Hearts and Minds: Run, Dennis, Run
Originally published in the Cleveland Free Times
In making his official announcement Monday that he was running for president, Congressman Dennis Kucinich signaled that he'll be sloshing through the wintry landscapes of Iowa and New Hampshire for the next few months while continuing to pop up in the cattle-call televised debates featuring the Democratic candidates.
Good for him.
Does he have a chance of winning the nomination? Nope. Will he ever get out of single digits in any state he runs in? It's highly unlikely. Will he be the subject of late-night jokes by chuckleheads like Jay Leno? Constantly. Will some local commentators and/or civic leaders hint that Dennis is reinforcing Cleveland's negative image by futilely seeking the White House and thereby causing our town to perhaps suffer an even Quieter Crisis or more speedy exodus of our precious creative class or - worst of all - will he be the subject of a hissy fit on notcoolCleveland.com? Don't bet against it.
Still, Dennis should stay in the race for a numbers of reasons. First and foremost, he has some important things to say. His position on trade - repealing NAFTA and GATT - is one that no other candidate is expressing. His long-time, passionate stance against military action brings attention to an important - and somewhat endangered - perspective. His impressive record of providing constituent service to some of society's more disenfranchised members brings credibility to the Democrats long-stated, yet-often-neglected concern for the overlooked and underserved. And his call for a cabinet-level Department of Peace is a good idea that deserves exploration, especially if it encompasses issues like preventing domestic violence, creating conflict-resolution programs and emphasizing prisoner/addict rehabilitation and other constructive alternatives to America's punitive mentality.
In conjunction with these positions, Kucinich has carved out a national, somewhat high-profile constituency within the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. He is co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is a sought-after speaker within anti-war and anti-free trade circles. The fact that he's polling at approximately two percent in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination speaks - to a certain degree - to the electoral weight this element has in the national scheme of things.
Yet the Dems ignore this relatively tiny group at their own peril. Remember, the reckless, self-absorbed Ralph Nader garnered just three percent in the last election - from probably the same group Kucinich is appealing to - and that was enough to give the election to George Bush. If these potential Greens feel their views have at least been aired out in the primaries, then perhaps they will not bolt the Democrats by either supporting a third-party candidate or staying home on election day.
Another reason that it's important for Kucinich to remain in the field is that he can nip at the heels of the most dangerous individual of those who have a strong chance of getting the nomination. That would be Howard Dean, the angry bantam rooster with the thin skin and the total absence of national security experience, whom the Republican attack machine would turn into Dr. Mincemeat upon sinking their teeth into him.
Watching Dean's chalk-screeching-on-the-blackboard performances in the debates and contemplating actually being exposed to him for an entire campaign starting next spring and continuing through the fall - all Dean, all the time - is a prospect that ranks right up there with spending months locked in a small room with CNN's Tucker Carlson.
Anything that can help prevent a Dean nomination falls into the category of God's work, and Kucinich can help with this heroic task by cutting into the former Vermont governors anti-war followers while peeling off some delusional progressives who believe the cranky, stalker-like Dean represents their world view.
Recent presidential primary campaigns have featured candidates with much less important things to say than Kucinich, and with about the same chance of victory (think Pete DuPont, Alan Keyes and Al Haig), yet who hung on through New Hampshire jousting in debates, gamely pursuing caucus support in Iowa and retail politicking in the Granite State. These either self-absorbed, ideological or Quixotic pursuits are a slice of Americana and, at best, bring charm, passion and humor to an often dreary exercise.
At worst, these no-shots stay too long and it gets downright ugly. (Remember Jerry Brown's ill-advised New York odyssey against Clinton in '92.) Kucinich needs to resist the temptation to stay in the race simply to be a thorn in the side of the leading candidate or two - who will emerge, probably in mid-February. It's also critical that he keep his commitment to support the Democratic nominee and resist the temptation - which will inevitably come from his more zealous supporters - to bolt the party and run in the fall as a third-party standard bearer.
My sense is that Dennis is much too smart and much too loyal to the Democratic Party to either linger too long in the primary process or venture out on his own in quest of the White House. The national spotlight, though, can be highly intoxicating. Kucinich needs to make sure he's not blinded by it.
Larry Durstin : Hearts And Minds : Run, Dennis, Run
Subscribe to this blog's feed