Dennis Kucinich -- who complains about the lack of press coverage -- is featured in an article in the NY Times. He continues to earn the title of chief liberal spokesman:

As he hopscotches around the country, delivering speeches that blend the themes of John Lennon with an ardent defense of the working class, Mr. Kucinich — a slim man at 5-foot-7, 135 pounds — has become the boutique candidate for peace activists and Hollywood liberals. Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt are the headliners of a fund-raiser concert for him this week. Ed Asner, the actor, likens Mr. Kucinich to "a prophet speaking the truth."

While many are wondering how long Kucinich will stay in the race for the President, it is probably a moot question. Kucinich may wish to be President, but above all else he is interested in changing America if not the world:

"He doesn't need a lot of money," said Jerry Austin, an Ohio Democratic campaign consultant. "He stays in Motel 6's and takes Southwest Airlines. He'll stay in as long as he can afford to get from one place to another, because he wants to be heard." (1/2/2004)

Kucinich matching funds

The Dennis Kucinich for President campaign will file with the FEC for $2.603 million in matching funds. This is in addition to $741,000 already filed for, making a total of $3.34 million. That total includes no contributions since December 4 -- so there is more to come. The rapidly expanding Kucinich campaign receives a higher percentage of its contributions in small donations than does any other campaign, and processing the many small contributions takes time.

Congressman Kucinich himself helped answer the phones until 3 a.m. this morning Eastern Time (the end of the fourth quarter Pacific Time) as contributions came in. The campaign's fourth quarter money now stands at $1.622 million, with many checks still to be counted and the possibility that the figure will reach the mark set by the campaign during the third quarter of $1.7 million. The Kucinich campaign brought in just over $1.5 million in the second quarter, and $187,000 in the first quarter. So the total, without counting matching funds, is about $5 million. With at least 80 percent being matched, that total jumps to about $9 million.

January 2 and 3rd will witness a series of fundraising events for the Kucinich campaign in Austin, Texas, including a concert on the 3rd featuring Willie Nelson performing his new song "What Ever Happened to Peace on Earth." Like last night's fundraising party at campaign headquarters, the concert will be shown in live video over the web at www.kucinich.us   (1/2/2004)

Kucinich: draft is here

Dennis Kucinich suggested that the draft is already here in a release:

The Army's refusal to release tens of thousands of soldiers who have completed their terms of service amounts to drafting them on the very day they fulfill their obligations. These men and women have already risked their lives. They should not have to risk them a second time through involuntary service, through being forced to stay in Iraq. This is a draft. A draft forces people to serve involuntarily. If this occupation is allowed to continue for years, as the President and other Democratic presidential candidates want, we are bound to see a more formal draft. And with three of the Democratic presidential candidates favoring mandatory draft registration for 18-year-old women, even families without sons could be in for a huge surprise. Before we move any further down this path, we must recognize this occupation of Iraq as a destabilizing force in that country and a drain on the resources of this one. We must go to the United Nations with a proposal that would pull US troops out as UN peacekeepers are brought in. We must give up our hopes for oil profits and privatization of the Iraqi economy and instead rebuild our own economy here at home. (1/2/2004)

"The war was wrong. It was wrong. We went to war under false pretenses. Americans were told that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which turned out not to be true. Just because they caught Saddam Hussein doesn't mean going into Iraq was right," said Dennis Kucinich.  (1/2/2004)

Kucinich filed in 32 states

Rep. Dennis Kucinich made a release that touts his ability to win Ohio and thereby become President. However, Kucinich is also filed in 32 states and is likely to continue to lend his voice to the liberal peace wing of his party for a long time to come.

"Ohio is the mother of presidents and the state which chooses presidents. The last member of the United States House of Representatives elected to the White House, James Garfield, also came from Cuyahoga County and won an upset victory at his party's convention, just as I intend to do in this nominating process. Ohio is bound to play a critical role at the Democratic Convention.

"Ohio has felt the brunt of the Bush Administration's economic policies. More than 369,500 Ohioans are out of work, and our nation is averaging a loss of 68,000 jobs a month. The nation has lost nearly 3 million manufacturing jobs since this President took office. Many of the lost manufacturing jobs have been due directly to trade agreements which have been unfair to American workers. I intend to cancel NAFTA and the WTO.

"I will cancel the tax cuts to those in the top brackets. Under the latest tax cuts, the first 60 percent of Ohio taxpayers will only see a cut of $380 in total over the next four years. But the richest 1 percent of Ohioans will be rewarded with tax cuts worth $52,240 on average over the next four years.

"I intend to make the health of Ohioans and Americans my number one domestic concern, and that is why I'm co-sponsoring legislation to create universal health coverage.

"Finally, my candidacy will give Ohioans an opportunity to vote to end the war in Iraq, to bring in UN peacekeepers, and to bring home our troops. I have had a plan on my website for nearly three months at www.kucinich.us which describes how this can be accomplished. The Democrats cannot win the election unless the nominee of the party is clearly committed to an immediate withdrawal from Iraq with the help of UN peacekeepers.

"The Democrats will not win the White House without Ohio's 20 electoral votes. I'm in the best position to win those votes based on the fact that I defeated Republican incumbents in races for Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio State Senator, and Member of the United States Congress. I've shown a strong vote-getting ability in Republican areas where other Democrats have been soundly defeated. I can win Ohio for the Democrats, and because I can win Ohio for the Democrats, I can win the White House."

Today at 4 p.m. ET is the deadline for candidates to place their names on the ballot for the Democratic Primary in Ohio. Kucinich is on the ballot in Ohio, having filed in person in Columbus on Dec. 17, 2003.

Today is also the deadline in Texas, and Kucinich is filing in person in Austin today. The Kucinich campaign has also placed Kucinich on the New York state primary ballot today. Kucinich is officially on the ballot in 32 states so far and expects to be on the ballot for every primary in the country. (1/3/2004)

Wondering about Kucinich

If you are wondering about how long Dennis Kucinich is going to be in the race for President, check out this e-mail on the Kucinich site:

"Hi All: This afternoon as I left my part-time job in downtown Seattle to take the bus home, I saw a homeless woman. She was bundled up against the cold. All of her belongings were piled onto one of those little wheeled contraptions used for luggage, tied together with bungee cords. Under the bungee cords, displayed prominently, was a Kucinich for President sign. Her own version of a bumper sticker. Her own statement of hope. If she can get Dennis' name out there, we can."
- R. Weinstein, Seattle, Washington    (1/4/2004)

Kucinich spin

Dennis Kucinich issued the following statement after the Des Moines Register Debate:

“Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich in today's Des Moines Register debate highlighted the human and financial costs of the ongoing war in Iraq, making the point that cuts to education, health care, jobs programs, and veteran's benefits will continue as long as the current spending on an occupation of Iraq and the bloated Pentagon budget continue. Kucinich remains the only candidate with an exit strategy for Iraq.

Kucinich also stood out as the only candidate willing to repeal NAFTA and the WTO, a point that won rare applause at the debate.

Kucinich spoke in support of universal health care. He is the only candidate with a detailed plan that will create truly universal comprehensive health coverage by taking the private insurance companies out of the system.

Asked if he was electable, Kucinich won applause with the response: "I'm electable if you vote for me." Again, he pointed out that he is the only candidate willing to oppose the Bush Administration's ongoing war in Iraq.” (1/5/2004)

Kucinich’s NBC embed

MSNBC’s embed reports on Kucinich’s performance at the debate:

Embed Karin Caifa says Kucinich gave himself two thumbs up for his performance: "I think we got the point across when they asked the question about electability. People are really tuned in to our message of 'Fear ends, hope begins,'" he said. "We can take this campaign right to the front. We are going to surprise America." Kucinich also touted the campaign's first TV ads, now airing in Iowa, as a sign that his bid is alive and well. But Caifa says a press conference about the ads, held in the media area before the debate, went largely ignored, leaving ad creator George Lois hurling insults and muttering obscenities at reporters. (1/5/2004)

Hey Hollywood

Country Music artists are fighting back against the latest Willie Nelson song that was written for Dennis Kucinich. Nelson wrote a critical song of the left criticizing President Bush and Iraq. Here is the text of the song:

The lyrics to "Hey Hollywood" are as follows:

"Hey Hollywood" by The Right Brothers (Aaron Sain)

Well I heard some movie stars talking on TV
Said they were being a voice for you and me
Saying things like "no blood for oil" and "not in our name"
And just like the roar of an F-16, I heard this country say

Hey Hollywood, we hear your message and it don't sound good
Your just running this country down with our troops overseas
Hey Hollywood, take a look around if you would
And if you don't love this land you're free to leave.

Now don't get me wrong I know you got a right
To say what you want and never apologize
You can protest all day and shout what you believe
But the rest of America has the right to kindly disagree

Hey Hollywood, we hear your message and it don't sound good
Your just running this country down with our troops overseas
Hey Hollywood, take a look around if you would
And if you don't love this land you're free to leave.

I'll even help you pack your bags if you want, if you wanna leave.
Hey Hollywood, stop running this country down.
Hey Hollywood.    (1/6/2004)

Dennis J. Kucinich on tax proposals

Introduced the Progressive Tax Act of 2003 in Congress, to give $87 billion to working families and collect $107 billion from Bush tax cuts and corporate "giveaways." The bill includes a $1,530 payroll tax credit and a $2,000 family credit to consolidate different child tax credits. (1/6/2004)

Kucinich for family farm beef

The Vegan Dennis Kucinich stated that we wouldn’t have Mad Cow if we bought our beef from family farms, according to the Des Moines Register:

"When you're buying food from your neighbor, when you're buying food from your local family farmer, there's integrity," said Kucinich.

The irony came from Kucinich making the statement standing beside cattle in a beef barn according to the Register:

Kucinich made his comments north of Ankeny, at the farm of LaVon and Craig Griffieon. Standing in their cattle barn with a small group of supporters, he thanked the couple for raising wholesome food. "You're the last line of defense," he said.

Kucinich is a vegan, which means he avoids meat and other animal products. That doesn't bother the Griffieons. "I don't think we can concern ourselves with what people eat or don't eat," LaVon Griffieon said as Kucinich left. "It's people's policies I worry about." She added that family farms face graver threats from big agribusinesses than from vegetarians.

Her husband acknowledged that more conservative livestock producers might be wary of a vegetarian candidate for president. But Craig Griffieon, a fifth-generation farmer, noted that he and his family also grow corn and other vegetables on the 800 acres they work. He speculated that the congressman might like cornflakes. "I'm sure he eats something I raise," he said. (1/6/2004)

Kucinich going to call Dean supporters

A Kucinich supporter in West Branch, IA reported that he's been getting regular phone calls from Dean canvassers, asking him to throw his support to "the other peace candidate" when Kucinich is "no longer viable." Hearing this, Kucinich responded, "Dean feels he has votes to spare. Look at his comments last night: 'If you want universal health care vote for Dennis or Carol.' Well, maybe we should start calling his supporters." (1/6/2004)

“The incivility of the Internet doesn't help. For example, I doubt Dean or Kucinich believes any opponent, opposing staffer or journalist is a "Nazi," yet each man has loose-cannon supporters out there accusing people of that. Such kooky behavior does neither candidate any good and arguably costs them support.” -- writes Des Moines Register columnist David Yepsen.  (1/6/2004)

Kucinich -- it’s radio

National Public Radio sponsored a radio-only debate yesterday, but Dennis Kucinich didn’t seem to get it. He came with a pie chart that he held up as he was explaining why the Defense budget is bloated.

"Congressman Kucinich is holding up a pie chart, which is not truly effective on radio," moderator Neal Conan told his listeners.

Kucinich was not fazed by the obvious detraction.

"Well, it's effective if Howard can see it," Kucinich countered. (1/7/2004)

Willie’s signed lyrics

Following the Willie Nelson and Friends Concert Fundraiser for Dennis Kucinich last Saturday night at the Austin Music Hall, a post-event reception was held at La Zona Rosa. There, supporters were able to bid on various collectibles including Nelson's signed lyrics for his new song "Whatever Happened To Peace On Earth," which he debuted on Saturday. Viewers of the webcast on www.kucinich.us were also able to bid. The winning bid of $2,900 went to two webcast viewers: Dr. Esteban O. Brown of McAllen, Texas, and John Fulwiler of Temple, Texas. They will pick up the lyrics, framed by a generous supporter, at Jovitas, 1619 1st Street in Austin at 4:00pm CT this afternoon. The event will be followed by a meeting of Austin Kucinich supporters at 5:00 p.m.

Kucinich's events in Austin this past weekend grossed over $140,000 for the campaign. (1/7/2004)

Patch Adams

Patch Adams, who was portrayed by Robin Williams in the film "Patch Adams," will campaign for Kucinich in Ames and Des Moines. Adams will appear at 10 a.m. at Cafe Diem in Ames, at 11:30 a.m. at Ames High School's presidential caucus forum, and at 12:30 p.m. at A-Dong restaurant in Des Moines, 1511 High St. (1/7/2004)

Kucinich: no boundaries

"Yeah, if people vote for me," he said. "Caucus for peace, health care, Kucinich."

Dennis Kucinich provides that answer to people who question whether he can win or be viable in the race for the Democrat nominee. He also sees a future with no boundaries if he can wrestle control from America’s corporations, according to the Iowa City Press Citizen:

He told residents if they elect a candidate not controlled by corporations the future has no boundaries.

"It is about community, making sure communities like West Liberty can survive," he said, "rebuilding a new economy." (1/8/2004)

Kucinich, Texas style

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s party with Willie Nelson in Austin, TX:

Nobody seems as dedicated to beating the Bush as the tofu and granola set in Texas' state capital, where country music demigod Willie Nelson held a Saturday night fund-raising concert for longshot presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich that featured performances by Bonnie Raitt, Michelle Shocked and members of the Dave Matthews Band and the Doobie Brothers.

The crowd had some true Kucinich believers as the article indicates:

"If he wins the Iowa caucus, every news pundit and political smart-aleck from coast to coast will have to show up at their emergency room for a cranio-rectal extraction," cackled the Rev. Lynne White, the East Texans for Kucinich coordinator, who drove 250 miles to see her candidate. (1/8/2004)

Kucinich on immigration

Dennis Kucinich issued the following statement in response to Bush’s immigration initiatives:

"The net result of President Bush's proposal could be disastrous. His approach will solidify second-class status for low-wage immigrant workers, because their rights will be dependent on the whims of their employers. You can imagine what will happen if workers try to organize.

"I support and will work to implement the cause of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride that crossed this country in September, including legalization and a road to citizenship for all immigrant workers in this country, the right of immigrant workers to re-unite their families, protecting the rights of immigrants in the workplace, and protecting the civil rights and civil liberties of all." (1/8/2004)

Kucinich: Texas plan discriminates

Rep. Dennis Kucinich made the following statement in response to the courts upholding the Texas redistricting plan:

"This country's long history of violating the voting rights of minorities has taken a new twist in the Texas redistricting as outrageous as any past poll tax or the voting list purges of Florida. It is now up to the Supreme Court to demonstrate its commitment to racial fairness. African Americans and Latinos are clearly discriminated against in this heavy-handed redrawing of the map. This is still another reason why the one-party domination of our political process is a danger to democracy."  (1/8/2004)

• "The danger is not that disaffected centrists will sit the election out or vote Republican. The real danger is in that small body of voters who are among the most passionate I've detected in this election. People like Dennis Kucinich's boosters." -- writes O. Ricardo Pimentel in the Arizona Republic. (1/8/2004)

Kucinich the peace candidate

“If we’re there for five years, we’re talking about a trillion dollars. I don’t think it’s in our national interest to occupy Iraq,” Dennis Kucinich states.

Kucinich told the Manchester Union Leader it would have been better, he added, had United Nations inspectors continued their work looking for weapons of mass destruction. Kucinich continued his isolationist views when it came to the subject of trade as well:

His first obligation on trade, he said, would be to stabilize the nation’s manufacturing economy. And his first act in office, Kucinich said, would be to initiate withdrawal from the World Trade Organization and the NAFTA trade pact between the United States, Canada and Mexico. He would instead return to negotiating trade agreements on a bilateral basis. (1/9/2004)

• “We as Democrats must take care that the tenor of the debate doesn’t become so inflamed that it turns people off. We have to be very careful about that,” Dennis Kucinich said. “I think voters are becoming increasingly sensitized to that, which is why . . . we have to be careful about anger.

• “Anger is not sustainable. You have to really provide people with hope. There is no crossover from anger to hope,” Kucinich said, saying a short time later, “This is where I think Democrats make a mistake — in just trying to tap anger. Where does it go? What do you stand for beyond that?”

(1/9/2004)

Black & Brown debate

Eight Democrats gathered for the Black and Brown debate and Al Sharpton nailed Howard Dean on the issue of race. Dean had made the statement earlier in the campaign that he was the only candidate talking about race to white audiences. Sharpton challenged Dean on his record of hiring minorities in top cabinet posts while Governor of Vermont (Dean’s record reveals a great big zero…). It resulted in a heated exchange between the candidates:

"If you want to lecture people on race, you ought to have the background and track record," said Sharpton.

"I will take a back seat to no one in my commitment to civil rights," Dean said, pointing out he had the most endorsements from members of the black and Hispanic congressional delegations.

"I think you only need co-signers if your credit is bad," Sharpton responded later when he had the chance.

It didn’t stop with Sharpton and Dean. Carol Moseley Braun took on Sharpton as well.

“You can always blow up a racial debate and make people mad at each other. But I think it's time for us to talk about, what are you going to do to bring people together?" she said.

Sharpton referenced the fact of Dean lecturing Democrats on race throughout the campaign, adding: "I want him to be accountable since he brought up race. That's not racial hysteria; that is accountability."

Sen. John Kerry leveled some of his harshest criticism at President Bush once again making the case that the war on terrorism isn’t a war but a police law enforcement effort:

“This president is actually playing to the culture of fear in our country. The war on terror is far less of a military operation and far more of an intelligence-gathering, law-enforcement operation…. And in order to fight an effective war on terror, we need unprecedented cooperation with other countries. The very thing this administration is the worst at is they push other nations away from us.”

One of the more humorous lines came when Rep. Dennis Kucinich was asked his opinion about going to Mars as President Bush is expected to suggest:

“You know, first of all, I've been wondering why the president would, while we're still in Iraq, talk about gong to the moon and going to Mars. Maybe he's looking for the weapons of mass destruction still.”

Sen. Joe Lieberman fumbled in this debate and was not up to the shorter time frames of the debate format. He had a proposal to ask all the other candidates to sign a letter to President Bush to enforce the new voter law but he couldn’t get his question out in time and looked foolish.

Dean also had trouble with the format – he wanted a ‘plant’ from the audience to answer his question and was denied.

Clearly Edwards was the candidate who gained the most from this final debate -- if anyone did. However, with no one breaking away from the pack or committing a disastrous mistake, the candidates emerged from the final debate still locked in a tight race to the Iowa Caucuses finish next Monday night.

[For the full transcript, go to the Washington Post.]  (1/12/2004)

Kucinich on O’Neill

Kucinich released this statement in response to former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's charges that President Bush entered office in January 2001 intent on invading Iraq and was in search of a way to go about it:

"These revelations are not just about the past. The Bush Administration is still with us. They manufactured justifications for the war, and they are now manufacturing justifications for continuing this occupation. The war is not over, and the invention of justifications for it is not over. Even Democratic presidential candidates are joining in. But the idea that we can stabilize Iraq and develop a legitimate democracy prior to turning control over to the United Nations is as impossible to believe as were the claims about an imminent threat from vast stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction."  (1/12/2004)

Kucinich campaigning in D.C.

Tuesday is Washington, D.C.’s unauthorized primary and Dennis Kucinich is going to be there. Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich has announced that he will introduce a bill in Congress when it returns to session that will make Washington, D.C. the 51st state.

"The residents of our nation's capital are taxed but have no voting power in Congress," Kucinich said. "Members of the armed services and the National Guard from Washington DC can be sent to fight in wars that DC has no power to vote on.

"The citizens of our nation's capital live, work, and pay taxes in the United States, and are denied the right even to use their tax dollars to lobby for statehood. This injustice must be brought to the nation's attention and swiftly remedied."

Kucinich will be aided by Danny Glover in contacting DC voters on Monday. A recording by Glover will be used on an automatic dialer to phone DC voters and urge them to vote for Kucinich in Tuesday's primary.  (1/12/2004)

• "To the extent we blew up Iraq, we have to undertake the rebuilding to the extent we caused the deaths of innocent and noncombatant women and children," Dennis Kucinich said. "Those families ought to be paid reparations.” (1/13/2004)

Kucinich in Iowa

Dennis Kucinich campaigned in Des Moines calling for America to pay war reparations to Iraq and get the U.N. in and the U. S. out. He also touched on two of his constant themes of globalization and gay marriages.

"It's not about nations anymore. It's about global corporations making money by moving jobs out of the country into countries where wages are low," he said. "They make money by paying people less and make huge profits by doing that."

"America must protect the rights of all, regardless of race, color, creed or sexual orientation," he said. "If two people love each other and they want to get married, they should be able to do that without society rejecting them." (1/13/2004)

Kucinich in D.C.

In the final days before the DC primary, the local Kucinich for President Campaign, DC for Dennis, has put forth a unique approach to electoral politics in seeking the votes of DC voters. Using a Hip Hop street team combined with traditional local campaign volunteers, the campaign has distributed 35,000 pieces of literature, knocked on doors, made phone calls to registered voters, and raised visibility for the their candidate by posting signs and posters throughout the District. The Hip Hop street team distributed literature at local Hip Hop clubs and poetry sets; talking up Kucinich to partygoers and poets, while other local Kucinich supporters worked on getting out the votes in local farmers' markets, churches, favorite neighborhood hang-out spots, and various metro stops in targeted locations. The residents of the District of Columbia will also be receiving a phone call today from actor/UN Peace Messenger, Danny Glover, asking them to vote for Dennis Kucinich in today’s primary.

"In a primary where it's not receiving a lot of national attention, we are trying to use innovative ways of getting out the votes not only to raise awareness for our candidate, but to also support a primary that is trying to bring awareness to the fact that residents of DC lack representation in Congress," said Yu-Lan Tu, the DC/MD State Coordinator for the Dennis Kucinich for President Campaign.

On January 9th, 2004, Congressman Dennis Kucinich announced that he will be introducing legislation to obtain DC Statehood once Congress reconvenes for the 108th Session. This announcement has brought in praises and support from local DC statehood activist and elected officials. DC Shadow Senator Paul Strauss said, "I am elated with Congressman Kucinich and his team for making such a significant step on the behalf of DC and its residents." Sean Tenner, Executive Director of DC Democracy Fund states, "Congressman Kucinich has shown that he is a great friend of the District of Columbia. He deserves the gratitude of every disenfranchised resident of DC for working to end our unequal status." (1/13/2004)

Mr. Clean goofed

Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Democrat, violated House ethics rules in his campaign for the presidential nomination, Roll Call reports. The newspaper said Mr. Kucinich's campaign failed to abide by House regulations forbidding a member's campaign from immediately publicizing material released by his congressional office. The rules are designed to prevent a member of Congress from using government resources to help his political campaign. More than three-dozen press statements issued by Mr. Kucinich's House office, the newspaper said, immediately were placed on his campaign website. (1/13/2004)

Shattered dreams

It is approaching the season in the pursuit of the Presidency when dreams begin to be shattered and hope diminished. Yesterday, Dennis Kucinich received a blow to the dream of becoming President. There were supporters all over this country that heard his message and hopped that his anti-war voice would become the article of faith of the Democrat Party, and its candidate for President. Kucinich came in fourth out of four in the Washington D.C. Primary voting. The Democrat National Committee discouraged candidates from participating in the Primary. However, all events have importance in some context.

The results of the Primary showed Dean leading with 42 percent, followed by Sharpton with 35; Moseley-Braun 12 percent and Kucinich 8 percent. The results are not final with 109 of 142 precincts reporting. So far, only 23,000 votes were counted in a city of 572,000.

This does not mean that Kucinich will quit being a candidate for President. When all hope is gone and the obvious fact that Kucinich no longer has any chance of being President, Kucinich will still be standing on a street corner for all that will listen asking Americans to put the U.N. in and pull the U.S. out of Iraq.

Soon, there will be others who will join the Kucinich faithful in finding the path between hope and reality blocked and not open to their dreams coming true.  (1/14/2004)

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