Democrat Kucinich Proposes 'New Vision For America'
Democrat Kucinich Proposes ‘New Vision For America’
By RONG-GONG LIN, II
Contributing Writer
Monday, November 3, 2003
OAKLAND—Tired of those tuition hikes? If this Democratic presidential candidate had his way, he’d make tuition to any public university or college free.
It’s one of those ideas that puts Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, much to the left of the nine candidates running for the Democratic nomination, but makes him all the more endearing to his loyal supporters. Kucinich, who remains near the bottom in fund-raising and polls, was given a hero’s welcome at a town-hall meeting at the Taylor Memorial Church in Oakland yesterday, where an energized crowd’s defeaning cheers rooted on a candidate calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
“My presidency will be about a new vision for America. Immediately we need to understand that if it was wrong to go into Iraq—and it was—it is wrong to stay there,” Kucinich told the crowd.
Kucinich has a sizable following in the East Bay for his long-shot candidacy, where he’s being fully supported by locally popular Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, who hosted yesterday’s town hall, actor Danny Glover and middle-age liberals who found their voice protesting the Vietnam War and rallying for civil rights.
But for all his views on making "fundamental change” in the nation, a theme he repeated yesterday, Kucinich hasn’t yet been able to attract what he sees as a critical part of his candidacy—youth. Instead, the most organized student group on the UC Berkeley campus supports another Democratic presidential candidate: Howard Dean.
Despite that, Kucinich said in an interview with The Daily Californian that his campaign is 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 change this system, I think young people resonate with that and I think they’re going to end up supporting my candidacy,” Kucinich said.
Kucinich brought the most applause with his call for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The exit strategy that he released on his Web site calls for a new United Nations resolution to relinquish all of the Iraqi oil assets to the UN and give them the responsibility for creating a new government for Iraq, instead of leaving it under U.S. authority.
“No more Halliburton sweetheart deals, no more corrupt war profiteering, no more big contracts to administration contributors,” Kucinich said. “It is time to see peace as inevitable, not war.”
Kucinich reiterated his policy differences from his competitors: creating a single-payer universal health care system, rather than expanding insurance coverage, creating universal preschooling programs, reducing the Pentagon’s budget and withdrawing from NAFTA and the World Trade Organization, which he says siphons off jobs overseas.
He also proposes having the federal government pay tuition for students at public colleges and universities, with the money coming from a repeal of President Bush’s tax cut. By his calculations, there are 12 million Americans going to public colleges who had to pay an average tuition of $4,000.
“It equals $48 billion. That is a fraction of the tax dollars we’ve given away to people in the top bracket,” Kucinich said. “You want to stimulate the economy? Give everyone a chance to go to college, for free. That will stimulate the economy.”
And who would be Kucinich’s pick for his vice president? “A progressive ... in the United States Congress.”
Barbara Lee?
“Absolutely she’d be considered. She’s one of the most talented people in the Congress. … I haven’t told her that though. So, you know, keep it secret.”
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