Heinz Kerry campaigns for husband in the Valley

By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of the Democratic presidential front-runner, said she knows about the struggles of the Mahoning Valley.
That's because she experienced them first-hand in her adoptive hometown of Pittsburgh.
"We have some of the same sicknesses," Heinz Kerry told a crowd of about 150 people Friday during a 30-minute speech at the Oakhill Renaissance Place on Oak Hill Avenue, the site of the former Southside Medical Center. "We share a lot in common from job loss to potential."
Heinz Kerry came to Youngstown to stump for her husband, U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. Kerry is tentatively set to come to Youngstown on Tuesday. The time and location have not been determined.
U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Kerry's closest challenger, will be in the Valley on Sunday. He will hold a town hall meeting at 4 p.m. at the Teamsters Local 377 hall in Youngstown, off of U.S. Route 422. It's been previously reported that he will also meet with locked-out workers at RMI Titanium Co. in Weathersfield Township.
Heinz Kerry said if her husband is the Democratic presidential nominee that it is "absolutely vital" that he win Ohio. The Ohio Democratic primary is March 2.
Rebound
A few weeks before last month's Iowa caucus, Kerry appeared to be a fading candidate. But he gained momentum in the final days leading up to that caucus, won it, and has emerged as the clear front-runner to get the Democratic nomination.
Heinz Kerry said the campaign wasn't surprised by the success.
"We knew differently," she said. "What happened is, Iowa polling was done of Iowans in general, and only Democrats vote in the Democratic caucus. They were polling the wrong thing. You can't make a turnaround, not just in Iowa, but everywhere else without having the best organization and a lot of hard work."
At the Oakhill speech, Heinz Kerry was introduced by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, an early supporter for Howard Dean. With Dean out of the race, Ryan said he will support the Democratic nominee for president, whomever that is.
Heinz Kerry said Pittsburgh was devastated by the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs, but rebounded by focusing on biotechnology. She said Youngstown should find its niche, focus on it and it, too, can rebound.
Heinz Kerry said her husband is committed to retraining workers, promoting start-up businesses and improving education.
Attacking Bush
She criticized the Bush administration, saying it has caused serious damage to the country.
"More than anything else, this country needs an end to cynicism," she said. "The enemy of a democracy is cynicism."
Heinz Kerry accused the Bush administration of alienating our allies, and if her husband is elected president, he would restore those relationships. "We need someone who is cool-headed under fire, purposeful and steady," she said.
While her husband voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement, Heinz Kerry said he had written legislation that was removed that focused on environmental, labor and human rights. "We have to trade with the world and they have to trade with us, but it's going to be fair trade," she said.
She said her husband wants a concerted effort to focus more on science and technology, and believes he can create 500,000 new jobs in the energy sector. Kerry would eliminate the portion of the Bush tax cut that benefited the wealthy, and would institute a program that would allow qualified people to receive four years of free education at a state university in exchange for two years of public service, his wife said.
She also said more money is needed for childhood intervention, particularly in cases where juveniles are at risk of living a life of crime.
Heinz Kerry was married for 25 years to former U.S. Sen. John Heinz of Pittsburgh, who was killed in a 1991 plane crash. She met Kerry a year later and they were married in 1995.
"I've been in Washington for years, and I have never, ever, ever, ever seen such ugliness as what goes on now," she said about the Bush administration.
After the speech, Heinz Kerry was whisked away to a reception at Anthony's on the River. She gave a brief speech there saying that by electing her husband, the country has a chance to turn around the country.
skolnick@vindy.com