19 November 2007

The local girl’s done good but not good enough to be first lady

Elizabeth Harper moved to the USA in 2005. She was 27 and sported a piergced tongue. Now she is Elizabeth Kucinich, wife of Ohio Congressman Denis Kucinich. For a second time Kucinich is aiming to secure the Democrat presidential nomination. His prospects of securing the nomination are not good.


I hadn’t taken much notice of Kucinich’s campaign, so I really wasn’t aware of his young six foot, redhead wife. Let alone her tongue piercing, I had no idea she was a local. Elizabeth Harper is from North Ockendon which is a few miles away. It is a village within the boundary of the London Borough of Havering – the bit of Greater London I live in, although it used to be part of Essex


Elizabeth is an old girl of Coopers Coborn in Upminster, one of the best state schools in the country. She spent a year working in a Mother Theresa orphanage in Agra. She then studied for her Bachelor and Master’s degrees at the University of Kent. She then spent 16 months working in a rural Tanzanian village. Further volunteer work brought her into contact with financial analyst Stephen Zarlenga who hired her to as his assistant at the American Monetary Institute. That brought her into contact with Kucinich and the rest is history.


Elizabeth gets more attention for her looks than her views (and the fact that she is a full kilometre taller than Kucinich) but then I suppose her past work is of little interest in middle or any other part of America.


North Ockendon is not the only part of the Borough with an American connection. Cranham parish church is the last resting place of James Oglethorpe, the founder of the state of Georgia.

15 comments:

Roland Dodds said...

I almost want to vote for the man so that she can be first lady. I know that sounds sexist, but good golly, she is really attractive. Her policies? Oh, I don’t know about any of that.

jams o donnell said...

LOL Roland! what's the GOPer with the trophy wife? Elizabeth makes her look ... well not so hot!

Steve Bates said...

I am very likely voting for Kucinich in the Texas Democratic primary, presuming he is still in the race by the time that primary comes around. Hey, why not! The Texas primaries happen after all the early-birds in other states have had their say, so that the nomination is almost a done deal by the time I vote. Kucinich hasn't a ghost of a chance, but I have nothing to lose by casting a symbolic vote. Although I regret the reason, I am looking forward to a chance to vote as I please rather than casting a strategic vote. What a concept!

(IIRC, Fred Thompson is the GOP candidate with a trophy wife. But I may be wrong.)

MC Fanon said...

I most often hear two praises of Dennis Kucinich:

1) He stands up for the true left in mainstream America.

2) He has a hot wife.

Cheers.

jams o donnell said...

That's the one Steve, the Law and Order actor. It's a shame he has little chance. It looks like Hilary will walk the Democratic nomination? Will Giuliani do likewise for the Republicans? Will the firefighters try and swiftboat him?

He certainly does seem to be more like a Labour Party MP of the non New Labour stripe than a Democrat to me, Dave.

Elizabeth - muy fuego? (or did I just say she is a thunderous fart, my Spanish is non existent!)

Anonymous said...

In the States, everyone gets more attention for their looks than their views - actually, that's getting to be the case here as well. Kucinich is shrill, but he is a truth teller. Shame we don't listen to what our politicians actually say. Oh well, I'm an expat - let them eat cake!

She is a hottie though ;) It's Fred Thompson with the trophy wife - but she's just a plastic doll really.

jams o donnell said...

Sadly so Chris. I find the cult of the z list celebrity very annoying.. and the shows like "I'm a nobody, please help me restart my flagging career" reality shows.

Kucinich is probably the US candidate nearest to my own political stance. but it llooks like his chances are pretty well nigh nil. Ah well it's Oz next for you and your wife?

Colin Campbell said...

I did one of those political quizzes and found that my political views aligned completely with Dennis. I can't imagine Hillary with one of those.

jams o donnell said...

That's where I'll probably align too Colin. Ah well she has Bill for First Lady if she wins!

elasticwaistbandlady said...

The two of them together look like Roger and Jessica Rabbit.

elasticwaistbandlady said...

My oldest daughter was on our local Fox News affiliate last week. A reporter showed up at church during Wednesday night activities and she was in a Young Women of Excellence presentation. I figured it would have something to do about Mitt Romney and his Mormonism, and I was right. My anti-Mormon grandma is even casting her vote for him. I don't like Giulliani but I'm not all that enchanted with Mitt either. What to do? What to do?

elasticwaistbandlady said...

Here's the link:
Sunbum On TV!

She appears about a minute into it singing with the other girls but she's closest to the camera in a black and white outfit. They also dubbed her class singing over scenery shot in front of the Houston Temple.

jams o donnell said...

HAHA EWBL though Jessica Rabbit was hot..... God do I need help!

Romney wouldn't be the first presidential candidate to be hamstrung by his religion. Al Smith got hammered over his catholicism in the 28 election, I believe. To be honest there is no presidential candidate that leaps out at me, not that I get a vote in the matter of course!

It's nice to see Sunbum in action. Your LDS church is a bit more impressive than the one in Hornchurch. Strangely I saw the missionaries in Romford today, I hadn't seen any around in ages!

Incognito said...

Kucinich? He's as wacked out as Gravel and Ron Paul. Not thank you.

Hillary will get the Dem nom and Giuliani the Rep nom.. as you say. who their veep choices will be is anybodys guess.

as for my fuego... literal translation... "very fire."

jams o donnell said...

Kucinich is up for a hiding, the Dem nomination is already Hilary;s. No idea who she will have as a running mate, Wesley Clark, perhaps? I don't know,, anyway I don't get to vote so it's of academic interest.