Mrs Dennis
[pic at original - gotta hand it to the little guy…]
article1813550.ece>
Essex girl fills White House race with lurve Sarah Baxter, Washington
AN Essex girl may be the first lady with a tongue stud to have set =
her sights on the White House. The wife of Dennis Kucinich, a left- =
wing Democratic congressman and 2008 presidential candidate, is a 29- =
year-old hippie chick from Upminster at the end of London =
Underground=92s District line.
Elizabeth Kucinich, n=E9e Harper, has been on the stump with her =
husband, a 60-year-old anti-war campaigner from Cleveland, Ohio, =
mingling with the likes of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama backstage =
at the Democratic presidential debates. =93There=92s a kind of =
camaraderie,=94 she said.
A 6ft tall willowy redhead who has been compared to Arwen Evenstar, =
the Lord of the Rings character, she towers over her diminutive =
husband. =93Who cares?=94 she said in an interview. =93I like wearing high =
heels so I=92m used to being taller than most men I stand next to.=94
Nor is she bothered by their 31-year age difference. =93I have never =
noticed it at all,=94 she said. =93Dennis is a very mature but young-at- =
heart gentleman and we complement each other.=94
Kucinich met her husband-to-be two years ago when she visited his =
office in the House of Representatives with her boss as a volunteer =
worker for the American Monetary Institute, an offbeat group =
dedicated to reforming the =93unjust monetary system=94.
It was love at first sight for both of them. Immediately after their =
meeting, Dennis Kucinich phoned a friend and said: =93I=92ve met her [my =
future wife].=94
He was mesmerised to receive a business e-mail from Harper with her =
usual signature line from Kama Sutra, one of her favourite films: =
=93Knowing love, I shall allow all things to come and go, to be as =
supple as the wind and take everything that comes with great courage. =
My heart is as open as the sky.=94
He proposed at their second meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and =
they married three months later. The Hollywood actress Shirley =
MacLaine attended their wedding.
=93I knew at once I really wanted to marry this man,=94 Elizabeth said. =
=93When you know it, why hang around?=94 It was Dennis=92s third marriage, =
but by the time he met Elizabeth he had been single for more than 20 =
years.
If Dennis were elected, they would make a great team, Elizabeth said. =
=93Can you imagine what it would be like to have real love in the White =
House and a true union between the masculine and the feminine?=94
There were clues in her childhood that they were destined for each =
other, Elizabeth believes. She lived with her mother, a divorc=E9e, on =
the outskirts of London in a farm labourer=92s dilapidated house that =
was lovingly restored over the years. =93The address was 4, Dennis=92s =
Cottages, Dennis=92s Lane,=94 she said.
Her mother runs a healing and therapy centre and passed on her love =
of new age philosophy to her daughter. Known at school in Essex as =
=93the Jolly Green Giant=94 because of her height, she studied religion =
and theology at Kent University and spent time in India and Tanzania, =
where she worked for Voluntary Service Overseas.
It was in India that she encountered somebody with a tongue stud and =
later had her own implanted =97 a bar with two delicate balls on either =
side.
On her MySpace website she lists one of her favourite bands as =
Coldplay and says her heroes are =93my beautiful husband and anyone =
else who embraces peace=94. She describes Dennis as a =93very =
philosophical, deep thinking person=94 rather than a new age type, but =
he is a vegan, unlike her =97 she still cannot resist occasional dairy =
products.
At Kent she unexpectedly signed up for a master=92s degree in conflict =
resolution after meeting the course lecturer in a pub. She knew she =
had chosen the right subject when her final exam took place on =
September 11, 2001.
=93The rest of the world was sending out its love to America but US =
officials just wanted to kick out. I remember thinking then I=92d love =
to come to America and help them to reconcile with the rest of the =
world,=94 she said.
A shy girl in class, she has now learnt to speak in front of =
thousands of peaceniks and activists on behalf of her husband and his =
presidential campaign. Dennis was slated for his anti-war views when =
he first ran for president in 2004 but now =93represents the voice of =
the majority=94, she said. =93Americans have come to understand he was =
right all along.=94
As the wife of a congressman, she mixes with politicians across the =
political divide. Earlier this month she attended a reception for the =
Queen at the British embassy with Dennis, and was thrilled to meet =
her. =93I have great respect for the royal family because of their =
dedication to public service,=94 she said.
Another of her heroines is Diana, Princess of Wales. When she died, =
Elizabeth=92s mother rang her daughter in tears. =93I was in shock for a =
very long time,=94 Elizabeth said. =93She held an incredible position in =
my heart. I was devastated. There hasn=92t been anyone able to bring =
that compassion back into public life.=94
If Dennis makes it to the White House =97 admittedly an unlikely =
prospect =97 Diana will be the first lady=92s role model. Americans, who =
always loved the princess, would like that, but they might tell =
Elizabeth to lose the tongue stud.