Muslims For Kucinich

Dennis Kucinich was interviewed by Daily Cal Staff Writer Rong-Gong Lin, II after a town hall meeting at Taylor Memorial Church in Oakland.

Daily Cal: Some people have noticed that your candidacy is certainly galvanizing the progressives in the Barbara Lee style. But on the UC Berkeley campus, it seems the most organized student group backing a Democratic candidate is the one backing Howard Dean. Why do you think this is the case?

Dennis Kucinich: My support is growing on campuses all across this country as people learn that there are serious, differences between myself and many of the other Democratic candidates. Now we can talk about Dr. Dean. He’s made public statements to the New York Times that he would keep 70,000 troops in Iraq. I believe that the United States should get out of Iraq. And I have an exit strategy that’s actually on my Web site at www.kucinich.us. Gov. Dean has said he would support the $87 million which is the next installment. Now he’s qualified it by saying he’d get it out of the tax cut. As I said before, I’m opposed to that. Gov. Dean is for keeping the present for-profit health care system in tact. I’m for universal health care system. Medicare for all, single payer, that takes health care away from the control of the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies. Gov. Dean actually told the New York Times that if you want fundamental change in health care in that system, he said he is not the man. That’s what he said.

But on the issue of trade and the WTO, Gov. Dean will not repeal the WTO and NAFTA. I will. On the issue of military spending, he refuses to commit to a reduction in Pentagon spending, while saying he’s going to balance the budget. You figure out what that means.

So I think that there are real differences of opinion and policy stands. On the death penalty, he’s for the death penalty, and I’m not. I mean, I’m calling for closing down the Schools of the Americas. Is he? I mean, there are so many positions that are practical and doable, which Gov. Dean does not stand for. So you asked the question, and I’m giving you a definitive answer.

DC: Why do think there hasn’t been as much of a sizable organized movement among students for your candidacy?

DK: I think it’s just starting. There’s plenty of time. I mean, this campaign isn’t over. Howard’s campaign was out there first. I congratulate him on that. But people, when they hear my message, they know that my candidacy is about real change. It’s about fundamental change. If people want to really to change this system, I think young people resonate with that and I think they’re going to end up supporting my candidacy. So you’re going to find more and more people switching to support our campaign.

DC: Something that caught my eye in your speech was free tuition for anyone who goes into public college and universities. Where would that money come from? Could you elaborate on that?

DK: Sure. Well the plan I have would take the money from the tax cuts that go to the people in the top brackets and put it right into creating a fund for college-free tuition. Let’s do the math. Before this last round of tuition increases, 12 million Americans going to public colleges and universities had an average tuition of $4,000. It might be higher. It equals $48 billion, that is a fraction of the tax dollars we’ve given away to people in the top bracket.

I will tell you that, you want to stimulate the economy? Give everyone a chance to go to college, for free. That will stimulate the economy. That will set off a boom in education in this country. That will enable people to get better educated and therefore be able to have the kind of options whether they can go into a career that they maybe wouldn’t have been able to afford before. That would also give families a little bit more spending money instead of giving money to that system. People can hold onto the money for themselves and it would mean that people wouldn’t have to go to work anymore (to pay for college). So many more choices come up.

Let’s look at it the other way, let’s turn it around. Look at what we’re doing now, what we’re spending money on. We’ve got tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans, we have money for the war in Iraq. We have money for $400 billion for the military budget. But no money for education. We cut funds to states. States then raise the cost of tuition and increase fees.

I mean, this is very hard, and you know, as someone who spent money, borrowed money and worked my way through college, I understand what students go through today. It’s not easy. You know, someone wants to go to college. I worked two years before I could start college, and then I borrowed. It took me at least seven years to get through college, with a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Sometimes I worked full time and went to college either part-time or full-time. I know what people go through. This is not an easy thing to do, and when the cost of tuition keeps going up, it’s just a lot of extra pressure on you, and those couple of extra dollars mean a lot, especially having the experience of having to work my way through college, having had the experience of working at a job and going to school, I know what it’s like and that’s why I say, hey, we should do everything we can for public colleges and universities to provide tuition free. I see it as a right for a democratic society. Then people can see what they want to do, if they want to go to graduate school, then people can go to graduate school and seek even higher educational opportunities. Think of how many Americans would go to college if they had the chance. Think of how many families have been denied the opportunity for this because they don’t have the money. What a tragedy in America. Think of how when people can’t go to college because they don’t have the money, how it keeps creating class division in our society. And, there’s an unspoken issue which I want to speak to, and that is the racial inequities that begins to occur. Because of a pre-existing economic divide, many people of color don’t have the opportunities and with that increasing divide, we have an obligation to worry, and the only to do it is to make sure everyone can go.

DC: Would most of your money then, for, universal health care and universal preschool come from the tax cut or—?

DK: No, no. The health care system is different, that money would come from a 7.7 percent payroll tax paid by employers, who are already paying 8.2 percent. The government already puts money into health care, we keep government spending at a constant. If by eliminating the profit incentive, we thereby free up hundreds of millions of dollars which you can put directly into the health care system. The money for universal pre-kindergarten comes from a 15 percent cut in the bloated Pentagon budget. I mean, they have all kinds of fantasies for weapons in space and missile shields and nuclear bunker busters and weapons. We need to move away from those arrogant pretensions that only threaten the security of the world, and move towards a condition where we can enhance the security of the world by the United States working with other nations in the cause for peace. And the peace dividend then comes right into our community by being able to free up money for basic educational needs.

See, this is all a matter of our priorities. We’ve had to think that these priorities are somehow set in stone and we got to go along with it. No, we don’t. We can change the priorities of this country, and that’s what the election of the president is about.

So, I will say again, that my election will be about fundamental change. It’s not about trimming around the edges. It’s about fundamental change, and I think young people yearn for that kind of change. And that’s why if people learn about my candidacy and how distinct it is, how different it is, how it offers a real choice, how it’s not a fad, how it’s not a flavor of the month, but it’s a solid, constructive transformational opportunity, young people will be flocking to this campaign.

Young people will see this campaign as the opportunity to get out of Iraq, as the opportunity for jobs, for education for all, for health care for all, it would be a moment of transformation for this country.

DC: If you become the nominee do you have any idea who you would consider as vice president?

DK: It would have to be someone who is progressive, and I think that there are a number of people who are currently serving in the United States Congress who would have to be people to be considered.

DC: Would that include Barbara Lee?

DK: Absolutely she’d be considered. She’s one of the most talented people in Congress. Absolutely she’d be considered. I haven’t told her that yet, though. So, you know, keep it secret.

Keep in mind, that Barbara is co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, so this isn’t something I’m saying to curry favor. I work with her every day. As such, I’m proud to share the responsibilities of the Progressive Caucus with Barbara Lee. She’s wonderful to work with, so she and I already have a good working relationship.