I’m hoping he meant that a healthy diet makes you look and feel younger.  Which in turn can help you get a younger woman, cause they tend to be attracted to younger looking men.

I’m with Webs.  And anyway, it was a joke, and not one that I, at least, find offensive.  I certainly don’t see anything pedophiley about it, nor do I think it was demeaning to Mrs K in any way.

Nah, Les… this one’s OK.

I certainly can’t see a logical link between veganism and pullination, might just be blind correlation.

And because of that I would at least hope he wasn’t serious, I don’t know the dude

“It certainly doesn’t do much to make me want to vote for the guy.”

Kucinich may not be around much longer. He has a Democratic primary challenger who poses the first threat in years to his congressional seat. If he wants to retain what tiny relevance he has, he’d better forget the White House and start worrying about the House of Representatives.

His record on peace and justice issues and environment is quite solid.  And I can’t think of anything wrong with looking young enough to attract a younger woman.  29 is not exactly “pedophilia”.

Tell me if you feel the same way when you’re 59, Les!

Biological urges and the great emotions they bring don’t stop just because some people don’t find it appropriate.  I suggest a reading of Isaac Asimov’s “The Sensuous Dirty Old Man” and a chill pill.
Personally I find it refreshing that a political figure can be frank about such things without the usual crass christian undertones that we get from the “manly-man” party.  Here we have a liberal vegan who is obviously enjoying a vital, happy existence, and unashamedly so.  Good for him!  I’m sick and tired of busybodies and conservatives trying to dictate what makes an appropriate coupling, or how people should present themselves and their families to the public.  It’s high time that Americans grew up a bit and learned to mind their business.  And if we can’t deal with that, then we will vote for and get what we deserve-another few years of American Taliban Family Values!

Eh, yeah Kucinch is being open about it.  But it doesn’t make him an less of a rich old goat flaunting his trophy wife.  Give it ten, fifteen years for anorexia and bulb-tanning to run their course and she’ll be on the curb like every other trophy wife.  Sorry, but I’m with Les on this one:  Definitely an “EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeewwwwwwww!!!” factor there…

Mind you, it wouldn’t change my vote, because I believe in some wall of separation between private and public lives.  That being said, I still look down my nose at men who are too intimidated by mature, experienced women (or, maybe more importantly, too worried about what all their buddies will think) to date or (gasp!) even marry one. 

Perhaps “The Sensuous Dirty Old Man” should be followed by Garrison Keillor’s “My Stepmother, Myself” poke at “Snow White” for dessert?

cubiclegirl, you have amazing insight.  I’m sure Kucinich himself is unaware of all his shallow, pathetic, evil motives but you see them clearly even though you’ve never met him.  He’ll be devastated when he finds out.

I’m all for politician’s private lives being separate from their public ones, but in this case Kucinich felt the need to bring his private life into the discussion so I’m merely commenting on it. He’s free to have a trophy wife if he feels he needs one, but it’s still a very creepy way to promote his ideas on healthy eating.

I’m with Les and cubiclegrrl on this one. If there is an “alternative lifestyle” that actually makes me uncomfortable, it is when older men marry/date much younger women. It’s not that I think it’s “icky,” but rather that I can never shake the feeling that the woman is either A. a gold-digger, B. being taken advantage of, or C. both. Narrow-minded? Probably, but I can’t deny that this is how I feel.

That said, I actually greatly admire Kucinich as a politician. It’s too bad he has no chance.

Interesting.  So how do we ever again attack anyone for stereotyping another person’s relationships?  Seems any grounds for that is now forever lost.

Let’s see if we can derive a rule or two:

“Two people who are romantically involved may be any combination of race, creed, or gender, but they have to be about the same age, economic status, and apparent attractiveness or they’re not really in love and it has to be something else.”

For all we know, they search for each others’ faces in the crowd, finish each other’s sentences, and enjoy the subtle signals that only lovers know.  And of course, lots of really hot sex.  But hey, they’re not the same age.

“EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeewwwwwwww!!!”

It’s funny.  I used to have similar “icky” feelings about older, sagging women who chased after young, fit men.  In my mind, the women were just horny old hags and the guys were just doing it for kicks, bragging rights, or to boost their self-esteem.  Then one day in my early twenties I found myself in a flirting situation with an attractive lady who was easily 20 years my senior, maybe more(though I have to admit, she was quite fit and well-preserved.) Then I realized just who it was that had been seeing things from an immature, sexist, ageist point of view.  I’m not saying anyone is wrong for having certain “feelings,” but jeez, try not to criticize or draw conclusions until you’ve walked a mile in their orthopedic loafers.

I do also find it ironic that if he was spending his nights, say, fucking another man in the ass, most of the “icky” crowd here would probably be defending him, if only on principle.

Minor point-while he did take the bait and brag about his wife, he didn’t bring it up, if I read the excerpt correctly.  And while I tire of the stereotypical war loving manly-man governator image that is so alive in right-wing politics these days, I also tire of overly sensitive viewpoints that seem to take offense whenever a prominent man scores himself a nice piece of ass.  Love and lust can actually coexist, at least in my experience.  If a sagging grey ballsack is sexy enough for her, more power too them.

Let me try to explain myself again. It’s not so much the age difference that’s icky as much how we went about bragging about it. It was… shallow… at best and it assumed everyone else is just as shallow. It was irritating in the same way that those stupid Axe Body Spray commercials are irritating in suggesting that if you use their product, or eat a certain way, young beautiful women will throw themselves at you regardless of any other factors.

Honestly, I can’t complain too much about the age difference for the simple reason that my own parents had an almost two decade difference in their ages. I’ve said before that my biological father (deceased) was only a few years younger than my grandmother.

Excellent point, DOF. 
I’m not trying to go all “Moloch” here or anything, but your part about “age, economic status, and apparent attractiveness” vs. “race, creed, or gender” has a lot of relevance in my opinion.  I’ve known three couples who are of significantly different ages, the furthest being about a 20 or so year split.  Their relationships are quite solid, and the only problem I see is what might happen when a forty-something suddenly has to take care of an invalid partner-will they be ready, or will they leave the other to handle old age alone?

On the other hand, I have seen many interracial and inter-cultural relationships, and they seem to have a disproportionately high ratio of break-ups.  In my experience, many people date out of their race or culture not for love, but for rebellion against uptight parents or boredom with the status quo.  Once relationship problems kick in(often due to family or societal pressures, granted)the novelty wears off real quick.  Yet many are called racist just for pointing this out.
Comparatively, how many people date or marry far outside their own age group just for the hell of it, or to piss off mom & dad?  Especially for the younger person, there has to be sufficient motivation.  For some, maybe money and security is the motivation.  But some of them must be for real-I know they must, because I know some age-different couples, and none of my friends are rich!

Let me repeat that I don’t necessarily consider couples with extreme age differences to be “icky” (in fact, I specifically stated to the contrary). I don’t think for a second that similar age always correlates with true feelings or love. But I cannot deny that, on its face and without any other information, I’m somewhat suspicious of Tommy Mottola dating a nineteen-year-old. I’m not advocating, as do many bigots, a federal law that prevents Mottola from dating or marrying this young woman, and if they are truly happy together, more power to them. I won’t apologize for being human and feeling ambivalent here, but I do recognize that anyone else’s relationship, regardless of race, orientation, religion, age, or what have you, is no one’s business but the individuals in that relationship.

DOF,

Let’s see if we can derive a rule or two:

“Two people who are romantically involved may be any combination of race, creed, or gender, but they have to be about the same age, economic status, and apparent attractiveness or they’re not really in love and it has to be something else.”

For all we know, they search for each others’ faces in the crowd, finish each other’s sentences, and enjoy the subtle signals that only lovers know.  And of course, lots of really hot sex.  But hey, they’re not the same age.

“EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeewwwwwwww!!!”

I know you’re twisting my words to make a point here, but this is not how I feel. If two consenting adults do genuinely love each other, then all other factors are inconsequential or irrelevant.

DoF:  Your sarcasm is wasted, dear Sir (and I don’t mean “dear Sir” sarcastically).  The stereotyping is intentional.  You’re perceptive enough, and we’ve both hung out here enough that I’d have thought that you’d know that. 

And in the interest of full disclosure, my maternal grandparents were *very* May-December: Grandpa was in his 30s; Grandma was sixteen or seventeen when they married (shotgun wedding, even!).  It’s not like I have delicate sensibilities, coming from that kind of background.

But let’s face it:  The circumstatantial evidence is pretty damning.  After that many years inside the Beltway, Kucinich would have almost superhuman to be immune to what I call the “one cheeseburger too many syndrome”.  The nearly three-decade age difference IS pretty symptomatic, you have to admit.  And so I’m pretty comfortable with the breadth of my painting-brush. 

After guys like Charlie Chaplin and Strom Thurmond and Fred Thompson and James Doohan and such, it’s hard not to get cynical.  Particularly when you’ve seen enough discarded ex-wives trying to put their lives back together while trying to explain to the kids why they’re not living in Daddy’s house anymore.  (Thankfully, I’m not one of them but Mom was.)

What I *do* have a problem with is the flaunting of the age difference like he’s in the effin’ locker room and we’re all supposed to have an envious chuckle at his manly prowess.  (Way to get the women’s vote, Mr. Guiliani--I mean, Mr. Kucinich...) That and seeing capable, stable, talented women tossed out on their ears because the Mister can seal off the bank accounts and ren a better (and marital property laws bedamned). 

So as long as the “locker room” mentality condones (serial) trophy wives--and don’t try to deny that a female politician doing the same damned thing wouldn’t be ridden out of DC on a rail--yeah, I’m gonna push back.  And I’ll be damned if I apologize for being pissed off at the wink-wink-nudge-nudge that rich old goats consider theit god-given right when they treat women as if they have a shelf life.

Maybe we’ll see a society where two people of different ages can marry and people won’t blink at it.  When I see Hillary dump Bill for one of Chelsea’s friends and nobody bats an eyelash, I’ll know we’re there and I’ll be honestly *thrilled* to just STFU.  But until then, I’m going to see guys like Kucinich as just another cheeseburger overdose. 

And while I see certainly see your side of the argument (and, for that matter, respect Neil for having the open-mindedness to date a woman old enough to be his mother), I respect the hell out of Les for having the cajones to stand up to the rest of the locker room by challenging the status quo.  And I’m sorry that I’ll probably never meet Anne.  If Les has those kind of ethics/standards in life-mates, she must be something special.

Oops.  Something got whacked up in the fourth paragraph:  It was supposed to be “...rent a better lawyer (and marital property laws bedamned).

Les, Sadie, cubiclegirl, you have to measure your own paintbrushes.  I’d just like to point out that unlike many other such relationships, Kucinich is relatively as fit as his sig.  For all we know she may be the one who is shallow, and wouldn’t consider being with a man who isn’t a model of physical fitness.

As for the ‘locker room bragging’ thing, apparently he must affect a serious tone whenever he refers to his relationship to his wife.  No joking, you pig!  Bleah.

You could be right, since he’s been divorced twice.  Pretty quick to cynicism, though.  We don’t know what kind of relationships he has with is ex’s, or really much of what makes him tick romantically. Or her either. 

I just hope Senator Craig can find true love, that poor man Now there’s a reasonable object of cynicism, comparatively speaking.

Well said, cubiclegrrl.

DOF,

I just hope Senator Craig can find true love, that poor man

Let’s hope he finds it before he starts blaming those big scary black men. 

The man did not initiate the conversation about his wife, it was started by the interviewer.  His statement of relatively few words sounds like he was surprised and uneasy about mentioning his wife at all.  Like he felt he had to mention something to tie it to the subject matter of his initial statement about being vegan.  And a lot of you are picking on him to satisfy your preconceived notions of who should marry who.

This is one of the few people who are standing up to a constitutional shredding administration.  I’m really disappointed in people dissing the man over a one-liner.

DoF and EdK:  You’re right:  In a way I am certainly being shallow, going after a guy for an off-the-cuff remark.  In the grand scheme of things, it really isn’t a big deal.

However, in the grand scheme of things, the trophy wife culture (and its underlying value-system) *is* a big deal.  Has been a big deal and wrecked a whole lotta lives for millennia.  So I don’t take kindly to the cheerleading some men do for it (nor, in fairness, the way some women play to it for their own gain).  I’m probably a trifle more sensitive to it than most.  When the balance of power in this world is evenly split between men and women, I expect a lot of this to go away.  But in the meantime, it’s just another symptom of the underlying disease.  And I’m gonna stand up to it, even in trivial ways like this.

[Steps down from soapbox]

Btw:  Nice snark about soon-to-be-ex-Senator Craig.  Now THERE’s somebody who needs to do some *serious* self-examination…