DennisIsRight.com

A friend asked me the other day what it is about Dennis Kucinich that appeals to me. He said Dennis doesn’t appear to have any of the characteristics of the front-runner candidates. 

I’m still not sure how he could ask a question and answer it in the same sentence.  

When I look at Hillary Clinton, I can’t imagine her in jeans, getting grubby and laughing at a picnic. But I’ve sat next to Dennis Kucinich, our heads together, talking quietly, plates balanced on our laps. 

When I look at Barack Obama, I can’t imagine him being willing to spend more than 15 seconds talking to me, let alone listening to me. I’m a little person - a nobody, and he is too busy talking to Oprah Winfrey anyway. But I’ve answered the phone to hear Dennis Kucinich on the other end, telling me what a fantastic idea I’d e-mailed him earlier and wanting to talk about it in more detail.

When I look at John Edwards, I can’t imagine him shaking my hand without immediately dropping it to take the next outstretched hand, completely unaware of one single thing about me other than the fact that I am old enough to vote. Yet the last time I saw Dennis Kucinich, he immediately recognized me and pulled me into a big bear hug. 

Because he doesn’t share many of the characteristics of the other candidates, is Kucinich unqualified to be president? Well, let’s see…  Dennis Kucinich has the strength of George Washington, the integrity of Abraham Lincoln, the intelligence of Thomas Jefferson, the strength of Harry Truman and the leadership of Dwight Eisenhower. He has the humanitarianism of Jimmy Carter, the charisma of JFK and the environmental sensitivity of Bill Clinton.

Kucinich has a conscience and he isn’t afraid to follow it. He is bold. He is brilliant. He has made history. Yet you’ll find him in the homes of his supporters, talking and listening. You’ll find him on his cell phone, visiting with a volunteer as earnestly and interestedly as if she was paid staff.

He has lived in poverty. He has worked his way up from the bottom. He is a husband and a father with bills to pay and a lawn to mow. 

Dennis Kucinich isn’t an untouchable politician who only answers to corporate interests and to hell with everyone else. Dennis Kucinich is everyone else. He’s one of us. 

And that, I told my friend, is why I support Dennis Kucinich.

I just came back from spending Thanksgiving with my family in the Midwest. We don’t discuss politics very often - I learned to tread lightly in that area after the look Dad gave me when I asked whether he thought FDR knew the Japanese were going to bomb Pearl Harbor - but with this upcoming presidential election, it’s hard not to talk politics at all.

What I came away from this trip with is a much better sense of how little most of America really knows about the candidates, about the issues, about what’s really going on as this election builds up to a full head of steam. Most of America doesn’t take the time to do a great deal of reading and listening in an effort to understand what each candidate is offering.

What they get is what the mainstream media offers them, and as I’ve pointed out repeatedly, the media is controlled by big business and big business wants the candidates in office who are going to further their agendas. It’s about money and yes, it’s about oil. If you want to know what kind of a president Hillary Clinton would be, look up the special interests that are backing her. Then look up the special interests that backed George W. Bush. See any similarities? Yeah, you sleep tight now.

Let me bring this all back to my original thought, a trick my friends call “Six Degrees of Dennis Kucinich.” My mother had told me quite pointedly in the past that she could never support a presidential candidate who is pro-choice. I knew then that, somewhere along the way, someone in the media had told her that Kucinich is pro-choice. I explained to her what the media doesn’t tell people: first of all, Kucinich is Catholic. That’s pretty cut-and-dried right there. He’s never going to stand up and say “abortions for all!” That is so diabolically opposed to his beliefs that no one on either side would respect him if he did. You can say what you want about him, but no one accuses him of being a flip-flopper.

What he is saying is that America needs a president who is a healer. America needs a president who isn’t afraid to trace the abortion fight back to where it starts - with the demand for abortions in the first place.

Kucinich says we need better sex education, teaching young people about abstinence and safe sex. If there are less unplanned, unwanted pregnancies, there will be less demand for abortions.

Kucinich also says America needs a president who will stress non-violent means of conflict resolution, and non-violence as a way of life, starting with education. I’ve heard people say a peace activist president would be perceived as weak by other nations. But there’s nothing weaker than a president who watches people in his own country rape each other, then abort the results. How anyone could malign Kucinich for wanting to stop the problem before it starts is a mystery to me. And why anyone would want a president who thinks the issue can be resolved simply by labeling himself “pro-choice” or “pro-life” is an even bigger mystery to me.

We have to use our heads on this issue, and all the others that are facing us in this election. The media isn’t going to tell us the whole story. They never do. It’s a shame and a national embarrassment, but it’s a fact and, as a former journalist, one I could write volumes about. But all I can do right now is caution people that our country’s “free press” is anything but free and it is imperative that you use every resource available to you to find out the truth before you step into that voting booth.

I wasn’t going to write about this because it’s everywhere, but I can’t be still about it any longer, not when it does such a great job of proving what I’ve been saying all along about the media.

I’ve been saying for months that the media, backed by corporate money, is focusing on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as its choice for the Democratic nomination. The media is trying to make sure America does what the media wants, instead of allowing us any of that free choice nonsense that is such a vital part of a true democracy.

I don’t think we need to look any further for proof of that than ABC’s recent handling of its own online survey.

After a recent debate among the Democratic candidates, ABC posted an online survey to ask “Who won the Democratic debate?”

Dennis Kucinich was far ahead in the poll when ABC replaced the question with “Who is winning the Democratic debate?” Obama first took the lead in this new poll, but then was overtaken by Kucinich.

The poll was then dropped from prominence on the website and the results never officially reported. Many, many people wrote to ABC and demanded to know why. As far as I know, no one got a response.

People are still pissed off over this, but in a way, I think it’s great. It shows not only that I’m right about the bottom-feeders that call themselves “journalists” these days, but that America really is listening to Kucinich. We know that he’s right on the issues, and we know that he’s right for this country.

This came in as a comment on an earlier posting, but I think it’s so good I’m putting it here as a guest posting. My thanks to Christopher Barry for these thoughts. 

 We’ve all grown up being intensely marketed to. While no one can say for sure exactly how intensely, estimates are as high as 3,000 media messages per day, per American.

You’ve got to have this thing or that thing or you’re just not cool. You need these clothes, those shoes, that anti-perspirant, this car. Ask your doctor about Zyloflux. It’s a never ending onslought. We almost don’t really notice anymore. But we do. The never ending nuances that the big media purveyors slide in unconsciously matter a lot. It’s all about the nuances, actually.

When Hillary and Barak are center stage in the ‘debates’ - that makes a statement that they are better, or superior, or more important.

When the majority of the questions are asked to those in the center of the debate stage - that gives them more legitimacy.

The ‘debates’ really aren’t debates. They’re lame and uninformative.

Pronunciation: di-’bAt, dE-
Function: noun
: a contention by words or arguments: as
a : the formal discussion of a motion before a deliberative body according to the rules of parliamentary procedure
b : a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides

Obviously, the soundbite stuff we’re seeing are not truly debates. Simply calling these ‘debates’ destroys the value of the word, and the idea of seriously debating things that matter to all of us.

When the ‘frontrunners’ are treated to multiple camera angles during their replies, at favorable angles, with the American flag conspicuously behind them - that makes them ‘look presidential.’

When So-and-So is way ahead in the ‘polls’ we are to think they’re better. Seriously, have you ever been asked questions for a political poll? I didn’t think so. Me neither.

When the media tout how much money the candidate’s campaigns have raised - that makes some people think that those who raise more money are somehow better able to lead the people of this country. For others, it raises serious questions about allegience and corruption.

Marketing - as propaganda - is an art of subtleties. It’s also the art of telling you what to think, what to buy, who to love, who to hate - all the while making you believe that you are making the decision. Making you believe that you are in control, and making your own choices.

The sad fact is, most people want someone to tell them what to wear, how to think, what to drive, who to love and who to hate. Keeping your status in your social class demands this. You conform. You go along without seriously questioning why things are the way they are.

The question here should not be ‘Is Dennis electable’? The question should be can the American people look beyond the ‘frontrunner’ marketing hype, listen carefully to what Dennis is saying, research his history of principled action, compare that vision honestly to the beliefs deep in their own hearts about what the idea of America means to them, and not vote for him?

Use your own mind.

A friend made the comment to me the other day that Dennis Kucinich is getting a lot more notice in this election than he did in the 2004 race.

I agree, and I find it interesting. His messages really haven’t changed. It’s the listeners who have changed.

Take the war, for example. Four years ago, America wanted to believe that the war was necessary to assure that Iraq could not wreak havoc on the world with its weapons of mass destruction. Some legislators, when called on to vote for an invasion, questioned the president’s decision, but very few had the guts to vote no.

Dennis Kucinich was one of those few. Now America is looking at the massive loss of life in Iraq, shaking its head, begging for the war to end and our troops to come home.

Dennis is right.

Take healthcare, for another example. For years this country has been stumbling along, taking the healthcare we’re offered when we can afford it, feeling somehow that something’s not right but not sure of how to fix it. Now the problem dominates headlines and people are coming forward to tell their horror stories of facing cancer without adequate health coverage and not having any insurance for their children.

Dennis Kucinich has been fighting to address this country’s healthcare crisis for years. As a legislator, he has the power to put his beliefs into action. He’d done that with HR 676, a plan that covers all healthcare needs, including dental care, mental health care, vision care, prescription drugs and long-term care, all at no extra cost. His plan is supported by 78 members of Congress and 14,000 physicians.

Dennis is right.

We drove Richard Nixon out of office because of his secretive, law-breaking administration. This Congress is turning a blind eye to the Bush/Cheney administration, letting them do whatever they want, regardless of the cost to America. I’m not even just talking about the war in Iraq. I’m talking about every day.

We recently found out that Bush refuses to follow the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) law, and that’s just one of a series of laws the president has given the finger to.

Dennis Kucinich is not afraid to challenge the president’s delusions that he is above the law. Nor is Kucinich afraid to challenge what he calls our “lap dog Congress.” Only eight members of Congress have been told ANYTHING about the FISA violations and they are sworn to secrecy. However, when they are asked if they have been told much, several have acknowledged that they have been pretty much left in the dark.

Kucinich has introduced articles of impeachment against Cheney, believing we must first get him out of office before we address the Bush issue. Although he stood up alone among his fellow lawmakers when he first introduced the articles, other members of Congress have begun standing up with him and adding their names.

Dennis is right.

You can’t tell me any of these things about anyone else running for president.

My last post raised quite a bit of discussion. I’m glad.

I noticed, though, that although some Kucinich dissenters wrote in to say why they would not be voting for him, they still didn’t give concrete reasons why he is “not electable.” They simply gave examples of things Kucinich has done or said that they disagree with. None of those things make him fundamentally un-electable.

So let’s open this up for more discussion. Why do you think Dennis Kucinich is electable? Why do you think he is not electable? You can post your answers below in the “comments” section, or e-mail them to me: Christy@DennisIsRight.com. I’ll compile the responses and put them into a future post.

I keep hearing variations on the same refrain: “I really like Dennis Kucinich, but I don’t think he’s electable.”

What I have yet to hear is a good explanation of what that really means. I’ve heard Kucinich criticized for being a vegan (yeah … how heinous), for being short (of all the ridiculous things) and for being a Liberal. Granted, that last one came from my midwestern aunt who is so far to the right she refers to John McCain as “that hippie.”

But Kucinich isn’t electable? Let me tell you why buying into that sentiment is a mistake this country cannot afford to make.

Dennis Kucinich was the first one to talk about the need for health care reform in the United States.

Pundits, journalists and political bloggers alike largely agree that if Kucinich had not started the discussion on health care, it would probably have been largely ignored during this election.

Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate who has the guts to stand up for what he believes in, even when it’s not the popular opinion.

He has lead the charge to impeach Dick Cheney. Well over half of the American population wants the current adminstration impeached but there aren’t that many legislators in Congress who are willing to take that step. I’ve already talked about how troublesome that is, so let’s just focus on the fact that Kucinich is unafraid to stand up for what’s right.

Dennis Kucinich is pro-senior.

The Alliance of Retired Americans gives him a score of 100 percent for his voting record on senior issues. He believes in an America where citizens get full Social Security benefits at the age of 65, and where Social Security will never become privatized. He also has he guts to say America can afford to uphold its social compact with its senior citizens, regardless of what the current administration would have us believe.

Dennis Kucinich is pro-child.

He was the first candidate during this election to point out the flaws in the No Child Left Behind program, which focuses on test scores instead of the real needs of children. The Universal Pre-Kindergarten Act, which he introduced in Congress, would provide funding to states to establish universal pre-kindergarten programs that build on existing federal and state pre-kindergarten initiatives.

Dennis Kucinich would lead this country into a time of peace. Imagine what it would be like to not wake up every day with the sickening thought over your head that your nation is at war - that while you slept more young Americans died fighting in a foreign country.

Imagine what it would be like to live your life knowing that your president wanted what was best for you, not what was the most profitable for his buddies in the oil industry.

Imagine knowing that your president really does understand what it’s like to work for minimum wage, what it’s like to try to find decent and affordable housing, what it’s like to worry about your children’s safety when you send them to their public school in the mornings.

Dennis Kucinich can relate to us because he’s one of us. And that is why Dennis Kucinich is electable.

I am one lucky blogger.

No sooner do I write a post that says the Democratic frontrunners and their corporate America backers are trying to take over the 2008 presidential campaign than two of them step forward and prove me right. Over their microphones, no less. Thanks, guys!

In case you missed this, which I kind of doubt, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards were overheard Thursday discussing the possibility of limiting the number of participants in future presidential forums.

Their conversation was captured on camera and open microphone by broadcasters after an NAACP forum in Detroit, when Edwards approached Clinton onstage and whispered in her ear.

“We should try to have a more serious and a smaller group,” Edwards said, and Clinton agreed.

“Our guys should talk,” Clinton said, complaining the format had “trivialized” the discussion.

While I’m not sure this was directed entirely at Kucinich, he feels it was aimed at him and so, in true Dennis fashion, he is meeting this head-on, contacting both candidates himself and issuing a statement challenging their integrity.

I’ll let Dennis handle the big dogs on this (I suspect Mrs. Clinton wouldn’t even return my calls) but let me address my thoughts to you:

We’ve already established that Clinton is being backed by the same corporate interests that brought us the Bush administration. Now she’s trying to shut Kucinich out of future debates.

Why do you think that is?

Because the American voters are starting to listen to Kucinich.

Because she realized that the American voters are listening to Kucinich and is now parroting what he has been saying all along. The sooner she shuts him up, the sooner she hopes everyone will forget that her comments are not her own thoughts.

Because Dennis is right.

Kucinich rips Edwards on debate remarks

It’s a fact, and a poorly concealed fact at that: the major media in this country are controlled by big business. That’s the reason, and the only reason, you don’t read more about the candidates who won’t kneel before them. Candidates like Dennis Kucinich who have the guts to speak the truth will never get the column inches or the air time, because they don’t further the media’s corporate agenda.

I personally challenged a New York Times writer last week when he wrote a blog entry about the “lesser” candidates having light campaign schedules. He singled out Kucinich, Mike Gravel and Republican Ron Paul as having these presumably light schedules.

Many people wrote comments, which were approved and posted, even those that angrily disagreed with the Times and challenged the writer’s integrity and research ability. The link is here - you can see for yourself.

I wrote that it’s no surprise that the New York Times does not support Kucinich, as he has been speaking out against the war in Iraq since before it started and the Times was instrumental in helping garner public support for Bush’s proposal to invade Iraq in the first place.

My comment was never posted. Got a little too close to the truth, did I?

Network television is no better. Did you notice how often Dennis was on camera during the recent debate at Howard University? It was considerable, and it was the same as every other candidate. That’s because the debate was aired on PBS. How radically different that is from CNN.

CNN recently allowed the eight Democratic presidential campaigns to vote on whether the network should continue to place its preferred candidates together in the center of the stage in order to keep the candidates it doesn’t like to the edges, and therefore off camera, or whether it should choose the candidates’ stage positions by random drawing.

The vote was 4 to 4. Kucinich, Dodd, Gravel and Clinton all voted for the random drawing. The others voted to keep it as it is. CNN had to break the tie and, oh big surprise, decided to stay with their current system of placing their favorites in the center. Why wouldn’t they? Their chosen candidates are the ones who support their corporate agenda.

Why did Clinton vote in favor of the random drawing? Let’s not read too much into that. What does she care where she stands on the stage? She’s already the media’s darling and the Democratic frontrunner. Right there is where the “why” question should come into play.

Why is Clinton so far ahead of the others? She’s visible. She’s running a big-budget campaign. So is Obama, who is close beside her in the polls. Where did they get the money to run these huge campaigns?

If you don’t read anything else I say here, ever, please read this: 

Clinton is raising a lot of her money from many of the same businesses that backed George W. Bush. If she’s already being backed by the same financial interests that brought us our current president, we can’t expect any changes once she’s in office. Like things the way they are? Vote Clinton.

Obama’s following is largely based on his personal appeal. If you really listen to what he says, he says very little. His stance on the issues is weak at best - and he’s still getting a lot of corporate money. Why? Why is corporate America so willing to back a candidate who is so milquetoast? Why wouldn’t they? Because as president he wouldn’t rock the boat. He wouldn’t challenge the status quo. That’s exactly what they want. They want a president who is open to those interests. By taking their money, Clinton and Obama have said they are.

There has to be a change, and it has to be soon. I am tired of this country’s big corporations being in charge, and putting their candidates into office to make sure they stay in charge.

Let’s call it reason number 3,437,896,512 why I’m voting for Kucinich.