Kucinich hits state to alter, not win, race
Originally published in the Oregonian
Kucinich hits state to alter, not win, race
The presidential candidate with a small but dedicated following calls Oregon's primary a chance to influence the Democratic focus
03/25/04
JEFF MAPES
Perched on a folding chair in Dennis Kucinich's cramped campaign office just off Portland's Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard, Louise Patten emotionally describes why she's working so hard for his presidential candidacy.
"He has the entire picture, a full picture that holistically looks at the world," said Patten, a law firm assistant and grandmother. "I was just overwhelmed by his integrity. Finally, here's somebody I can trust. He inspires me to be a better person and to be more involved."
Most Democratic primary voters haven't shared that view. But no matter how small Kucinich's following may be, it is loyal and passionate. And that's helped make him the last alternative to John Kerry in the race for the Democratic party nomination.
Now Kucinich is coming to Oregon this weekend after targeting the state as one of his best hopes to win enough votes to try to push the Democratic Party toward his New Age-tinged message of peace, health and plentiful jobs.
Although conceding he can't win the nomination, Kucinich insisted in a telephone interview that, "Our campaign will cover Oregon in a way that will show respect for the pivotal role the state can still play."
The four-term Ohio congressman will speak at 7 p.m. Friday -- at Lincoln High School in Portland -- as he begins four days of campaigning in the state in advance of the May 18 primary. Aides say he will be back at least once more before the election and will spend a significant amount of time in Oregon.
Kucinich said he has a special affinity for a state he visits on vacation. In the early 1980s, in fact, he was a finalist for the job of running the Emerald People's Utility District near Eugene.
In addition to influencing the party platform, Kucinich and his supporters say, he could help determine how successful Democrats are in meeting the challenge of one of Kucinich's long-time political allies: independent candidate Ralph Nader.
"We have a candidate who is not going to be elected," said Barry Marks, a retired lawyer who is Kucinich's local campaign spokesman, "but we're gung-ho."
Different from the start
The idea of full steam ahead for a candidate who isn't going to win the nomination may seem unusual. But the Kucinich campaign has been different from the start.
In the 1970s, Kucinich first attracted attention as the young mayor of Cleveland when he refused to sell the city's municipal electrical system to pay the city's bills. That led to a near-recall and eventual defeat for re-election. But he was elected to Congress in 1996 and became chairman of the House Progressive Caucus.
In his presidential race, he's stayed firmly to the political left. He says he'd turn Iraq over to the United Nations and bring U.S. troops home within 90 days. He supports a universal health care system similar to Canada's and would pull out of free-trade agreements with other countries. He wants to stop logging, mining and grazing on public lands.
But it's not just a laundry list of issue positions that has brought him a following. He also often speaks about a world where war is archaic and everyone from schoolchildren to international leaders are taught how to work together and solve problems without violence. He wants to create a Department of Peace that would also reflect his views as a vegan by having a section devoted to animal rights.
"He gets it," said Janell Jures, a Portland State University graduate student working on his campaign. "He gets that people are more important than corporations and that everything is interdependent and connected."
Overlooked, but staying course
Among the 10 Democrats who ran for president, Kucinich was often overlooked by rivals who received more money, news media attention and votes. His advisers acknowledge that, in part, Kucinich was overshadowed by the early rise of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who attracted many Democrats for his opposition to the invasion of Iraq.
But as Kerry racked up a series of wins and the other candidates dropped away, Kucinich made clear he intends to stay in the race until the Democratic convention in July.
In part, he's doing it because he can. His low-budget campaign has never depended on expensive advertising and he's continuing to bring in money, both from individual contributors and in federal matching funds. As of the end of February, he had raised more than $8 million, with just more than $2 million in taxpayer money.
That helps build his name recognition -- at the same time, he's running for re-election to his House seat -- and could position him for another presidential bid.
Kucinich said he is most interested in pushing the party toward adopting some of his positions.
"Everyone understands that the nomination is pretty much a foregone conclusion," he said, "but the direction of the Democratic Party is not, and I think the people (in the remaining primaries) ought to have some say on that."
That's reportedly fine with the Kerry campaign, which doesn't seem to mind having him for a sparring partner. "John Kerry was always complimentary to him for his steadfast positions," said Kerry spokeswoman Laura Capps, adding that Kerry expects Kucinich will help the ticket in the fall.
Kucinich says he's willing to encourage voters to stick with the Democratic Party instead of supporting Nader. But he says he'll have more success in that role if he can get Kerry and the party to reflect some of his thinking.
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