Dennis Kucinich

excerpts from the Iowa Daily Report

April 2003

… Gephardt continued his string of missed House votes on Monday’s consideration of legislation to compensate people injured by the smallpox vaccine. As the House defeated the smallpox proposal on a 206-184 vote, Gephardt was recorded as “not voting” while Kucinich – opposed the legislation. (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/2/2003)

…Kucinich – although he’s still an Ohio congressman – took his antiwar campaign to the House floor yesterday – and called for an end to the war so U. N. weapons inspectors can return to Iraq. He repeated the same phrase – “Stop the war now” – 10 times during his floor speech and said the U. S.-led military campaign was a “falsehood.” A quote: “Rescue this nation from a war that is wrong, that is unjust, that is immoral.” (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/2/1002)

… Gephardt may be out getting endorsements and raising money, but he’s sure not voting in the House. His string of missed votes continued yesterday when the House voted 411-11 – over the objections of Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan – to raise the limit on deposit insurance coverage from $100,000 to $130,000. Kucinich – along with all five IA congressmen – supported the bill, while Gephardt was recorded as “not voting.” (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/3/2003)

… The Politics1.com website reports Kucinich could be considering a third-party run for president. The report noted that 2000 Green Party presidential candidate Nader has “openly praised” the Ohio Dem Congressman, opening the prospect Kucinich could become the party’s 2004 standard-bearer  -- but that “most likely…Kucinich would end up as the nominee of the Natural Law Party.” That’s the party with considerable support in the Fairfield area – home of the Maharishi University of Management and John Hagelin, the 2000 NLP presidential candidate. In fact, on the party’s official website Hagelin embraces Kucinich’s candidacy and encourages contributions to the Kucinich campaign. Hagelin, in a message on the website, says he and Kucinich have “worked very closely together on many important initiatives during the last few years” – including legislation to create a Cabinet-level U. S. Department of Peace. Hagelin: “I strongly support Rep. Kucinich in his bid for the presidency.” (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/5/2003)

… When the House rejected an amendment by CA GOP Congressman – and Vietnam war vet – Duke Cunningham to slash $1 billion in aid for Turkey from the Iraq war-homeland security supplemental bill, Kucinich supported the cut while Gephardt continued his string of missed votes. The amendment lost 315-110. (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/5/2003)

… Gephardt has done something different this week – casting a vote in the House. After several missed votes over recent weeks, he was recorded as voting for a resolution condemning the harsh penalties handed down to dozens of Cuban dissidents. The resolution was approved 414-0 with Gephardt and Kucinich supporting it. But, when the House voted 424-0 to freeze the cost of postage stamps for three years, Gephardt was recorded as “not voting” again. Kucinich supported the stamp-price freeze. (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/10/2003)

… House – at 2:39 EDT this morning – passes $2.27 trillion budget bill, including $550 billion tax cut, on near party line 216-211 vote. Kucinich votes no, and Gephardt gone to campaign in Iowa.. (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/11/2003)

… From Ronald Brownstein’s coverage in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times of Dem candidate forum in Washington: “Dean, Kucinich, Sharpton, Braun and Graham said they continued to view the war with Iraq as unnecessary or counterproductive.” (4/11/2003)

… Amber Alert legislation approved yesterday – 400-25 in House and 98-0 in the Senate. In the House, Kucinich – apparently opposed to protecting children – voted against the proposal while Gephardt was in IA and recorded as “not voting.”In the Senate, the two missing senators were both presidential wannabes – Kerry and Lieberman, who also were campaigning in Iowa. (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/11/2003)

… The House yesterday on a 247-175 vote approved priority energy legislation –including provisions that would double the use of ethanol to 5 billion gallons a year by 2015. The House version also contains language that would allow oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge – similar to a proposal earlier defeated by Senate, although the House measure limits the acreage (to attract moderate support) available for drilling. Kucinich voted against the bill. Missing the vote: Gephardt was campaigning for the Dem presidential nomination in northern Iowa. . (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/12/2003)

…Gephardt, campaigning in IA, obviously missed two key votes on amendments to omnibus energy bill. Kucinich was present and voting, however – supporting an amendment that would have prohibited oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and for a proposal requiring increased fuel efficiency for cars and SUVs by 2010. . (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/12/2003)

… Kucinich gets even more ridiculous – and not just for his anti-war, create-a-Cabinet-level-Peace-Department rhetoric. After Des Moines Register (and other media) reported yesterday he’d cancelled a Cedar Rapids campaign stop over the weekend, Kucinich surfaces at Des Moines gathering of church and community activists. Further indication he has become more detached from reality: Kucinich dismissed polls showing that Americans – as high as 70% in some polls – support Iraq action, warning the full costs of the conflict haven’t been driven home. . (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/14/2003)

… WHO Radio reports this morning on Kucinich campaign stop in DSM yesterday. The Dem wannabe says he was right all along on Iraq war issue since no chemical weapons or weapons of mass destruction have been discovered. Register – rather than sending reporter – relies on AP coverage. From the Associated Press report: Kucinich said “the fall of the regime in Iraq and the potential of a relatively quick end to the war bolsters his hard-line opposition to the conflict.” . (Iowa Presidential Watch, 4/14/2003)

… Scanning through just a few FEC reports reveals a fundamental political truth: Many Congressional incumbents were more successful at generating money for their political war chests than Kucinich was in raising money for his presidential aspirations. Greg Pierce’s “Inside Politics” column in the Washington Times this morning says Kucinich raised $173,080 for his campaign during the first quarter of the year – about $1,925 a day or approximately $7.22 million less than Edwards reported for the same period. The Kucinich campaign indicated it had just over $50,000 on hand at the start of April. (Iowa Pres Watch Note: For comparison purposes, liberal NY Dem Sen. – and conservative nemesis – Schumer raised $1.36 million during the three-month period, leaving him with $14.8 million, more than any senator expected to seek reelection in 2004.) (4/16/2003)

… California Dreamin’ I: Although some numbers from The Field Poll (among registered Democrats) in California have been reported, Iowa Pres Watch notes that – as far as early observers are concerned – the field of Dem wannabes is breaking into three distinct factions. The Big Three with double-digit numbers: Lieberman (22%), Kerry (16%) and Gephardt (12%). The single-digit group: Dean (7%), Sharpton and Moseley Braun (both with 4%), Edwards (3%), Graham (2%) and Kucinich (1%). The third – and largest – faction: Undecided (29%).  (4/18/2003)

Iowa a week ago while rivals Lieberman and Kucinich cancelled IA stops to cast votes in Washington. Gephardt spokeswoman Kim Molstre quote: “Dick has said all along you can’t make all the votes and run for president…He feels very strongly that being out in Iowa is very, very important.” At the other end of the spectrum, Kucinich hasn’t missed any votes this year. In the Senate, Kerry has missed the most (52 votes), Lieberman was absent for 29 votes (22%), Edwards 21 votes (16%), and Graham has missed only three votes. (4/19-20/2003)

… Edwards’ West Coast fundraising rampage continues. On the heels of a Monday Tacoma (WA) News Tribune report that Edwards was the leading Dem fundraiser in Washington state, the Portland Oregonian reported yesterday that Edwards received nearly $62,000 of the almost $100,000 the Dem wannabes raised in Oregon during the first quarter of the year. It also proved there are trial lawyers in Oregon – noting that “at least $33,000 of the nearly $62,000 he raised in Oregon came from trial lawyers or their spouses, according to reports filed last week with the Federal Election Commission.” As in Washington state, Dean was second in Oregon fundraising – with “just less than $25,000. Staunch opposition to the war in Iraq helped bring him to the attention of Democratic activists.” Others: Kerry, $8,050; Gephardt, $2,000; and Lieberman and Kucinich “received less than $4,000 from Oregon contributors.” Graham and Moseley Braun did not have any Oregon contributors and – as the New Hampshire media and Tacoma account have reported – Sharpton did not file a first-quarter FEC report. (4/23/2003)

DC political newspaper, The Hill report said documents filed with the FEC show that during the first quarter  Edwards raised $4,000 in IA, Kerry raised $11,000, Dean raised $7,750 and “even Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) took in $1,711 from Iowa supporters.”(4/30/2003)

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