Kucinich makes his pitch in Nashua
Originally published in NH Primary
Kucinich makes his pitch in Nashua
By EMILY CAVALIER
Telegraph Staff
Published: Sunday, Jan. 25, 2004
NASHUA – “Look close,” Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich said as he jumped on the stage. He held his arms out and slowly turned in a circle. “No strings.”
On Saturday morning, people traveled from as far as Providence, R.I., and from as near as their dorm rooms to hear Kucinich speak at Rivier College. There was head nodding, applause and even a few victory signs for good measure. The candidate worked to sell himself to a crowd of about 100 people as the only candidate not beholden to special interests.
Poking fun at himself, Kucinich said, “If the (next) president has strings attached to any of these special interest groups, he could be the nicest person in the world, he could be taller and more handsome, but if he has strings attached, forget it.”
But with three days left to campaign before Tuesday’s primary and his candidacy lagging in recent polls, the four-term congressman from Ohio got serious and honed in on his “Fear ends. Hope begins” motto in what was the first of five events planned for the day.
“I would say that this administration is promoting fear,” Kucinich said. “How far has America come since the president has said in front of this country, ‘The only thing to fear is fear itself’?”
Kucinich said several times that he was the only one of the four congressmen running for president who voted against both the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq.
He asked the audience to flash forward to November.
“Imagine George Bush standing next to (a candidate) who voted for the war,” Kucinich said. “Where’s the debate? Suppose he was standing next to someone who supports the occupation of Iraq. Where’s the debate? I believe I am the only candidate who can challenge him in November.”
Kucinich also talked about his universal health care proposal, a $1.6 trillion plan that he said would include medical, dental and vision coverage as well as a fully paid prescription benefit and access to preventive medicine. He touched on plans to create sustainable energy initiatives to decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil.
In response to questions from high school students about making college more affordable, Kucinich detailed a plan to provide all high school graduates with a fully paid education at a public university.
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, that’s pie in the sky. How are you going to pay for that?’ Well, I’ll tell you how I’m going to pay for it,” Kucinich said. “There have been $87 billion in tax cuts (under the Bush administration) for people who had no need for that money. (The college proposal) would cost about $60 billion, so don’t let anyone tell you it can’t happen.”
Many of those gathered Saturday morning already were Kucinich supporters. Nancy Fleischer of Groton, Mass., said she did not begin the primary season as a Kucinich supporter but that Kucinich’s platform rang true for her.
“So I continued to listen,” she said. “He does give me a reason to vote.”
Fleischer brought her daughter Beth, 18. This election will be Beth’s first time voting. “You needed to understand who the person running for president is,” Fleischer said.
Bill Bonnice of Nashua was to host a house party for Kucinich after the event. He said he considered several of the other Democratic candidates, but was won over when he heard Kucinich speak in Manchester.
“How can anybody who hears him not support him?” Bonnice said. “Everything he stands for is based on concern for ordinary people.”
Before running off to his next event, for which he was already late, Kucinich asked one last question of the audience: “How much change do you want?”
Fleischer didn’t hesitate to answer: “A lot.”
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