Dennis Kucinich

excerpts from the Iowa Daily Report

October 16-31, 2003

… Dennis  Kucinich’s 11-state whirlwind tour made it’s last stop in Des Moines, Iowa, yesterday. Kucinich has used the tour to formally announce his candidacy for president. According to the Des Moines Register today, Kucinich appeared at the Willkie House (a Des Moines community center). Excerpts: “The final stop on Dennis Kucinich's three-day tour to officially announce his candidacy for president drew an eclectic mix of supporters, ranging from an actress to a Muslim imam recently elected to the Des Moines school board. Actress Mimi Kennedy, from the television show "Dharma & Greg," was there. So was Ako Abdul-Samad, the former Black Panther who founded the Creative Visions community center. The crowd of about 200 did not appear discouraged that Kucinich, an Ohio congressman, has placed dead last among nine Democratic presidential candidates in five recent national polls. Neither did the candidate himself. "Our campaign's not going to go away," Kucinich said "It's in for the long haul. Our campaign is going to be the surprise of the 2004 season. We're prepared to surge right on time. It's not necessary to be up in the polls right at this moment." (10/16/2003)

… More figures are available on fundraising efforts – and spending – by the 2004 presidential candidates, according to today’s Des Moines Register: (10/17/2003)
President Bush	raised $49.5M	------	$70   M in the bank
Howard Dean	raised $14.8M	spent $8.8 M	$12.4M in the bank
John Kerry	raised $  4   M	spent $7    M	$  7.7M in the bank
Wesley Clark	raised $  3.8M	spent $107,000	-------
Joe Lieberman	raised $  3.6M	spent $3.5 M	$  4   M in the bank
John Edwards	raised $  2.5M	spent $5.8 M	$  4.8M in the bank
Dennis Kucinich	raised $  1.6M	spent $2.5 M	$785,000 in the bank
Carol M-Braun	raised $125,000	spent $118,000	$  29,000 in the bank
Al Sharpton	raised $121,000	spent $109,000	$  24,000 in the bank

… Well, it’s official – the votes have been cast and the $87 billion for Iraq reconstruction is a ‘go.’ And as threatened earlier this week, both senators John Kerry and John Edwards voted “no,” senator Joe Lieberman voted “yes,” Dick Gephardt voted “yes,” and Dennis Kucinich voted “no.” According to the article in today’s BostonGlobe.com, Republican political consultant Greg Mueller commented, “It's bad enough to be a dove. It's worse to be a hypocritical dove going into the election.” (10/18/2003)

Planet Kucinich was heard from again. Lee Enterprise reporter Kathie Obradovich reported on Kucinich’s performance. "I think he says all the right things for a lot of the groups that matter, especially labor and peace activists, but clearly there are not enough folks at the moment who are willing to caucus for him," said David Loebsack, a Democratic activist and political science professor at Cornell College. While Dean likes to say he's from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, Kucinich argues he's the rightful tenant of that turf. Instead of merely opposing the war in Iraq, Kucinich says he'd cut the Pentagon budget 15 percent and establish a Department of Peace. While many candidates call for expanding access to health care, Kucinich pushes for a government-run, single-payer system his opponents say can't pass Congress. While all candidates talk about improving trade and workers' rights around the globe, Kucinich pledges to scrap the World Trade Organization and NAFTA. (10/19/2003)

Once again, Congressman Dennis Kucinich is trying to prove he is not a fringe candidate, but when you are at 1 percent or less in the polls it is impossible. Alienated by rival Howard Dean’s new television ads, Dennis is proving once again that he is from another planet. According to Associated Press story, "I am proud of my record of opposition to the war on Iraq and the occupation of Iraq, and I will not stand by while a fellow Democrat [Howard Dean] distorts my record and his own," Kucinich said Friday. Kucinich has his lawyer sending letters to all the New Hampshire stations to pull the new TV ads being aired by Howard Dean. He also has the lawyer sending letters of protest to the Federal Communication Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. Kucinich says he isn’t going to let it drop, and I think we can all believe him. The fact is that his action will benefit Dean and his wanting to highlight the difference between Dean’s campaign and the other real candidates in the race. Kucinich wasn’t through. Not only has rival Howard Dean alienated Kucinich, but so has Chris Matthew of MSNBC’s Hardball. Again according to the same Associated Press story: The Ohio congressman is refusing to participate in a candidate forum hosted by Harvard University and aired live on MSNBC's "Hardball," arguing that Matthews has tainted the show with a conservative and corporate agenda. Kucinich, who voted against the congressional resolution authorizing the Iraq war, also complained that Matthews wrongly said that only Howard Dean opposed the war. Matthews has worked for former President Carter and former House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr., both Democrats. While Kucinich must be frustrated and confused about how anyone could say that Dean is against the War in Iraq, he can rest assured that he has permanently moved his political persona to being a far left spokesperson. (10/25/2003)

The Manchester Union Leader reports on a Union rally in New Hampshire yesterday where Democrat candidates tried to outbid each other in their loyalty to the union cause. Sen. John Kerry, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, U.S. Reps. Dennis Kucinich and Richard Gephardt, and Gen. Wesley Clark faced the union delegation in separate appearances, answering the same set of questions on trade, jobs and health insurance. Gephardt participated by telephone. More than 100 vocal union members cheered relentlessly yesterday as five Democratic Presidential Primary candidates pledged to create jobs for the nation’s millions of unemployed and to keep American jobs from going overseas. (10/26/2003)

The portraying of Democrats as being strong on defense was not helped by Dennis ‘No More Wars’ Kucinich. "Now, I think that we have to have a commitment to work with the nations of the world to make war archaic so we won't need to send our men and women abroad in search of wars or to fight wars that they never should have had to fight in the first place." said Dennis Kucinich.  (10/27/2003)

The Democrat candidates debated in Detroit under the auspices of the Black Caucus and the setting and sponsors caused the Democrats to focus on urban issues. The following comes from an Associated Press article that covered the issues debated: Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina talked about his "Cities Rising" plan, which he said would bring jobs to urban America through incentives for businesses to operate there. His plan also calls for paying teachers bonuses to work in poorer areas. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio said violence needs to be better addressed and highlighted the number of deaths that have taken place in Detroit. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, addressing the numbers of people jailed for nonviolent drug offenses, said, "We need to commit ourselves to turn this around and invest in rehabilitation, ... education, job training."  (10/27/2003)

The Manchester Union Leader is carrying the story about that state’s Green Party endorsement of Cong. Dennis Kucinich: "Your endorsement sends a signal to everyone in New Hampshire and throughout New England who is really concerned about those environmental issues that relate to protection of the environment, protection of the economy and protection of the natural world, that they have a candidate," Kucinich said. (10/28/2003)

Where have all the Liberals gone?

Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign has just received endorsements from a number of prominent Americans, including actor and activist Danny Glover, author Howard Zinn, Democratic leader and former Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate and former head of the NFL players' union Ed Garvey, Founder of the School of the Americas Watch Father Roy Bourgeois, Co-Founder of Global Exchange Kevin Danaher, the American Vegetarians, and Comedian Professor Irwin Corey. Here is a list from Kucinich’s website:

Dr. Patch Adams, Aris Anagnos, Edward Asner, Ed Begley Jr., Linda Blair, Grace Lee Boggs, Blase and Theresa Bonpane, David Clennon, Ben Cohen, Jeff Cohen, Blanche Wiesen Cook, Peter Coyote, James Cromwell, Kevin Danaher, Ani DiFranco, Ronnie Dugger, Barbara Ehrenreich, Riane Eisler, Hector Elizondo, Kathy Engel, Matthew Fox, Marilyn French, Arun Gandhi, Lila Garrett, Ed Garvey, Ronnie Gilbert, Angela Gilliam, Danny Glover, Elliott Gould, Granny D, Jerry Greenfield, John Hagelin, Tom Hayden, Randy Hayes, Sen. John Hottinger, Nicholas Johnson, Van Jones, Mimi Kennedy, Ynestra King, David Korten, Winona LaDuke, Gail Lerner, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Willie Nelson, Grace Paley, Rosalind Petchesky, Ram Dass, Marcus Raskin, John Robbins, Eric Roberts, Tanya Roberts, Loretta Ross, Digna Sanchez, Roy Scheider, Jonathan Schell, Paul Schrade, Stanley Sheinbaum, Pete Seeger, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Paul Alan Smith, Richard Stallman, Meredith Tax, Studs Terkel, Harvey Wasserman, Haskell Wexler, Marianne Williamson, Rep. Lynn Woolsey, Dr. Quentin Young, Howard Zinn. (10/29/2003)

National Green party disavows Kucinich

Speaking of endorsements, the national Green Party is disavowing the New Hampshire Green Party’s endorsement of Kucinich, according to a Manchester Union Leader story. The Green Party of the United States includes 43 accredited state Green Parties, and will hold the party's national convention in Milwaukee in June. The party is based on peace, social justice and environmental concerns. (10/29/2003)

Cut defense spending

Kucinich is hot in New Hampshire Union Leader today. There is also an Associated Press story covering Kucinich speech to college students. In the speech, he calls for cutting 60 billion from defense and transferring the money to a universal pre-kindergarten system to aid single mothers or any working parents struggling with the cost of day care. He considers himself the true anti-war candidate in the Democratic primary. He was the only candidate in Congress to vote against the war, and has pledged to implement a "Department of Peace" if elected. How well did he go over? "I was able to relate more with Lieberman, he talked more about college and affording college and that's a big problem for me," said Candace Cunha, a freshman at Saint Anselm College  from Loudon, New Hampshire.  (10/29/2003)

Marijuana

The Des Moines Register carries an interesting story regarding Democrat candidates’ position on medical marijuana: On medical marijuana. The candidates' positions on medical marijuana, according to their campaigns:

JOHN EDWARDS: Science is still unclear. There needs to be a high-level Food and Drug Administration commission to determine right away whether medical marijuana is the best way to treat pain.

JOHN KERRY: Supports the use of real science to determine the effectiveness, safety and need for the controlled medical use of marijuana. If scientifically warranted, and studied by an objective commission, the use must be closely restricted to prevent abuse and illegal trafficking.

HOWARD DEAN: As a doctor, he believes marijuana should be treated no differently from any other drug. It should be evaluated by the FDA for its safety and then approved if it is safe and effective, rejected if it is not.

DENNIS KUCINICH: Disagrees with President Bush's methods of "harassing medical marijuana patients" and instead favors medical marijuana being used to relieve the suffering of seriously ill patients.

JOE LIEBERMAN: Is aware of reports that marijuana may provide therapeutic relief for some individuals, but isn't aware of any reputable studies to support this. He opposes legalizing a drug that many health professionals believe has greater health risks than therapeutic benefits.

CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN: Is in favor of medicinal marijuana use.

Campaigns for Dick Gephardt, Wesley Clark and Al Sharpton did not respond timely to requests for information about their position on this issue. (10/29/2003)

California the golden state

An LA Times’ story points out that the Democrats are back in California panning for gold in the liberal strongholds – and especially in Hollywood. Excerpt: “The cash derby began Wednesday, when North Carolina Sen. John Edwards arrived in Los Angeles for two appearances and a fund-raiser at the Venice home of actor Dennis Hopper and his wife, Victoria. About 75 guests, most with Hollywood connections, mingled and admired the couple's pop art collection as a three-piece jazz combo played. Guests, including actors Bill Paxton and Jeanne Tripplehorn, gave a total of $50,000.

The Times reported the other following candidates’ hopeful visits:

·        Gephardt had scheduled fund-raisers in San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto and San Jose during his brief stay, although his campaign declined to provide further details.

·        Clark planned a town hall meeting Saturday afternoon at the Radisson Wilshire Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and an address to attorneys from the San Francisco Bar Assn. on Sunday. He intended to hold fund-raisers in both cities. His staff also would not respond to requests for more information.

·        Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio planned to travel to Oakland on Sunday for a fund-raiser sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), the only member of the House to vote against the war in Afghanistan. (10/31/2003)

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