Kucinich touts progressive agenda
Originally published in the Columbian
Kucinich touts progressive agenda
Saturday, April 17, 2004
By DON JENKINS, Columbian staff writer
By the time Dennis Kucinich finished talking, Genevieve Kortes was wiping away tears.
"Kucinich is just my ideal," said the Vancouver woman, who gave her age as old enough to qualify for a senior's bus pass. "I'm shaken up every time I hear him speak."
Kucinich, an Ohio congressman and the last Democrat campaigning for president against presumptive nominee John Kerry, spoke and answered questions for 75 minutes at a Hazel Dell church on Friday evening.
Kucinich made the foray into Washington in the midst of several days' campaigning in Oregon before that state's May 18 primary.
"There's no question about the nomination. That's decided. The question is what we stand for," Kucinich said after the rally and on the way to the evening's next event, a "meditative reception" at the Tibet Center in Portland.
According to Kucinich, Kerry had the nomination in hand after Iowa and New Hampshire, based on the idea that he was the most electable candidate.
As a result, issues got short shrift.
"I've never made it about (Kerry). I respect him. We all want the Democrats to win the White House, but I think the way we win is to show people we stand for something," Kucinich said.
Kucinich's top issues include U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, universal health care and repeal of the USA Patriot Act.
He said he believes he can influence the Democratic Party as long as he keeps picking up delegates.
"I don't want to start naming a number. I'm not Babe Ruth pointing to the bleachers like I'm going to knock the ball out of the park, but I think I'll get to first or second base," Kucinich said.
In February, Kucinich received 8 percent of the delegates picked at Washington's presidential precinct caucuses, a better showing than he made in most other contests.
In Clark County, he received 2 percent of the delegates. Still, a crowd approaching 300 packed the First Congregational Church UCC. "It's nice having the pews full," church member John Fite said in welcoming the audience.
"There is a progressive birth going on right now," said Vancouver Democrat Michele Cotner, a former candidate for the state House. "I hope it will have an effect on Kerry."
A group that has had three meetings, Progressives of Southwest Washington, sponsored Kucinich's rally.
"The campaign platform that he stands for is exactly what we stand for," said Vancouver resident Ray Richards, one of the group's organizers.
Richards said Kucinich's campaign continues "to essentially hold Kerry's feet to the fire to offer a real alternative to Bush."
The crowd was seated by 6:30 p.m. As is usual for political candidates, Kucinich ran late and arrived at 7:15 p.m.
He took the cordless microphone and walked down the center aisle, with a life-sized cutout of a crucified Jesus Christ hanging in the background.
"Our party is due for a resurrection," Kucinich said.
"We need to insist our party stand for something. That it not just be willing to provide a Democratic version of the war as opposed to the Republican version of the war," he said.
"I've stayed in this race to give people in states across the country the option to keep the contest of ideas alive."
He talked about politics rising "from a sense of joy" rather than anger. And when he finished his speech, he said, "Let's have a discussion."
The discussion included his plan for withdrawing U.S. troops, which he said are "illegally occupying" Iraq.
The plan includes severing U.S. business interests from the occupation, paying to repair what "we blew up," compensating the families of dead Iraqi civilians and helping finance a United Nations peacekeeping force.
"This is a plan that can work," he said. "By the way, no one else is talking about an exit strategy."
It was talk of peace that made Kortes tear up. "I've dreamed of peace," said Kortes, a member of Vancouver for Peace. "I've wanted peace so much."
At the end of the questions, Kucinich told his listeners, "Thank you so much for your willingness to continue this discussion."
Then from the front of the church he said something that sounded like the Great Commission: "From this meeting, let us create a resolve to continue to do this work in our community."
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