Following the campaign, November 4
From Karin Caifa:
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
“Been there, done that” was easily the theme of Kucinich’s remarks at the Every Child Matters Education Fund forum at the University of New Hampshire in Durham on Monday. Seemed that no matter what question the moderators or audience threw at him, he already had a plan in Congress to solve it. But we all know how far bills introduced by Democrats in the House go these days, so it was unclear how much faith folks were putting in the barrage of bill numbers (HR 676, HR 3007, HR 1673) Kucinich was firing off. Nonetheless, the crowd of about 50 seemed sold. They punctuated answers with applause and “Right on’s,” sometimes rising to their feet. Kucinich is the eighth candidate to participate in the forums; all nine were invited to participate and only Al Sharpton has not yet come. All candidates were posed seven core questions and also faced questions from the audience. The group will not endorse a candidate; it merely provides information on the subject because, as president and founder Michael Petit said, “If you don’t get childhood right, it’s hard to get adulthood right.” Among the core questions were each candidate’s plans for universal pre-kindergarten, preventing child abuse and providing health care. Kucinich said that with the legislative initiatives he’s already penned, he’s already ready to be the president. “While everyone can agree that every child matters, some things matter more to people in Washington than others,” he said, including tax cuts, the Pentagon budget and the war in Iraq. “There are good people, good Democrats running,” he added, “but if you want someone who’ll change the system, I’m your man.”
HEY, WHO’S ASKING THE QUESTIONS HERE?
Kucinich surprised a University of New Hampshire student in the audience at Monday’s forum by turning the questioning around on her. The student posed a question on juvenile justice when Kucinich asked her what kind of plan she envisioned. Clearly put on the spot, she offered no inspired rhetoric but blushed bright crimson and replied, “They only told me to read what was on the card.”
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