Awaiting that Kucinich surge

No one ever accused Rep. Dennis Kucinich of joining the pack to chase the most votes.

According to this week's Times/Bloomberg poll, the six-term Ohio congressman, who seems to spend more time elsewhere perennially campaigning for president, has voter support ranging from 1% of Democrats in South Carolina all the way up to 3% in New Hampshire, which loves mavericks who tell them how important they are.

This week the House of Representatives voted on a commemoration resolution establishing 9/11 "as a day of remembrance, extending sympathies to families of victims...and honoring those who have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq."

The vote was 334-1. Guess who voted against it? Kucinich says the resolution should also have made reference to the numerous lies that took the U.S. into Iraq, keeps its soldiers there, is setting the stage for a war against Iran and undermines civil liberties at home.

Fresh from that victory and a recent convivial meeting with Syrian Pres. Assad, the 60-year-old Kucinich and his 29-year-old wife, Elizabeth, headed for that notable political linchpin: Hawaii, where he'll devote four days starting today to campaigning across the islands. His campaign says he's the first candidate of either major party to work on the Hawaii vote, and there's a good reason for that: Hawaii doesn't matter much.

Kucinich will do all the staples of a low-budget campaign: hold news conferences, speak to students hopefully of voting age, address Democratic groups and appear on radio and community TV. He's also scheduled a fundraiser.

By paying such attention to Hawaii, Kucinich is obviously keenly aware of one historical fact. Since Hawaii gained statehood, no Democrat has ever won the presidency without winning or losing that state.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[deepok]

I don't think it's very constructive to mock someone just for telling the truth. Furthermore, keeping himself in the public eye brings about more awareness of his ideas, such as a U.S. Department of Peace. These ideas are also mocked, but never rebutted with anything of substance. Remind me why we should not be hearing the truth? Remind me why a Department of Peace is a bad idea?

(Ans: Never mentioned the Dept. of Peace. Nor the trip to and praise for the Pres. of Syria, who's blowing up the political leaders next door in Lebanon..-AM)

[Pete]

Thank you Dennis for supporting TRUE universal health care. We need it now.

[Armando]

God, we hope D. Kucinich can come from behind. If only more famous people would come out and say they support him because those are the people everyone listens to.

[stephenie]

Wow, way to try and undermine some of the wonderful things that Dennis Kucinich is trying to do. Not-For-Profit Singple Payer Universal Health Care is the most sensible way to provide health care to our nation. People fear it for some strange reason, but I've lived with people from countries where it exists and believe me they are perfectly happy with it. It makes sense, and it covers everyone. Ending the war in Iraq, something a huge amount of voters feel strongly about, Cancelling NAFTA and providing jobs at home. Healing the terrible divide in our country that is the war over abortion by retaining the right to choose while striving to provide better healthcare, education and resources so that people will not feel that abortion is as necessary. And last, but very much not least, not being BOUGHT by taking corporate money.

But no, much more important to point out the age difference between he and his wife and his "low budget" campaign. Of cousre, you have to point out his low polling and not the fact that among progress democratic polls such as PDA and DFA he has polled #1 consistently and well in CA. These are people who do vote in the primaries and caucuses.

As for his voting record, he is CONSISTENT.

[bk]

Wow. Nice attitude. Mock all you want, I'm voting for Kucinich. He has a lot better ideas, guts and experience than Obama or Clinton. He's not a corporate robot like you, Andrew. It's time to change the voting process and you are part of the problem, Andrew. By the way Elizabeth is 30 but I'm sure 29 suited your tone better. Totally looking forward to more of your great reporting!

[David]

As far as that vote goes, dont we have enough real problems to deal with rather than pushing through obvious fluff resolutions? I mean, 9/11 is burned into our brains and history books, what is the point of a resolution that really does nothing? Why not direct your ire at that?
Your biography states that your parents stressed participation in a democratic society, why are you trying to stifle that process?

[Jeffrey Shepherds]

There is little to say against Kucinich: the most you managed in this article was to say he is low on the polls. But that fact is a reflection of the media and the press, of which you are a part. Note well that the only major candidate excluded from the final Iowa debate was the one candidate who voted against the war, Kucinich. How can you praise higher polling candidates like Hillary and Edwards who actually got us into this mess?

(As you may know, the Register's criteria to get into the debate was to 1) have an operating local campaign office in Iowa (Kucinich's is run from a private home) and 2) score at least 2% in the latest Register poll. Mike Gravel was also excluded on this basis.)

[john N. Scheinman]

Andrew Malcolm writes like a 12-year-old. Grow up

[greg]

I'm so glad to read the support for Dennis Kucinich is alive and well. To hear the media tell it, he doesn't even exist. And when they do mention him, they take a superior tone as if they know something the rest of us don't.
What the rest of us know is that the media is partially to blame for the messes this country is in because of their lies.
Keep speaking up, Mr Kucinich. You have my vote. There are a lot of us solidly in your corner.
Nothing would make me happier than to go to bed election night with the media declaring one of your opponents the winner, only to wake up the next morning to watch them eat crow and announce that Dennis Kucinich has won the election!
Remember President Dewey?