Maui supporters draw Kucinich to Valley Isle
Originally published in the Maui News
Maui supporters draw Kucinich to Valley Isle
By EDWIN TANJI, City Editor
WAILUKU - When Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich stops on Maui for a two-day visit beginning today, he will be meeting with at least one of his biggest supporters: part-time Maui resident Willie Nelson.
There apparently is a significant number of other supporters of the Ohio congressman to be found on Maui, which is the reason he will be among the few presidential candidates for a major party to appear on Maui over the past 40 years.
Kucinich, one of 10 announced candidates seeking the Democratic Party nomination for president, is considered something of a long shot, given his record as one of the more liberal members of Congress.
But his record is what attracts supporters such as Ave Diaz, a teacher who is coordinating the Kucinich stopover that includes a public town meeting at 9 a.m. Sunday as well as a fund-raising luncheon at noon Sunday at the Maui Tropical Plantation.
A member of Maui Peace Action and an avowed "social advocate," Diaz said she learned "what Dennis is for, and what he stands for and about his standing as a political leader."
"When we learned who Dennis was and about his platform, about his positions on the environment, for social justice and social equality, we had to get involved," she said.
A spokesman for Kucinich's campaign, David Swanson, said the Maui trip was planned "basically because of the strong support he has there. . . . There is a huge group of supporters who are eager to have him come."
It will be a long trip from Washington, with a first stop at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) in Venice, Calif., where he is scheduled to join workers who have been locked out in a dispute with major supermarket chains.
Then he is scheduled to appear at the Montessori School Maui Music Fest featuring Willie Nelson, who has endorsed Kucinich for president. The concert is scheduled for 4 to 8:30 p.m. today at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center as a fund-raiser for the Montessori School of Maui.
According to the Kucinich campaign committee, Nelson has promised to perform concerts to benefit his campaign. Although the Maui concert is not one of those, Nelson is quoted as saying, "I encourage people to learn more about Dennis Kucinich . . . and I will be doing all I can to raise his profile with voters."
Nelson has been a longtime supporter of small farmers in the United States, regularly setting up Farm Aid concerts to raise funds to support distressed family farmers. Kucinich is on record as a critic of corporate agricultural monopolies as well as an advocate of food safety and environmental laws that would impact factory farming operations.
On Maui, Kucinich also is scheduled to appear at an installation banquet for the United Filipino Community Council tonight at The Westin Maui resort at Kaanapali.
Kucinich has only one stop outside of Maui during his Hawaii visit, from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Church of the Crossroads in Manoa on Oahu. But even that event is coordinated by a Maui supporter, Maui Community College political science instructor Joshua Cooper.
Swanson said Kucinich is accustomed to long campaign trips, although few involve five-hour plane rides for just two stops. More recently, Kucinich made stops in 11 states in three days when he officially declared his candidacy earlier this week, Swanson said.
Kucinich likely would be aligned with the late Patsy Mink, the Maui-born congresswoman who held strongly liberal positions throughout her career. Kucinich is among a small group of U.S. House members to oppose the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein and opposes the continued U.S. military presence in the country.
Montessori School Maui Music Fest, 4-8:30 p.m. today, Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Tickets $45 and $35.
United Filipino Community Council installation banquet, 6-11 p.m. today, The Westin Maui resort.
Town meeting for the public, 9-10:30 a.m. Sunday at Maui Community College, Student Lounge. Free.
Fund-raising Dennis Kucinich luncheon, noon Sunday at Maui Tropical Plantation. Reservations at 572-7983. Cost: $75; $35 for seniors/students; $20 for children; $50 per person for tables of four or more.
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