Opinion: Awaiting that Kucinich surge

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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