Not in the single issue that overwhelms all others right now, the military-industrial complex. Dismantling the empire would greatly reduce the size of government. So they can both say they are in favor of that.

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If there's any hope what so ever of a United States of America, it will be in the form of a renegade Ticket outside the 2-party Gridlocked Beltway.

We simply must put aside our differences long enough to address the 800lb. gorilla: Military, Intelligence, Executive Office, K-Street, Foreign Policy, all Completely Out of Control, Unaccountable to the People, Corrupt and Wealthy and Borderless, burying our Constitution 6 feet under with Billions of Dollars in Plunder accrued over the past 50 years. They'll buy what they can't steal, what they can't undermine, what they can't disappear, including you and me. It's called the Shadow Government and it's not going anywhere without a massive Popular Revolt.

Paul said recently Kucinich was his 1st choice among the existing candidates if he himself does not gain the nomination. I suspect both Kucinich and Paul are wiser than the average American, in that they both realize that fighting the MIC cannot be done without the Executive Office (something JFK knew, and Eisenhower warned of).

Please, please, consider this an opportunity of a life time, should they both agree to abandon their useless parties.

Imagine... Tree-Huggers and Gun-Slingers working together for the Liberty to Hug Trees and Bare Arms!

Hope this Flies: Paul/Kucinich Constitution Ticket, '08

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He can say that he's not too partisan if he has a republican as a running mate, and ROn paul is the best chocie out of all the Republicans.

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I really hope that Paul reconsiders and decides to run with Kucinich on a platform that incorporates everything they agree with and compromises on things they don't.

However, it really should be Kucinich as the VP, since Paul has so much more money and support.

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I did have some inkling of home for Kucinich, but he flushed it all away by talking about Ron Paul. Paul is a very scary crypto-anarchist. His vision is one of 50 little tyrannical states, each with its own peculiar form of oppression, while the federal government fades into meaninglessness. Some state will suffer a natural disaster and all the other states will tell it to pound sand and deal with its own problems. It's anarchy, I tell you.

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All others are corrupt Stepford stooges mounted by the corporate crime machine they work for.

As to other commentators here that suggest Paul is some kind of Fascist? This is utter nonsense. Paul is as scrupulously honest as Kucinich and gave his services as a doctor to the poor in his district (most Hispanic and black).

Paul does want the government shrunken down and less intrusive than it has become. I can’t fault him for that and obviously Kucinich doesn’t either (government was ballooned up by almost 40% by the neo-cons).

Both would nix the bogus “war on terror” that has genocided a million Iraqis along with thousands of Americans.

Most important both would abolish the Orwellian “Federal Reserve” Corp that has nothing to do with federal and only has a “reserve” of counterfeit money it prints out of thin air. Play money that the “Fed” uses to extort real debt and interest from gullible Americans. If there is such a thing as a dark heart of Fascism this would be it.

Whether or not they could resolve their other differences is another issue.

I originally thought they were incompatible outside of nixing “war on terror” and the “Fed” sham. Perhaps they are, perhaps they are not.

What is certain is both are genuine and honest as they come. The others are anything but.

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Didn't Abraham Lincoln ultimately bring his rivals on board as members of his cabinet?

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I love kuci but it's not going to happen. Ron paul and kuci have a few things in common and respect each other but their stance on gov. is very very different.

At this point it'd be much better for kuci to do this than for ron paul to do this.

He has to keep his eyes on the prize and work for his supporters, not for kucinichs.

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Hey, America needs more humor writing.

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Mr. Benen stated the following:

"Presidential candidates, when considering running mates, are supposed to eye those who agree with them on the future. Ideally, the two would be partners, aiming for the same goals."

Until Gov. Bill Clinton selected Sen. Al Gore, most presidential candidates did NOT pick VP candidates who agreed with them on very much of anything. The standard line has traditionally been something like "I picked them because I could die" or some other reference to a person's leadership ability; however, truthful reality indicates that a VP candidate was usually selected to buy the lead candidate a few more undecided votes. Reagan picked Bush because Bush appeared to be sane, where Reagan's detractors did not believe Reagan was. Carter, a Southern conservative Governor, picked a northern liberal Senator in Mondale. JFK loses without a Southerner on the ticket, even though it was unlikely (at the time) that he (LBJ) would have supported a civil rights agenda.

The choice of a VP candidate really has very little to do with whether or not a presidential candidate gets elected. Of the four major party contenders on the 1988 ballot, Lloyd Bensten looked to be the only candidate who even seemed presidential, but his running mate, Gov. Michael Dukakis lost in a landslide to the Bush/Quayle ticket.

Having said all of that, I am a Dennis Kucinich supporter. I do not like, nor agree with Ron Paul on very much of anything. Even his reasons for opposing the Iraq War I find a little suspicious, and he certainly would oppose the creation of new government department such as the Department of Peace, which I would fully support. The point of the article seems correct; the statements reflect an immature, adolescent reading of history.

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While Dennis' idea of a Kucinich/Paul ticket is sound, because it will convincingly bring far more dem voters into the picture, a much better, practical approach is a Paul/Kucinich run. I have nothing against Dennis, but Ron is a very good speaker and is far more convincing as a presidential candidate. Nevertheless, there is a hopeful synergy in bringing together candidates from opposing parties. Let's see how the wind blows....

RON PAUL 2009!!!!

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i am so sick and tired of the media giving so little credit to the candidates who really care about the people of this country.we don't want to be told who we should vote for by the corporate run media.
kucinich, paul and gravel speak for most americans.we don't want candidates that are bought by corporate lobbyists. we want people who will protect our constitutional rights.we want candidates we can trust to tell us the truth. i don't believe any of the front runners, either dems of reps, can be trusted to run this country.

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Um, Kucinich does have a sense of humor, you know -- and a refreshing one, bearing in mind how little genuine humor most of the other candidates (on both sides) possess. And one of the classic ways of making a point is through humorous juxtaposition of apparent opposites.

I think Kucinich made an excellent point, and did so with wit.

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Is this AlterNet or FOX News? Jesus Christ....

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First Amendment protector
Peter Macdonald 465 Packersfalls rd Lee NH 03824 603-659-6217
How can the Loeb school have a contest for free speech where the judges refuse to print the opinion of the people. The Union leader edits peoples letters to alter the peoples free expression. The Fosters refuses to print letters that they disagree with. All the other newspaper judges follow suit. I enter my name in this contest as a motivator of free speech. Since 1999 I have been helping a Madbury NH family with a zoning issue. The Madbury NH selectmen use their government powers to seek revenge on local residents that the selectmen do not like. The selectmen do not deny this criminal action under oath. Judge Peter Fauver violates the Constitution 29 or more times to protect these selectmen. The NH Supreme Court refuse to hear the case to protect the legal monopoly file # 2003-0477. I have volunteer helped this Madbury family since 1999. This family was so desperate they called me because of a letter to the editor that they read in the paper. Freedom of expression allowed this family hope.
To stop me a NH judge found me guilty of a crime with no trial or charges. I was declared a terrorist and lost my freedom for 6 months before the bogus charges were dropped. The NH state police come to my home and wife’s work to scare her to get me to stop my volunteer helping this family. NH governor Lynch charges me $200.00 to speak with him, then he stiffs me. I write truth full letters every day which every fact can be verified as truth. I send these letters to all government officials, judges and newspapers if libel were possible I would be stopped. Truth is a powerful weapon. NH Congress woman Shea-Porter had me arrested Dover Police file # 7002-942 to stop my free speech. When that did not work she had VA Dr Biswas sign a involuntary commitment order to have me locked up for 90 days. When that failed she had a Terrorist agent flown up form DC to arrest me. Now my VA medical has been stopped. I am a 100% disabled Veteran. I was injured three times doing my tour. I spent 31 months over seas. I was injured twice on separate combat support missions. I was an American Advisor on Eight convoys. My first kill flashes daily through my head. To use ones service connected medical condition as a weapon to stop free speech and the newspapers refuse to print the truth mocks your contest judges. Thomas Jefferson one wrote “the basis of our government being the opinion of the People, the very first object should be to keep that right: and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers with out a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that everyman should receive those papers and be capable of reading them”. For any one of these judges to read my motivator letter and not be compelled to print it in their own newspaper the opinion of the people places questions on your contest ethics.
Peter Macdonald Sgt USMC Semper Fi LIVE FREE OR DIE

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We have Bushandco in office and you think Kucinich and Paul sounds strange?

A match made in Hell -may be just what we need!
Bring this fractured angry country together.
At least Paul really believes in what he says.

Are you listening Democrats? People don't like Hillary. People don't trust Obama. You want that nut from New York City to win???

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Sorry, WitchyNy, didnt intend to rate your comment a 2 -accidental mouse-click courtesy of my African Gray parrot off her perch wreaking havoc!

Dennis and Dr. Paul have so much in common on critical issues --such as shrinking the military industrial complex (and therefore the size of government and budgets and so on)-- that their differences make for a constructive and healthy discussion and would result in thoughtful consideration. Savings from cutting military budgets could more than pay for everything Dennis wants (several times over) and still vastly reduce government spending overall as Dr. Paul wants. Recall the Oreo Cookie budget demo at True Majority? It would work much better than this insane bloodbath and headlong plunge into debt of the current regime. The "major candidates" are all owned by the same machine which owns BushCo. We need massive change and a ticket with both Dennis and Dr. Paul would really shake things up.

I have been daydreaming about this for weeks. If they held a joint event where they pledged to respect each others views, seriously confer, compromise when necessary, and attempt to come to agreement on issues before taking action ...and simply flipped a coin to determine which of them fills the presidential and vice-presidential slots, then this could be a transformative moment which changes all our futures.

Obviously, even in Bush's regime the VP exercises a great deal of power. In a Kucinich-Paul or Paul-Kucinich administration this dynamic could be even more true. They could assure the nation the one will temper, restrain and balance the other if he becomes more enthusiastic about heading off in some direction than the other considers entirely useful. Prudence and tolerance would result and we would all benefit.

People are genuinely tired of endless polarization and strife. Bush says "I'm a uniter, not a divider" and goes on to more deeply divide the nation than at any point since the Civil War. Red state, blue state- what crap! People are sick of government in service to multinationals and the MIC at the expense of the Constitution, the environment, and us all. This division and strife, rancor and hate, does not serve us well and we all know it. It is bad for everyone and everything from our kids to the economy to international relations.

Not only would it be extraordinary in every regard and excite hope everywhere if Dr. Paul and Dennis had the courage to stand together and flip a coin for who is in which office, but they could completely nail shut the coffin of the mainstream corporately controlled Republican-Democrat machine by inviting Sen. Gravel and the other mavericks to serve in key posts in their administration. The candidates which ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX and so on refuse to give serious coverage all command enough percentage points that if they pulled together in one ticket for genuine change, in one administration and one team dedicated to restoring our core values and constitutional rights, building a sustainable economy in a quality environment, and reducing the size and spending of government --if they banded together in genuinely common cause with one another then they could break through the corporate media blackout and win. We could all win.

People may awaken, disbelieve the Big Lie of corporate media disinformation and embrace a genuine alternative if Dr. Paul and Dennis join forces together to accomplish this transformation. If Dennis and Dr. Paul can set their own egos aside and focus on the higher good of the nation then they would do us all such a tremendous service.

Standing together in mutual respect, working together even though they have real differences, this would be leadership that could genuinely inspire and unite our currently fractured America into a cohesive community.

I think John Lennon would approve.

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Anti-war, pro-civil liberties Americans must work together to stop the war, the torture, the gutting of our freedoms that is going on right now.

After we've settled that, *then* we can disagree on whether or not the Post Office should be privatized, whether there should be national health care, and so on. But those are trivial differences compared to the great concerns of today which demand our cooperation.

I'd vote for either Kucinich or Paul in a heartbeat.

Here are a few reasons Progressives may find Ron Paul a better choice than the others we're being faced with:

Paul is against the Drug War, including the wars on marijuana and medical marijuana.

Paul is for Free Speech and other First Amendment Rights.

Paul is for strict Fourth Amendment protection against illegal search and seizure.

Paul is against the American Empire and would bring troops home from around the world.

Paul is, in general, pro-Bill of Rights and pro-peace and anti-war in a way almost no other major party candidate in modern times has been.

Paul voted against the Patriot Act when it was dangerous to do so. He denounced it at the time as police state legislation.

Paul is against ALL corporate welfare.

Paul is against torture, secret prisons, spying on innocent Americans, and the horrors of the post-9/11 Republicrat police state.

Paul opposes the death penalty.

Paul is not a conservative, he's a libertarian.

Paul and Kucinich? A DREAM TICKET, it seems to me.

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but I think they are pretty strange running mates. And we don't need ANOTHER conservative Texan in the White House.

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These are two nuts in a pod.

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It seems those with these shallow comments, calling Paul and or Kucinich derogatorily are either right wing extremist or two faced Democrates that support the Bush Fasicts. It's like you are not interested at fixing the root problems of our country or don't even understand what they are.

What are you shooting for, more of the same hedgmony and "stick-the-course" lies and deceptions that have tail spun this nation into the most dangereous situation we've ever been in?

Economically our country is doomed if we "stay the course". Ending the war in Iraq and not starting a new war must be our top agenda. Not continuing the damn thing. Our nation is being destored from with in not by "terrorist" That is unless you identify the terrorist as Bush & Co.

Bringing our country under the umbrella of sound economic policy, one where the "money" is backed by something other than debt is the only way to save our counrty and any future that may be possible. No Republican or democrat as they are will do this. NAFTA will ruin what economy we could have if it is allowed to move on toward reality. These are only a couple of root problems created by the nuts IN offfice.

Only Kucinch and or Paul are clear on this. NOT Clinton, Not Obama, Maybe Edwards. Even Dodd and BIden are better choices. But the media controllers and trojan horse writers even here on the Alternet are slinging confusion and pointing toward Clinton and Obama.

Not one FARE news media source give equal concideration to any candidate except for the ones with money backing and "star appeal".

It seems no one really understands the issues. Abortion, gay rights, working mothers, even fare housing, these are distractive issues that can be handled easily if the issues that really effect the qualities of life liberty and the persuit of happiness are addressed. Just listen to
Hillary. What a worthless agenda. She's not going to end the slaughter or see that Iraqies find peace in their life time, nor our Americans. Obama, well let me say this, as I have before, for the Democrates to get any power in congress or even a chance at the white house they need not just swing votes. They need Republican votes. And because there is such a "in the shadows" amount of bigotry in this country, Obama will not get those votes. Therfore he will undermind a democratic national win in november 08. I wish it wasn't true, but I've been all over the US and I've heard and smelled the true "lay of the land". But more so, I don't believe Obama will end the war.

I believe Dodd is great but if his cabinet would be like Kucinich, same as Biden. I'm liking Dodd better though. Richardson, might be too but again there's something not right there and I don't think he could really get US out of our down spiraling economy.

But Paul is clear and Kucinich. They know where the problems must be fixed and have the guts to actually do it. But the voters are not smart generally and don't know how we really arrived in this hell. But somehow are affraid to vote in their best interest. But they will vote in fear, that the next president won't change there illlusions of the American Dream to a reallity. For they like and cling to the false illusions that are painted before them that everythings going to be fine if we keep the same way of life at all cost! You all what to keep your Frankenstein monster alive in denial of the fact your world is falling apart.

The Constitution should be you best guide to the kind of candidate you should vote for. But most of you don't even know Paul and Kucinich are trying to save it. But you all let republicans and democrats (except Paul and Kucinich) do an 11th hr passing of HR1955. And now it's in the senate, SB1959. And most all of you won't even write you congress reps and senators to kill the bill.

Well, enough. Just keep on keepin' on.

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neither ticket will get my vote.

Without the Iraq War, Paul is still a Republican-a very conservative Republican. We don't need another conservative Texan in the White House.

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didn't. He lacks good judgement. I won't be bugging you about that anymore. In fact, if the ron paul wingnuts keep taking over Alternet, and you keep encouraging them with so much coverage, I think you will find you lose a lot of progressives.

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If you're a fan of a Paul/Kucinich or Kucinich/Paul ticket, tell Ron Paul that he won't get your vote without Dennis.
Click here to send your comments directly to the Ron Paul campaign.
ronpaul2008 contact form
or copy and paste:
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/contact/form/

I'm either writing in Kucinich if I must, or voting for a RP/K ticket...

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