A look at the Democratic candidates - Dennis Kucinich

Most people have no idea who the candidates are or what they stand for. The economic studies behind elections have shown that money doesn’t play as big a role in the result of elections as most people would expect. It actually comes down to a popularity contest.

However not all candidates can win a popularity contest. Well, let’s take a look at each candidate, one at a time, to see who they are and what they are about.

Dennis Kucinich

History - elected mayor of Cleveland in 1977 on the promise to save the city’s municipally-owned electric system which offered customers significantly lower rates than the private utility. A year later, Cleveland’s banks demanded that he sell the city’s 70 year-old municipally-owned electric system to its private competitor (in which the banks had a financial interest) as a precondition of extending credit to the city.

The attempted political blackmail failed as did several assassination attempts. He remembered his parents counting out coins on the dresser and refused to sell the people’s power. In an incident unprecedented in modern American politics, the Cleveland banks plunged the city into default for a mere $15 million despite being offered triple collateral to protect the loan.

The principled stand destroyed his political career. He lost his reelection bid. He was demonized as the mayor who threw Cleveland into default. Fifteen years later, the citizens of Cleveland - recognizing he had saved them hundreds of millions of dollars in municipal power bills and also forced the private utility to keep bills low to compete – voted him into the Ohio Senate.

Congressman In 1996, Dennis unseated a two-term Republican incumbent. He has followed that narrow victory by winning 60 to 70% of the votes in the following elections. Much of those vote totals were achieved because of outstanding constituent services and his successful efforts to save a local steel mill, two neighborhood hospitals and 10th District cities a dramatic - and disruptive - increase in train traffic.

At the same time his reputation as a progressive leader in the Congress grew. He was voted the chair of the Progressive Caucus because of his passionate commitment to peace, human rights, workers rights, economic justice and the environment.

In 2002 the second great challenge of his elected career occurred. After analyzing the “evidence” presented by the Administration in its rush to folly in Iraq and actually reading the National Intelligence Estimate, he stepped forward to help lead 125 Democrats in voting against the blank check for the President to wage an illegal, immoral and ineffective war.

Peace & War: Portrays himself as a “peace candidate” who differentiates between defense (Article 51) and offense (Iraq war). Dennis Kucinich is the only democrat running for President who has voted against authorizing the war in Iraq and against funding its continuation. He has proposed a bold, new policy to re-establish America's place in the world.

Health Care: He has HR-676 The Conyers Kucinich bill to establish a universal not for profit health care system. He says everyone else’s plans keeps Americans at the mercy of the insurance companies. Says it’s the single most important economic issue confronting American families which is lack of affordability and lack of access to health care.

Health care in the US is too expensive and leaves 46 million Americans without insurance and millions more underinsured. Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate for President with a plan for a Universal, Single-Payer, Not-for-Profit health care system.




IMPEACHMENT: Congressman Kucinich has also been trying to get VP Cheney impeached. House Resolution 333 accuses Cheney deliberately manipulating intelligence and deceiving the public to build support for the invasion in Iraq and now Iran. Democratic leaders say that impeachment is OFF THE TABLE, yet over 54% of the public would like to impeach Cheney.

The articles of impeachment site that Vice President Cheney lied about WMDs, citing that Iraq was related to Al Queda. The resolution is against Vice President Cheney and not President Bush because Vice President Cheney led the field of lies and if President Bush was impeached before Vice President Cheny, then we’re all screwed.

He says that there is no explanation on behalf of the Democratic leaders in the face of all the bullshit that’s gone on. Senator Kucinich repeatedly states that “The war was based on lies.” Yet, the democratic leaders do nothing about it. Why?





Dennis’ wife, Elizabeth Kucinich

Is not only a ftotal fox, she’s a total British fox! Being a Yank, I just totally love their arrogently proper and articulatly phrased speechin capabilities. She came from London and received her Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies and Theology and a Master's degree in International Conflict Analysis. Her final exam for her Master's was on "Conflict Resolution in World Politics".

In 1996 she went to India to volunteer at one of Mother Teresa's homes for India's poorest children. Upon earning her bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Kent, she spent 16 months in a rural Tanzanian village and worked as an advocate for regional development and then volunteered with a British Red Cross refugee unit.

Elizabeth, the red headed fox, earned a certificate in Peace Studies from Coventry University; and got a job as a fund-raiser for a seafarer's charity in London. Her volunteer work often brought her to the House of Lords. She married Dennis Kucinich in 2005.
Elizabeth has a great presence and would make an awesome first lady.