Ketchup Review
Well, what do we have here? Not only does TAM get an Instalanche and a mild rebuking (”I’m tired of the ketchup stuff.”), but Glenn Reynolds also gives us a ketchup review. Not quite on par with Professor Bainbridge’s wine reviews (maybe not always, but this one is good), but it is only a condiment.
Now, to defend Kerry’s House of Ketchup. Other than my periodic linkfest, I rarely link John Kerry to Heinz Co. or ketchup. That’s because Kerry’s wife nor any member of the Heinz family work for the company. Teresa Heinz Kerry has Heinz stock. That’s it. I’ve noted in the past that Bush supporters should lay off the company because it has nothing to do with Kerry and actually backs Bush. I’m not as harsh on Kerry as I was on Howard Dean who I endlessly call “Howard the Duck” and published the periodic Duck Hunt.
Kerry’s House of Ketchup should be taken as a bit of levity. The links to other blogosphere posts are chosen for substance over bombast. I could fill KHoK with nothing but anti-Kerry screeds. I don’t because reading all those would bore me, and I don’t think it adds any value for my readers. Does that mean I link to something unserious or whimsical that shouldn’t be classified as serious? Yup! Because politics should not be all seriousness all the time.
The name will not change. Sorry, Glen, but since I’ll never be as cleaver with the humor as ScrappleFace, I’m going to run with what I’ve got for as long as I can (Hopefully, until the day after Election Day).
As a lifelong Pittsburgher, I can truly say that there is NO connection between John Kerry and the world-famous Heinz ketchup.
Teresa Kerry is the widow of John Heinz, the much-beloved (Republican!) US Senator who died tragically in a helicopter crash. She has NOTHING to do with the Heinz company or its products. Let me repeat that: NOTHING!
Heinz ketchup is a source of local pride. The company employs many people in the Pittsburgh area, and many more worldwide.
The company is inextricably linked to Pittsburgh, and its long and colorful history.
So, most folks around here are simply mortified that it has become a political symbol/very stupid joke. The Heinz company itself has taken great pains to distance themselves from the campaign, with good reason: It’s a condiment, not an issue!
Heinz is also the corporate sponsor of our football stadium, where the Pittsburgh Steelers play. When the Steelers get into the “red zone”, these big ketchup bottles on top of the scoreboard pour “neon” ketchup to get the crowd revved up. It’s a lot of fun!
So, please, ignore this idiocy. Leave our ketchup be, you jagoffs.