Congressman from Ohio finds passionate backers campaigning in Ithaca
Originally published in the Ithaca Journal
Congressman from Ohio finds passionate backers campaigning in Ithaca
By ANDREW TUTINO
Journal Staff
ITHACA -- As the late February wind pushes through the doors at the GreenStar Co-Op Market in Ithaca on a recent Friday, David Kraskow is pulling for his candidate.
Fielding questions about the Patriot Act, the war in Iraq and a national health care system, Kraskow switches gears like a professional campaigner, delicately balancing the need to talk with the need to listen.
But Kraskow is no professional. He's one of dozens of local volunteers working for the presidential campaign of U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and, as he has most Fridays during the campaign season, he's set up shop at the grocery store hoping to catch the attention of the shoppers.
"Is he for the Patriot Act?" a shopper asks in passing.
"No," Kraskow replies. Knowing that he's got the shopper's attention, he reaches for some literature and begins to strike up a conversation.
As the conversation winds its way through issues confronting the country as it decides who its next president should be, Kraskow tries to convince the skeptical shopper that Kucinich is worth a vote on March 2, the day New York will hold its primary election.
"It sounds like you are not convinced yet," he says, and manages to stick a folded Kucinich bumper sticker and some campaign literature in a shoulder bag before the shopper leaves.
This is life on the campaign trail, far away from the media spotlight. Though Kucinich hasn't resonated in the polls, his supporters here remain passionate about their cause, hoping that if their candidate stays in the race, their issues will become part of the Democratic platform later this year. [ed. note: imagine if they rewrote this story to say "Although considered a long-shot, Kucinich has done surprisingly well in some contests, taking second place in Hawaii". Instead they trot out that tired old "hasn't resonated in the polls" line so that people who aren't paying attention think that he's never done well anywhere. This media bias is so pervasive, it's insane]
Since last summer, when the Kucinich group began to form, workers like Kraskow, a registered nurse, have banded together to get their candidate's message out.
"What Dennis is saying is that, 'If you vote for me, then I am electable,'" said Roberta Wallitt, a Kucinich supporter. "The primary is the time to vote for who we really believe in. I haven't worked for a presidential campaign since McGovern. I didn't see anybody who made me feel hopeful. Dennis made me feel hopeful."
Wallitt is a teacher by trade, but is working on a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts. She has taken a break from working on her thesis to join Kraskow at the grocery store, willing to answer questions and push the message that there is another candidate out there.
"There are a number of people who I think are having knee-jerk reactions to what happened in 2000," Wallitt said, referencing Ralph Nader's failed bid for the presidency. "People are equating a vote for Dennis with throwing away a vote. That's not true. This is a primary. When there is somebody out there who supports what we believe in, we need to support them."
Later in Kraskow's day, the inevitable Nader reference surfaces.
"Who are you going to vote for after he drops out?" a shopper asks. "I have one word for you: 'Nader.' You need to get a Kerry sign."
Kraskow said such encounters aren't frustrating, but common.
"I am not frustrated by this campaign," he said. "I know what I believe in and I know Kucinich's views are consistent. I feel rewarded by all of this."
When not spending time with his family or at his job, Kraskow works on the campaign. He's packed a large cardboard box full of videos, compact discs, literature, speeches, buttons and bumper stickers all promoting Kucinich and his progressive agenda.
Fridays at the GreenStar can be lonely or lively, depending on the afternoon shopping crowd.
"I either get people who want more information on Dennis or who want to argue with me," he said. "But I believe face time is important and this is my contribution to the campaign."
Shortly after he says this a woman walks up to the table.
"How do you pronounce this man's name?" she says.
"Why do you think you never heard his name before?" Kraskow asks her, after telling her who he was supporting.
"I guess no one has put him in front of me," she says. "They've been putting Howard Dean in front of me, but you can swing him any way you want."
Amused by the conversation, Kraskow leans forward.
"I'll make this easy for you," he says, stuffing some envelope and literature into her grocery bag. "He's on the top line of the ballot."
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