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Kucinich Comes Back for '08

By Daniel Sturm, In These Times. Posted February 28, 2007.


Dennis Kucinich explains why he decided to run for president again and how he proposes to bring American troops home from Iraq.
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To his supporters, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) represents the sane voice of the Democratic Party -- a man who reads books, gives intelligent speeches and acts on principle. To his detractors, Kucinich is a small man on an ego trip, too radical to be elected.

Kucinich was the only Democratic candidate in the 2004 presidential primaries to vote against the war in Iraq. His 90-day plan to end the occupation was dismissed by the party's centrist leaders and he came in fourth in the primaries -- behind Kerry, Edwards and Dean.

Three years later, the Iraq war has cost the lives of more than 3,000 American servicemen and untold thousands of Iraqis. And once again Kucinich, relentless in his call for withdrawing troops, is vying for the nation's top job. "My country calls me to action," he told a cheering crowd after announcing his candidacy on December 12 in Cleveland.

Kucinich first gained prominence in 1977 when, at age 31, he was elected mayor of Cleveland, becoming the youngest mayor ever elected in a major American city. During his campaign, Kucinich promised to save the struggling city-owned Municipal Light Co. When the company's private competitor tried to force the city to sell, Mayor Kucinich refused. In response, the banks cut off credit and the City of Cleveland went into default. In 1979, Kucinich lost his bid for re-election. Years later, the Cleveland City Council would honor him for "having the courage and foresight to refuse to sell the city's municipal electric system" -- and saving ratepayers more than $100 million.

During his 15-year hiatus from politics, he worked as a TV commentator, media consultant, college professor and public utility consultant. Kucinich re-launched his political career in 1993, with the campaign symbol of a light bulb and the slogan, "Because he was right!" He won a seat in the Ohio state Senate in 1994 and was elected to Congress two years later.

Daniel Sturm recently spoke with Kucinich about his decision to run again for president and his position on the war.

With his proposal to escalate the war through a troop "surge," President George W. Bush plans to dispatch 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq. What effect would this have?

More war, more door-to-door fighting, more civilian casualties, an expansion of the conflict, more deaths of troops, more costs to the people of the United States, more ruination for Iraq and more instability in the region and the world. And it sets the stage for a conflict against Iran.

Daniel Ellsberg, of "Pentagon Papers" fame, told Democracy Now that he believes Bush plans to attack Iran, probably without informing Congress. Ellsberg says a similar escalation happened during the Vietnam War, when the battlefield was extended into Laos and Cambodia. Could this be possible?

The analogy is correct. I think this president is looking to expand the war. His comments about Iran and Syria were not conciliatory. He's rattling the saber at a time when saber-rattling hurts our troops. It's the kind of tough talk that dragged us into this war, the same braggadocio that doesn't pass for statecraft, but shows an administration that's out of control. Here's a president who's putting his foot on the accelerator as the car heads toward the cliff.

The "Kucinich Plan" proposes replacing U.S. troops with an international peacekeeping force. But after the United States ignored the world's opposition to its invasion of Iraq, is it practical to expect European and other nations to support America now?

I'm talking about a totally different process. I'm talking about something that legitimates the international community, as opposed to the Bush Administration's plan that rejects the primacy of international cooperation. It is imperative that the United States take a different course -- a course out of Iraq. How do you get the international community involved?

It begins with the United States indicating its intention to take a new direction. That direction must articulate a desire to end the occupation; withdraw the troops; close the bases; assist in the creation of a new process for reconciliation, reconstruction and reparation in Iraq; and stop the privatization of Iraqi oil. I think that if the United States would take that position, you'd find receptivity in the international community.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposes sending additional troops to Iraq, but she has also said that cutting off funding for troops already there isn't an option. How does your position differ from hers?

I have a great deal of respect for Nancy Pelosi. I think we have to give Democrats a few weeks to absorb the full impact of the president's intentions, and to realize that it is absolutely critical to stop this administration from continuing the war. The only way to do that is for Congress to assume its power under the constitution: the power of the purse.


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See more stories tagged with: election08, dennis kucinich

Daniel Sturm is a German journalist who covers underreported social and political topics in the United States and Europe. Some of his work can be seen online. He currently lives in Athens, Ohio.

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But Is He Good For the Zionists?
Posted by: edith on Feb 28, 2007 1:31 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
that's what Kucinich advocates. Does Obama? Don't even ask Hilary, you'll be attacked as a purveyor of the politics of destruction, or is that "mass" destruction, Hilary, like the weapons you moronically thought were in Iraq.

As a gambler in an old Western once said, you are in or you are out. Kucinich has said that about Iraq and America's colonial adventures for years.

When the Zionist fundraisers come a-callin to the White House to claim that the "right" position is to stick it out in Iraq and to go after Iran because it poses an "existential" threat to Israel(Camus is spinning in his grave), who do you want to greet the AIPAC whiners? Obama who will line his pockets or Kucinich who will show them the door(politely I am sure).

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The Man Who Can Change America
Posted by: danielgeery on Feb 28, 2007 1:59 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
At least that is my opinion. I encourage you to check out these two links to form your own opinion:

1. Kucinich on the issues

2. Learn more

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» RE: The Man Who Can Change America Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: The Man Who Can Change America Posted by: Lincoln fan
» RE: The Man Who Can Change America Posted by: alternetrose
If Dem The Party Machine Backed Him...
Posted by: ZPaul on Feb 28, 2007 2:54 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If the Dem Party Machine backed him, I think Kucinich could win. However, I doubt that that they would actually back a candidate of such integrity. Maybe if there were a massive grass-roots campaign to draft him as the candidate. Otherwise, you know what to expect.

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On the face of it.....
Posted by: Captainmagic on Feb 28, 2007 3:01 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Please forgive me for I know nothing about Kucinich of your country, but i must admit after listening to bush and now your Kucinich i'm afraid that i have quite clearly, by a great margin, nominated one of them as a complete and utter F@#KWIT.....No.. sorry no prizes for guessing which one....Kucinich is native American for "Breath of Fresh Air"...NO?

Regards Captain

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ticket idea
Posted by: aislinnluv on Feb 28, 2007 4:05 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
if the dems chose kucinich to run with barack, we could have one of a pair of interesting tickets... dennis as pres (Kucinich/Obama) could make a KO for a return to sanity. on the other hand, dennis as veep (Obama/Kucinich) could make it OK to be an american once again (i have an odd sense of humour)

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» RE: ticket idea Posted by: futurefarm
Tell everyone you know and those you don't
Posted by: margo1 on Feb 28, 2007 4:54 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Of course your right wing idiot friends will not get it. For those folks, remind them that they have blood on their hands for supporting the war. No longer should we play nice with the dopes with W stickers on their cars. Get in their faces and shout them down like they are trying to do to those attempting to put a muzzle on the voices of peace and common sense. Dennis is the voice that needs to heard above all. When the media outlets fail to mention him as a candidate, call them out and turn them off. Call the advertisers and tell them you are not buying their products unless fair and balanced reporting is restored(not the Fox type).Also, send your nickels and dimes to the Kucinich camp. Money does talk. I have nothing against Obama, however, he is not the only candidate out there. Take to the streets and get the word out. Plaster Kucinich everywhere you can and rip down the yard signs and bumper stickers of the liars and thiefs (including Hillary Clinton).

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Dennis can't win the pesidency but he can still serve America
Posted by: DougScott on Feb 28, 2007 5:03 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Kucinich could perform a greater patriotic service by focusing on Iran, not Iraq.

On Friday, February 23, I attended a speech by Scott Ritter in Oak Park, CA. The former UN weapons inspector predicted that President Bush would soon attack Iran with a prolonged arial bombardment that could last days, if not weeks.

Contrary to White House assertions, Ritter said Iran was not a nuclear threat nor would be for years. For example, its controversial uranium enrichment program has failed to produce significant quantities of weapons-grade fissionable material because of "mass-distribution" problems during centrifuge spin-up, causing the aluminum tubes to disintegrate.

In his closing, Ritter warned that if the pending Iran war went badly, Bush would consider using atomic bombs to achieve victory.

Hugh E. Scott, Vietnam vet and creator/editor of the investigative website -- www.King-George.biz -- the ONLY one with hardcopy proof of White House corruption.

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Don't be fooled....
Posted by: xi_people on Feb 28, 2007 5:17 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Dennis Kucinich cannot, and will not, win the dimocrap nomination -- a fact that he is very well aware of. So why is he "running for president"? Basically, it is to attract the disaffected Left back into the fold. How many of us could argue that his positions aren't quantum years ahead of those espoused by any other candidate?

What will happen is this: Kucinich will carry his message through the primaries, at which point he will "drop out" and tell his followers to support the dimocrap candidate. So, very neatly, the anti-imperialism, pro-environmental vote will be effectively neutralized -- again.

That's what he did in the last election cycle, and it will happen again (until there are no more elections). Don't be fooled. I do like Kucinich, and think that he's a decent human being whose personal beliefs I respect -- but in the final analysis he's nothing but a dimocrat tool being used to front for an unrelentingly imperialist party.

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» RE: Don't be fooled.... Posted by: MyLeftFoot
» RE: Don't be fooled.... Posted by: brad
» RE: Don't be fooled.... Posted by: eridani
Great on issues, but almost definitely unelectable
Posted by: spencerh on Feb 28, 2007 6:00 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Currently the only candidate that's all of the following: anti-imperialism, pro-real national healthcare system, openly supports marriage freedom, wants to repeal the Patriot Act, wants to decriminalize soft drugs, a strong civil rights and liberties supporter, and strongly supports breaking the money-politics connection. He also sounds like he supports free higher education, like many European Social Democracies, which this country really needs. Unfortunately, he's got some problems, as indicated in this DKos article.

Hopefully Nader runs again.

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» DailyKos who? Posted by: Stop bush now
The mainstream media
Posted by: JoshuaLudd on Feb 28, 2007 7:11 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Mainstream media poised to ignore Kuccinich in 08.

Now.. go be good little followers in your "democracy" and choose between the two options your party system gives you.

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» Why, when we can improve it? Posted by: JoshuaLudd
» RE: Why, when we can improve it? Posted by: Lincoln fan
Kucinich is comic relief
Posted by: dikaiosyne on Feb 28, 2007 7:26 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The man makes me laugh out loud. Mostly because he thinks that he has any chance to win anything asides from that congressional district of mental defectives by the "mistake on the lake". Personally I like hearing his rather high pitched whine especially when he speaks on matters that make the other Dem candidates uncomfortable. I guess one must consider him the Dem party equivalent of a court jester. Small....dufus looking....silly.... irritating.....dancing around like a stringed puppet. Hell...I might just send him $10 just to keep him in the race for a couple minutes longer. What a buffoon.

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» better to look foolish Posted by: JoshuaLudd
» RE: war is not funny Posted by: ScottP
» RE: Kucinich is comic relief Posted by: fuppduck
Keep your eye on the ball.
Posted by: Lincoln fan on Feb 28, 2007 8:11 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
In my opinion, Kucinich, Dean, and Edwards were closer to the Democratic Ideal than Kerry. I would have been happy to vote for any one of them. But the Republican Lite Party condemned them as being "out ot the mainstream" and unelectable. Actually they backed Kerry because he was acceptable to the corporate establishment.

I think that the answer is to focus on issues not on candidates; to focus. on issues not on political parties.. Before the election we the people should tell both parties what issues we want on their platforms and tell them that we won't vote for their candidates unless they back our issues. This gives issues the primary importance and makes parties and candidates a secondary consideration.

This strategy turns the election process upside down. Instead of the parties telling us what the election is about; we tell both parties what the election is about.
Bob Reichenbach,
Director, The Lincoln Initiative.

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Kucinich Comes Back for '08
Posted by: pfm on Feb 28, 2007 8:13 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
if the vote for the next president were conducted today KUCINICH would most assuredly get my vote as he is the only candidate in the field who has been consistent over the years, not perfect but consistent and reliable the rest of the field are pretenders.

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Reform now!
Posted by: buh on Feb 28, 2007 9:34 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The discussions on this board underscore the need for major election reforms now! Not just a return to paper ballots with a system of verifiable counting, but public financing, return of the fairness doctrine or whatever it was Reagan abolished, and the end of the stranglehold the two corporate parties have on our government.
I advocate an end to the state financed primaries that entrenches the Dem/GOP, and replacing it with one primary open to all parties or independant candidates, with the two top vote getters squaring off in the general election. Maybe there is a better alternative, but we really need a change now.
I hope Kucinich will take a third party nomination if he doesn't get the Democratic one, and how can he with the money lining up behind Obama and Hillary?
But I would hate to lose him in the House, where I would also like to see him as an Independent or third party voice.

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Dennis "The Cave Man" Kucinich
Posted by: DCostello2 on Feb 28, 2007 9:58 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
No, it's not because he lives in a cave or looks/acts like a cave man - at least in the traditional sense. No, Dennis is a cave man because he CAVED IN BIG TIME to the DNC/DLC last election cycle. Where was all Dennis's antiwar speak at the convention? Where was all his conviction then? Why weren't even his delegates allowed to express their antiwar concerns? No, as a previous poster alluded to, Dennis's purpose is to placate the anti war element of the Democratic party. Placate them and keep them in the fold so that there's no real chance of a real Progressive third party ever forming. Don't get me wrong, I like some of his ideas - the Department of Peace is about his best one. But Dennis himself is a cave man and a "good Democrat" in the end - meaning all his talk will go away and he'll throw his support behind whomever the DLC decides to run no matter where they stand on any issue. We need politicians who will fight for what they believe until the day they die and NOT CAVE.

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» RE: Cave Men survived by Posted by: Ripcord
"Unfortunately, the whole thing was covered by the paper..."
Posted by: OneAcre2012 on Feb 28, 2007 10:51 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
You know, we all keep begging for politicians with spines, and DK may or may not have one, but what are we doing? Who's really spineless, the party jester or the ants? Man, I've just been watching basketball, I haven't been out in the streets fighting the tyranny and really participating in this democracy of ours. It seems like we've just been beaten down. Like we don't have the energy for the movement anymore. And there's DK, about an inch and a half taller than Prince screaming his head off. And I don't want to hear about money. Does all that money that other people have really have the power to keep us in line? To keep working and paying taxes into this machine that feeds itself on our will to live? It's just paper...and instead of trying to be a rock, trying to just sweat this out, like it's gonna get better if we don't do anything, we must find the will...the will to be the scissors. There's his new campaign slogan, "DK is the Scissors."

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Kucinich
Posted by: xgroverx on Feb 28, 2007 10:58 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I was wondering if Alternet was planning on ever mentioning Kucinich's candidacy. Although I hate our two party system as much as many of the previous commentators, I do like Kucinich and feel that he could at least start to bring about real change in our country. He is the only true progressive candidate running for the Democratic nomination. Unfortunately, Kucinich will never have a serious chance because the mainstream media, as well as the blogosphere and sites like Alternet, will continue to focus on horse race dynamics, marginalizing Kucinich by exclusion.

I've been meaning to change my voter registration from Democrat to Green for the last three or four years, but I've never gotten around to it. I suppose I'll wait until after the primaries, so I can cast my dissent vote for Kucinich again.

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» RE: Kucinich Posted by: joysea
» RE: I voted for Kucinich Posted by: Ripcord
I can't believe how easily you people give in...
Posted by: antiapathy on Feb 28, 2007 11:50 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
When the progressives who read and post on sites like this are calling him "unelectable", what chance does he have? Yes, the two-party system is horribly corrupt and anything but representative of the will of the people. So how do you respond? Trash talking the reformists who dare to try to run within the system? Pissing all over the revolutionaries who would run as (god forbid) third-party candidate?

Our country is seriously screwed up. totally FUBAR. and yet it seems the few people who realize is, i.e. so-called progressives, only have the capacity to bitch and moan that it will never get better. Let's boycott the elections, that'll show 'em! I know, maybe if we vote for Lincoln his ghost will come back and kick the crooks out of congress!

Such sad, pathetic, cynical, defeatist, whiners. If you had one ounce of hope for this country you would be all over the Kucinich campaign. Now is the time to strike! While the so-called "electable" candidates are at each other's throats, we should be building a grass-roots movement to educate our friends, neighbors, church choirs, coffee-house patrons, newspaper-readers, knitting-circle, class-mates, and everyone else about Dennis. Even as the MSM continues to ignore and marginalize him, we can show people that he IS a viable candidate.

You can call me a crazy idealist for believing Kucinch has a chance, or a fascist sell-out for supporting the Democratic wing of the Coroporate Party. At least I have the courage to actually try to affect positive change in our community.

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» RE: The revolution is dead. Posted by: humanity101
» Kudos! Posted by: Stop bush now
Kucinich rocks
Posted by: fifthworld on Feb 28, 2007 11:54 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Now let's keep track of how many dozens of comments are posted on this thread just for the purpose of proudly, self-defeatingly proclaiming "yeh but, he doesn't have a chance" and the like - or calling him a Zionist for heaven's sake. This is your democracy at work, you know, the one you might salvage from the fascists.

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» RE: Kucinich rocks Posted by: edith
» RE: Kucinich rocks Posted by: opeluboy
» RE: Kucinich rocks-edith and AIPIC Posted by: drricklippin
As Molly Ivins said...
Posted by: fanny666 on Mar 1, 2007 3:20 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The man "has no Elvis."

I also think the "Department Of Peace" idea is just silly.

We already have one, it's called Department of State. And if there were a new department: "This just in, President McCain has appointed Paul Wolfowitz to be Secretary of Peace..."

It's the sort of thing that keeps his other ideas from being taken seriously.

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That's it! I'm switching to Kucinich.
Posted by: humanity101 on Mar 1, 2007 9:06 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Like all of them dirty politicians, Obama's gonna be kissing the Israelis' asses tomorrow when he'll try to catch up with the pack of "who-can-kiss-Israel's-balls-better" in front of the terrorist group AIPAC. Yeah, because an Israeli newspaper ranked him last in the pack (take a look at the article on his website). This terrorist group is more than happy to put Americans in harm's way to rid them of their illogical fear of Arabs. They just don't wanna get their hands dirty. Why, if they can easily get the Americans to fight dirty wars for them by buying out dirty politicians. Yeah, Toby Keith and Larry the Cable Guy, pretty patriotic indeed! yeah, Iran is next. Go for it boys! Very patriotic, for Israel. Ha! I'm sick and tired of American politics of Israel worshiping, for their money, of course. But our tax dollars will end up in their pockets again and again, billions of dollars worth of weaspons and loans so they can build an apartheid wall and bull-doze people's houses. I am just so sick of the politics of special interests. I'll give Kucinich my vote anyway, at least I can say I've tried.

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» RE: Israel? Posted by: sasquuatch55
» Will the real DK please stand up Posted by: Stop bush now
Politics of Delusion –> @ the Pinch Play
Posted by: Hal on Mar 3, 2007 3:59 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Kucinich is one of the more decent would-be statesmen at DC. And thus doomed to insignificance. (His praising of political snake Pelosi is an obvious sign of his buy-in to the program).

While I agree with some here on the point of Kucinich as another red herring candidate to rouse gullible “liberals” before he drops out, I believe this is just part of an old pinch play.

Once some combination of snake oil shills in Edwards/Obama/Hillary are elected (or worse – stooges out of a GOP field) we will see more phony “war on terror” cooked for Big Oil and cartel bankers, etc with the usual consequences. The Murtha style “redeployment” will be minimal for a devastating drain on the treasury (devastating for the nation, not for private oligarchs behind the mayhem).

What’s left of a fantasy shell of American democracy and faux capitalist industry will be carved up and sold off to the highest bidders. The multinational plutocrats yanking the strings on our Washington-MSM circus will pick up the pieces and eventually move on as a husked out U.S. slides into irrelevance.

All empires run at public cost for private advantage suffer the same fate. Those that manipulate them count on the naive to go down with the ship of state.

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