Kucinich lauds peace, tenacity
Originally published in the Independent Florida Alligator
Kucinich lauds peace, tenacity
By LINDSAY DOWNEY
Alligator Writer
It was anything but your typical political speech.
Accompanied by Dave Matthews Band guitarist Tim Reynolds, presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich spoke Thursday night to a devoted crowd that erupted into applause several times throughout the O’Connell Center event.
“The crowd’s response was fantastic,” Students for Dennis member Michael Belle said. “Just thundering the place, feet stomping and hands clapping.”
The Ohio congressman spoke on world peace, fear and the human spirit, quoting everyone from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Franklin Roosevelt.
“Principles of disintegration are at work in the world,” Kucinich said. “So too, are principles of coherence, of unity, and they’re waiting to be called forward, they’re waiting for each and every one of us to assist on an alternative world view.”
The 2003 Ghandi Peace Prize-winner passionately expressed his opinions against the war in Iraq, mocking what he calls the current “color-coded threat system.”
People constantly are telling him he has no chance in the election, he said, joking that Ted Koppel “invited me to get off the stage, basically” at a recent event.
Kucinich said he doesn’t let the discouragement affect him - something he learned when he tried out for the high school varsity football team at only 4 feet 9 inches tall.
“People said ‘you want to be what - the football?’” he quipped. “The team had only two strings, right, so I made third-string quarterback.”
Walking through the aisles of the audience as he spoke, the Cleveland native talked about growing up in a family of seven children.
“My folks never owned a home,” he said. “By the time I was 17, we lived in 21 different places, including a couple cars.”
Kucinich for President volunteer Jim Foester said he was inspired by the speech.
“It’s an incredible vision to view politics as a platform for change, instead of a platform for what already exists,” he said. “Harnessing the power of human energy and hope, instead of feeling powerless.”
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