten high to remind him just how far he's come

[patcox2]

46. I like Ten High!

Its a bit sweet, makes great manhattans.

[SoCalDem]

61. and one of them Pong-tables... He's a hi-tech guy, y'know

:)

[DeepModem Mom]

17. I have not seen a Bush list. Might be very interesting!

[terip64]

2. I have a reverse osmosis filter and there is nothing like it...

[TallahasseeGrannie]

21. What is it? Like a Brita filter?

[kestrel91316]

29. Brita is just a carbon filter. Reverse osmosis forces the water through

a much smaller filtration system, gets out the maximum amount of undesirables. The units are quite expensive, require electricity; you install them under the sink.

RO is state-of-the-art filtration. If I could afford it I would have it.

[terip64]

39. Mine doesn't have electricity hooked up to it..

I have a tank under my sink about the size of a propane tank.
It was kind of expensive but I paid for it over time at culligan, not that I would recommend culligan or not. I moved into an old farmhouse in MI after living in a city in CT for ever and couldn't take the water out here. It is very hard and when I tried to have a cup of tea I had scum on the rim. OMG! I was dying. So I called culligan and nobody else. I was having a cultural break down at that moment in my life and couldn't believe that I missed city water! I felt as if I had moved to Hooterville. (Now I know I have but I am used to it.) I think I paid 700 hundred seven years ago. Maybe not even that much. But I paid about 20 a month for a while. It was totally worth and I can tell the difference. My water is unbelievable! It doesn't compare to anything bottled and I think it pays for itself after a while.

[terip64]

43. I just found some online for about $300. If you buy bottled water...

it may be worth looking into.

[BlueIris]

54. Thanks!

Kisses!

[terip64]

41. By the way, I love your name! Kestrels are my favorite hawk!

[confludemocrat]

63. NOT expensive--about $250--and worth it in some places

or given the Bush policies on clean air and water, probably a must

[shance]

51. What is it?

:shrug:

[terip64]

52. I am not exactly sure how it works but...

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question29.htm


snip
In reverse osmosis, the idea is to use the membrane to act like an extremely fine filter to create drinkable water from salty (or otherwise contaminated) water. The salty water is put on one side of the membrane and pressure is applied to stop, and then reverse, the osmotic process. It generally takes a lot of pressure and is fairly slow, but it works.
snip

I don't understand the whole process but the result is great. Also, I don't think it takes too long. Sometimes if I am canning or cooking a lot I might run out of filtered water, but very, very seldom.

I have a tank under my sink and a set of filters and then a separate faucet coming out of my sink.

[shance]

68. Thanks Teri. I learned something non-political today*

Who knew I'd learn about reverse osmosis on DU.

The possibilities are endless here.

[MindPilot]

3. Yeah, but I'll bet that John Kerry is fully capable of

making coffee and finding the ice machine without help. He's probably not afraid of the dark either.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Imagine sharing a room with Big Dick, with Fox on all the TVs --

as opposed to catching a flick with JK.

[NewWaveChick1981]

10. I'll hang out with JK anytime!

If I had to be subjected to Faux News 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week, I'd go insane.

JK's cooler anyway. :)

[Sammy Pepys]

4. The Teresa rider....

...is a bit of an eye-roller for me, but JK's doesn't sound so extreme.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. Not at all, IMO. It's primarily his food preferences. nt

[ginnyinWI]

22. THK is very health conscious

She's up on all the latest nutrition info. I was interested in the green bananas--maybe this is an African thing, but my daughter also dislikes ripe bananas.

A reverse-osmosis water filter is a common middle-class thing now--nothing elitist about it. We had one for many years at our last house because of rusty water.

[NewWaveChick1981]

33. I hate overripe bananas too.

I like them slightly green or completely yellow---no brown spots. If they get brown spots on them, I let them continue to get very overripe then freeze them to use in banana bread later. I'm just weird that way. :crazy:

[kestrel91316]

32. She has money and is accustomed to certain things. And as a private

citizen I don't really care. I would want RO filtered water, too, LOL.

Kerry himself is no prima donna.

[karynnj]

40. Actually she asked for nothing that couldn't be

reasonably done by the campaign - they noted that they should carry the filter and the flax bread. Everything else seems normal. She asks less of the hotel than Cheney does.

The other thing to remember is that the Kerrys won the poll in Iowa of hotel and restaurant people as the nicest and "cares about you", so obviously their staffers knew their preferences, likley asked for them without being in the least obnoxious.

[Sammy Pepys]

42. Having worked on campaigns myself...

...it's a bit over the top I think.

[wakeme2008]

5. One big difference IMHO Kerry pays this tab, Dickie wants it comped

just imho..

[NewWaveChick1981]

7. Very healthy menu, with most items available...

...outside of large metropolitan areas. :) I do want to know what "green beens" and a "stationery bike" are, though. (I guess the staffer who wrote it doesn't use spell check!)

I'm glad that came out in all fairness to Uncle Dickless. :P

[Cassandra]

16. Spell check wouldn't fix "stationery".

It's still a word, just misspelled in context.

[NewWaveChick1981]

25. Good point! :) Grammar check instead, then?

Either way, someone else needs to proof things like that before sending them out for general consumption. We don't want to make JK look like an idiot!

[Cassandra]

37. Microsoft programming "grammarcheck"

Scary thought.

[mattclearing]

8. This is totally unfair...Cheney's was a chill-out room, and this

is Kerry's election travel accomodations. Cheney wasn't even staying/eating in his room. This makes Kerry look like a high-maintenance freak by comparison.

[TayTay]

11. I thought it looked like staffers who did their job

and covered the bases. It seems pretty complete.

[DeepModem Mom]

12. Good point. nt

[ginnyinWI]

27. agree

This is the way JK could even live through such a gruelling campaign. As it was it looked to me like he lost about 15-20 pounds between July and October.

[BlueEyedSon]

14. No Tuna halibut or swordfish... very ecologically sound!

Cheney probably dines on bald eagles and baby harp seals

[DeepModem Mom]

19. LOL! No doubt! nt

[zbdent]

18. Cue the "Celery Farmers For Bush"

. . . :eyes:

[ginnyinWI]

28. LOL

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[kentuck]

20. Do you still think Teresa was a positive for Kerry ?

I'm not sure??

[TallahasseeGrannie]

24. No, I don't

I personally thought she was charming but I think that the smear job about her foundation's left leaning contributions brought her down as effectively as her husband's swiftboating.

And then that snarky article in Newsweek capped it, but by then it was over. I think he'd have a hard time getting elected..or even nominated...after that mud flinging.

[confludemocrat]

65. "left-leaning contributions" what does that mean, exactly?

given the Bill O'Reilly framing by a supposed Democrat here, I am curious to know what the disadvantage of her actually rather bland foundations works is consituted of, but impressively done the underhanded jab-in-passing with right wing grade innuendo

[DeepModem Mom]

26. I always consider how someone is filtered through the press.

If she'd been given positive coverage, she would have been a positive. I don't think anybody decided not to vote for Kerry, however, because of Teresa.

[ginnyinWI]

30. I think that if you like JK, you also like THK

I mean if you appreciate a highly intelligent, complex, principled and honest candidate, the fact that his wife also has those qualities is nothing but a plus.
But neither of them fit neatly into any of the usual sterotypes, which probably made some people unhappy.

[karynnj]

44. She was very much a plus in NH and Iowa

per the press accounts. My sister saw her in one of the purple states - and really really liked the speech she gave. So, I think that she was able to reach people who saw her.

I think the press completely distorted her image. There was a NYT article that really described the Kerrys' life in DC before he ran - there were many issues (especially the environment) that both worked on - the article described dinner parties where they brought people together on the issue who had similar interests. Teresa is a very serious thoughtful person who has her own credentials in the environment, women's health and welfare issues and education.

If Kerry runs, I assume that one thing he will attempt to do is to find a way for Teresa's work (and her real personality) to be far better known. With the foundation she has and the things she has worked on - it should be possible. I know changing opinions is hard, but it's possible.

[seabeyond]

70. right. should have divorced her before running. the audacity

first we want to run a president that the repugs will "like" then we insist he has a wife that the repugs will "like"

fuck that shit. and i see no problem what so ever teresa ordering what she did

and yes..... i think teresa is kick ass

[The Witch]

23. He has good taste.

Oh John... :loveya: ... your dietary habits match my own so perfectly... :loveya:...

[Catchawave]

34. If I were the hotel, I would really appreciate

such an advance for important guests' comfort. Nothing funky at all about the JK's requests, just lots of healthy food which probably helped with their jet lagging around the country and overall campaign exhaustion.

[KurtNYC]

35. Interesting avoidance of: spicy, tomato, citrus and chocolate

Food allergies? or interraction with medicine (it says "for the time being")?

[karynnj]

45. He was campaigning within a month of surgery

so that may be likely - there were 2004 pictures of him with chocolate cake - so it may have been earlier.

[kayice]

47. Stomach acid problems probably.....

I'd take JK and TK anyday over Bush/Cheney and the bobbleheads.

I'd vote for and trust John Kerry again....no problem.

[blm]

55. Kerry had prostate cancer surgery in early 2003 so you may be right.

Could be interaction with meds.

[rocktivity]

36. This is nowhere near as neurotic as Cheney's

:headbang:
rocknation

[Senator]

38. All in the tone: preferences vs. REQUIRED (dammit) n/t

[BiggJawn]

48. That's nothing.

When *I* Travel?
Not just a smoke-free room, I want a smoke-free FLOOR! What's the use if the hallway smells like a damn pool hall?
4 pillows.
Extra towels.
Coffee pot in the room, extra coffee, Kona, if possible, extra sugar and creamer.
Western view, so I can see the sunset. Overlooking the pool is very cool.
Iron and ironing board.
No room service, it's invariably always served luke-warm and GREASY. Point me to the good stuff.
SPD pedals on the Spin-Cycle.

And I think celery sucks, too.

[wisteria]

49. This was fun to read. I'm happy to know he tries to eat properly.

He and his wife are favorites of mine.

[cally]

50. I'm impressed with how healthy their food preferences are

No wonder they survived a grueling campaign.

[otohara]

53. When I Had To Cater To The Needs of Famous People

who were mostly rock bands, these demands are nothing....

[Greeby]

56. Maybe its just me

But I'd gladly trade the 44th POTUS's fussy eating habits for Shrub's entire so-called Presidency

[karynnj]

69. Also, these were clearly because he just had surgery

There were many pictures of him with chocolate. Not to mention, one of his daughters saying that he thought chocolate was it's own food group.

[DeepModem Mom]

57. Kicking this, as the subject has come up again after CNN reported...

on it.

[Czolgosz]

58. I'm just glad Karl Rove didn't have this back in '04 or we never woud have

heard the end of it about Kerry's flip-flops on the celery and grilled tuna-halibut and tomato issues (page 1 mentions "grilled tuna, halibut" as options and warns "NEVER order: tomato based products" and says Kerry "hates celery," but page 3 has "grilled fish--NO TUNA, HALIBUT" and suggests "poached egg on tomato" as a breakfast option and page 4 lists "celery" as one of the items to gave "in car/van").

[MH1]

62. Um, page 3 & 4 are Teresa

Only 1 & 2 are JK.

However, fine points like that never stopped Rove, so you might be right.

[Czolgosz]

64. You're right. Lo siento.

[DanCa]

59. Lol

Hotel habbits are people really swayed by this :D
Cmon people issues, issues, issues. Thanks for the levitivity deep modern mom. :D :thumbsup: Your post made me laugh for the first time today. :hug:

[DeepModem Mom]

60. That makes me happy, DanCa!

:hi:

[Pryderi]

66. I await the, "ONLY THE FRENCH EAT HEALTHY FOOD" comments.

[daleo]

67. At least Kerry isn't afraid of the dark, like Cheney is

Recall that Cheney wanted extra lamps, with all lights blazing. The ghosts of the war dead must get to him sometimes.