Kucinich still hopes to influence Democrats
Originally published in the News Review
March 28, 2004
Kucinich still hopes to influence Democrats
JOHN SOWELL
When coordinators for Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich first began looking for places for the Ohio congressman to speak in Oregon, Roseburg probably wasn't on the list.
That changed, however, after local Kucinich supporters spoke up and noted Roseburg's location on Interstate 5 between Eugene and Medford, both places likely for speeches to be scheduled.
While others lobbied for cities along the coast and farther inland, the campaign decided sticking to the I-5 corridor made the most sense for arranging the most stops in the least amount of time. Roseburg was one of seven cities chosen.
Kucinich will speak and answer questions from the audience during an appearance tonight at the Douglas County Library. He will begin speaking at 7 p.m.
"We're pretty excited," said Karma Clarke-Jung of Winston.
Clarke-Jung hadn't been involved in a political campaign before, but she became energized by Kucinich's views against the war in Iraq and on other issues. She became involved in a group of Kucinich supporters that began meeting regularly last fall. Kucinich said he would turn Iraq over to the United Nations and bring troops home within 90 days. He supports universal health care and would pull out of free trade agreements with other countries. He also wants to stop logging, mining and grazing on public lands.
Although U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has received enough votes to win the Democratic nomination to run against President George W. Bush, Kucinich has pushed forward. He is still campaigning in states, such as Oregon, where primaries have not yet been held. He has pledged to stay in the race until this summer's Democratic national convention.
Aides said he will make at least one more trip to Oregon before the May 18 primary. In the early 1980s, Kucinich was a finalist for the job of running the Emerald People's Utility District outside Eugene.
"Our campaign will cover Oregon in a way that will show respect for the pivotal role the state can still play," Kucinich told The Oregonian.
Clarke-Jung said she was glad Kucinich remains committed to his campaign.
"I think it's important for him to stay in and speak up," Clarke-Jung said. "It's not his fault that the process is such that the race is over before it gets to states like this. To me, it's important to have a vote. I'm glad for the opportunity to be counted."
By coming to Oregon, the four-term congressman and former mayor of Cleveland hopes to influence the agenda of the Democratic Party. Kucinich spent Friday in Portland, speaking at Lincoln High School.
On Saturday, he held a fund-raising breakfast and visited the Portland Farmer's Market before giving a speech in Salem and meeting with supporters at a restaurant in Corvallis.
Today, Kucinich will sit down for an interview with Claude Offenbacher of Eugene radio station KLCC. Listeners will be able to call in with questions during the program, which will be broadcast live from noon to 1 p.m. The station can be heard locally at 88.5 FM.
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 longtime 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."
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, Kucinich 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.
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