FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2008
5:46 PM

Congressman Kucinich Mourns Loss of Former Senator and Mentor Howard Metzenbaum

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of Senator Metzenbaum. Howard was a close friend to me and a great asset to this country. I valued greatly my relationship with him; I turned to him frequently for advice and inspiration.

"His steadfast support for consumer rights and worker protections, as well as his commitment to protecting the working class in this country, still serves as constant motivation for me in my service to my constituents.

"Howard will be remembered as a savvy businessman and staunch advocate for Ohio's working men and women. From parking lots to newspapers and airports his investments secured his legacy in Ohio as both an iron-willed businessman and politician. He was a fearless opponent of all things related to special interests--if a bill did not have the best interest of workers and consumers in mind, it would not budge in the Senate.

"Howard was one of the greatest senators to serve this country. Ohio was very fortunate to be the beneficiaries of Howard's service, and I was very fortunate to be the recipient of his wisdom and guidance. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family."

Labor propels Kucinich to big win

Author: Rick Nagin

Kucinich won in a five-way race with slightly more than 50 percent of the vote. His closest opponent, Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman, received only 35 percent despite massive financial backing by big business and political support from the corporate media, including right-wing talk shows, that mobilized thousands of registered Republicans to vote in the Democratic primary.

The victory was due in large measure to unprecedented efforts by the labor movement. In what could be a dress rehearsal for November's presidential election, nearly every union --AFL-CIO, Change to Win, Teamsters and Auto Workers -- mobilized as never before in weekend canvasses, membership mailings, phone banks, worksite literature distributions and posting of thousands of yard signs. This massive army of labor was supplemented by hundreds of community volunteers.

Kucinich and his wife, Elizabeth, spoke at dozens of meetings of union members and retirees, many of which turned into wildly enthusiastic rallies. Kucinich stressed at every occasion that he held his seat in trust for the working men and women of the 10th Congressional District, that the corporations had many seats in Congress and now were trying to take this one as well.

Kucinich said he had dropped out of the presidential race in large measure because labor had appealed to him to return to Cleveland and defend his congressional seat. Now he needed labor's support, he said, because the corporations wanted to silence his outspoken support for unions and his opposition to the war in Iraq, to corporate profiteering in health care and to pro-corporate trade agreements costing American workers millions of manufacturing jobs.

When it became clear that every major bank, developer, corporate law firm and downtown business was pouring funds into Cimperman's campaign, Kucinich appealed to progressives throughout the country, who responded with an avalanche of contributions.

The corporate media bolstered Cimperman's campaign, which focused entirely on the claim that Kucinich had neglected the district by running for president. The Plain Dealer not only gave Cimperman a lengthy endorsement; it also ran columns and several editorials attacking Kucinich, giving Cimperman advice and urging the others in the race to drop out so as not to split the anti-Kucinich vote.

In addition, WTAM radio, owned by Clear Channel and home of Rush Limbaugh and other right-wing talk shows, mounted an intense campaign urging a Republican crossover vote. Limbaugh called on Republicans in Ohio to vote in the Democratic primary for Hillary Clinton, who, he said, would be easier for Republican John McCain to beat than Barack Obama in November. In addition, the Cleveland station ran hundreds of messages for several days urging Republicans to vote for Cimperman so "Kucinich does not make it out of the primary."

The Plain Dealer reported afterward that, in fact, "a staggering 16,000-plus Republicans in Cuyahoga County switched parties when they voted in last week's primary" according to the Board of Elections. Many interviewed said they had done so in response to the WTAM campaign. Kucinich charged that as many as 10,000 of these Republicans voted in his race.

Board member Sandy McNair said he planned to investigate the situation. Those who switch party are supposed to sign a pledge vowing allegiance to the new party. Many did not and lying on the pledge is a felony.

One additional factor in the anti-Kucinich effort was the role of the right-wing pro-Israel lobby. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a news outlet serving the Jewish community, reported in a story the day after the primary that Cimperman "raised $500,000 -- much of it from pro-Israel donors furious with Kucinich for his harsh criticism of Israeli policies in the West Bank and in the 2006 Second Lebanon War."

In fact, Kucinich has condemned the violence against civilians on both sides and called for a more even-handed U.S. policy in the Middle East that insists on the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to statehood and security.

Kucinich now faces Jim Trakas, a former state representative and former chairman of the county Republican Party, in the November general election.

Kucinich Wins Democratic Primary in Ohio

By JULIE CARR SMYTH
The Associated Press
Wednesday, March 5, 2008; 6:50 AM

The Ohio liberal won 50 percent of the vote in a five-way Democratic congressional primary Tuesday, beating back critics who said he ignored business at home to travel the country in his quest to be president.

The six-term incumbent will face former state Rep. Jim Trakas, who won 80 percent of Republican votes cast in the northeast Ohio district. Kucinich's race was the best-known congressional contest on ballots in Ohio and Texas on Tuesday.

Other races included a fight for the nomination to challenge Sen. John Cornyn in Texas. In Vermont, voters in one community approved a measure calling for the arrest of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

For years, the 61-year-old Kucinich won re-election by margins of up to 75 percent in a reliably Democratic district.

But after sensing early that Cleveland City Council member Joe Cimperman was a formidable opponent, Kucinich abandoned his presidential campaign on Jan. 25, months earlier in the race than he did in 2004, when he also was polling in low one-digit numbers.

After leaving the White House race, Kucinich returned to his familiar fighting-for-you mantra to win renomination and landed a quick $700,000 in contributions.

Other winners in Ohio on Tuesday included two veterans of the Iraq war _ state Sens. John Boccieri, a Democrat, and Steve Stivers, a Republican _ who hope to win contests among three open U.S. House seats vacated by veteran Republicans after Democrats took congressional control in 2006.

Boccieri won 64 percent of the Democratic vote in the northeast Ohio district held by Ralph Regula, and Stivers had 66 percent of the GOP vote in the central Ohio district held by Deborah Pryce.

Republicans say they are confident they can retain the three reliably GOP-leaning districts, which Regula, Pryce and David Hobson have held for a combined 68 years.

But Democrats say Regula's and Pryce's districts are among their best hopes nationally to pick up seats. Republicans hold an 11-7 majority in Ohio's congressional delegation, while Democrats control the House 231-198.

In Texas, Cornyn easily defeated consultant Larry Kilgore on Tuesday. The Republican incumbent already has $7 million for the fall campaign against State Rep. Rick Noriega of Houston, an Army National Guard lieutenant colonel who served in Afghanistan and won the Democratic primary.

In Houston, the Republican who finished former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's congressional term and a former Cornyn aide survived a 10-way primary and were headed to a runoff.

Shelley Sekula Gibbs, the former Houston City Council member who briefly replaced DeLay after investigations forced him to resign, and Pete Olson got less than a third of the vote each with nearly all precincts reporting. The winner of the April 8 runoff will face incumbent Democratic Rep. Nick Lampson.

Also in Houston, an assistant district attorney and a former state judge were headed for a runoff in the Republican primary for Harris County district attorney. The incumbent, Chuck Rosenthal, was forced to resign after a scandal involving the release of dozens of pornographic and racist e-mails.

With 77 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday night, prosecutor Kelly Siegler had about 41 percent of the vote, while former judge Pat Lykos had about 33 percent.

Siegler and Lykos would square off in the runoff if neither candidate gets a majority, which appeared unlikely to happen. The winner will face face Democratic former Houston Police Chief C.O. Bradford, who was unopposed Tuesday.

In Vermont, voters in the town of Brattleboro endorsed a measure calling for the indictment of Bush and Cheney on charges of violating the Constitution.

The symbolic article seeks to have Bush and Cheney arrested if they visit Brattleboro or to extradite them for prosecution elsewhere _ if they aren't impeached first.

Joe Cimperman hopes to tear down his former hero, Dennis Kucinich - Profile of Kucinich's primary opponent and his case against Kucinich

Kucinich Provision to Reauthorize the Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural Program Passes House

Fight Over TV Debates Outlasts Kucinich
By DAVID BAUDER

That may come at a cost, however, with some Americans are already worried about the media's influence on the campaign.

Because of Kucinich's low poll numbers and his poor performance in early contests, he was excluded from Democratic debates on ABC, MSNBC and CNN in January.

The Cleveland congressman, who officially dropped out of the race Friday, protested each decision to either the Federal Communications Commission or the courts. He argued the networks were doing a disservice to voters by effectively silencing a candidate who had qualified for federal matching funds.

While Kucinich was a candidate, the networks said it had already become clear that he wasn't going to be elected president. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards all had a chance, and all debated.

"We want to give voters a chance to make an informed judgment about the people who would be their president," said Sam Feist, CNN's political director. "By having people in a debate that don't have a reasonable chance at the nomination, that takes away from the voters' ability to hear from the people who do have a reasonable chance."

There have been nearly two dozen televised campaign forums to date, and Kucinich has been on stage for most of them.

Yet he received little support in Iowa, the few people who stood up for him at caucuses dispersed to other candidates. In New Hampshire, Kucinich polled 1.4 percent of the Democratic vote. In Michigan, he got 3.7 percent.

NBC News took its fight to sideline Kucinich to the Nevada Supreme Court, after a lower court ordered the candidate be included in the Jan. 15 debate there. NBC said the order was a "brazen violation of a news organization's First Amendment rights," and the higher court overturned it hours before airtime.

Getting blocked from the Nevada debate influenced his decision to withdraw from the race.

"I understood that when I was locked out of that Las Vegas debate -- we fought hard to get into it -- I knew then that it was going to be really tough to be able to continue, because if people can't see you, how are they going to be able to understand that you're running (and) what you stand for?" he said.

Kucinich got nowhere with FCC complaints filed before ABC's Jan. 5 debate and CNN's forum on Jan. 21. The commission said in the CNN decision that a network can choose debate participants so long as it wasn't done to benefit one particular candidate.

Forcing a network to include one candidate is censorship, and the FCC said it won't do that.

At some point while planning these events, lines need to be drawn, Feist said. The New Hampshire ballot had dozens of candidates, he said. How would it be possible to hold a meaningful debate with all of them?

Still, the idea of keeping candidates out of debates offended some people's sense of fair play.

"Tonight" show host Jay Leno, for example, invited Republican Ron Paul on his show for a lengthy chat after Paul was not included in a GOP forum run by Fox News Channel in New Hampshire.

"They should participate," said Kevin Howley, a professor of media studies at DePauw University. "That's the nature of democracy; you've got a variety of perspectives. There are a certain number of people who have attitudes that are out of the mainstream that are unfortunately being shut out."

With most reporters consumed with the mechanics of campaigns, debates are often the only place citizens can hear an extended discussion of issues, he said.

But by pressing the issue, Kucinich inadvertently affirmed the rights of networks to set their own debate rosters -- and that precedent might inhibit little-known candidates in years to come.

Networks might be tempted earlier to ignore such candidates -- someone, perhaps, like Mike Huckabee, who was polling only 2 percent of the GOP vote last June.

Howley believes that TV networks banned Kucinich because of his positions on issues, not his low poll numbers.

That's a view that corrodes the reputations of news organizations, and is a hidden danger from this fight. It has already been a tough month: Many people were angry at journalists and pundits for essentially writing off Clinton's chances in New Hampshire before she won the primary.

In such an atmosphere, conspiracy theories are born. Kucinich argued in his ABC complaint that one reason for his exclusion was that network parent Walt Disney Co. and its executives had contributed to campaigns involving Clinton, Obama, Edwards and Bill Richardson, but not to him.

Feist said he rejects the idea that past campaign contributions had anything to do with the logistics of setting up a debate.

"CNN is in the business of covering the campaign and, in this case, presenting debates and we don't take a position for or against any of the candidates," he said. "We simply work on behalf of our viewers to present the candidates who have a reasonable chance of getting the nomination."

This is one debate, however, that Kucinich's withdrawal may not end.

Kucinich Exit An Effect Of Biased Process
Daniel Wilkinson
Issue date: 1/25/08 Section: Commentary

The trouble exploded when NBC revoked an invitation to Kucinich for the Jan. 15 Democratic debate in Las Vegas. They justified this development with a set of new requirements for participating in the debate. Suddenly, a candidate was required to be in the top three spots in Iowa or New Hampshire. Kucinich responded by calling the company's decision un-American - justly so.

NBC carelessly cited its First Amendment rights in defense of its case. Regardless of whether or not the cable conglomerate has the law-given right to exclude candidates from the electoral process is irrelevant. The legitimacy of Kucinich's campaign should not have rested on the shoulders of NBC. As the Democratic nominee for president will not be chosen for months to come, NBC overstepped its role as a news medium in the election process. The role of the media is to serve the public's desire for news. Dennis Kucinich, regardless of how unpopular he is amongst the board members at NBC, was news. He was a Democratic candidate for president in 2008. By silencing select voices in the debate, NBC effectively endorsed the candidates who were allowed to participate.

NBC has made it clear that Kucinich's voice lacks relevance in the democratic process. But more importantly, NBC has denied the rights of Kucinich's supporters, undecided voters and the rest of the voting field. In light of the turbulent reign of the current administration, voters need serious public discourse with as varied a field of opinions as possible. Kucinich, who was arguably the farthest-leaning liberal amongst the democratic candidates, would have added invariably to this debate.

NBC Correspondent Kevin Corke defended the company's position with a predictable callousness for the rights of both Kucinich and voters-at-large.

"Most people want to hear what Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and Barack Obama have to say," Corke said. "After all, those are probably the three they're going to be picking from."

Corke's projection of the future Democratic front-runner, regardless of how certain he might be, remains a guess. It is an uncertainty. Since when did the media become officiator of America's democratic process?

NBC's decision was not new. ABC News denied Kucinich, Democratic candidate Mike Gravel (Alaska) and Republican candidate Duncan Hunter (Calif.) from participating in the New Hampshire debates on Jan. 5. But, certainly that does not make it right. Presidential debates are designed to showcase the beliefs of all eligible candidates amongst the Republicans and Democrats. Many candidates who lack powerful financial bases, such as Republican candidate Mike Huckabee, rely on debates to gain name recognition and exposure. Without this outlet, underfinanced campaigns are doomed from the beginning. Without the blessing of NBC and ABC, Kucinich could not compete.

In light of the situation, one cannot help but wonder what NBC might have done if they had hosted a Republican debate. Surely, they would not have reduced a field of six viable candidates to three. If they had, they again would have effectively endorsed three of the candidates when the campaigns of some, most notably Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani, are relying on Feb. 5 lottery of primaries for their slingshot towards nomination. They would have possibly ended the campaigns of a number of very serious candidates.

Unfortunately, the Kucinich debacle is merely a blemish on the indelible mark the media has cut across the American consciousness over the last few years. The media has fallen slave to their own polls. Rather than strive for relevant journalism, the media has bombarded the public with predictable slop, and their tampering with the election process is no exception. Britney Spears' latest court arraignments dot the front pages of our major newspapers while America fights a trillion dollar war in the Middle East. In the end, the weight for change lies on the back of the public. They need to voice objections to the spurious actions taken by media, and fight for objective journalism. The media relies on the public for incentive and their paychecks stop with the public's purchases. In this case, the public needs to send a message.

Kucinich's decision to quit the Democratic presidential race is an acknowledgement of reality. Never flush with the funds needed to buy paid media, he has lately been denied access to the free media that is the lifeblood of insurgent candidacies. The congressman was excluded from the last few debates by the television networks, and his campaign events -- even those that drew substantial crowds in New Hampshire and Michigan - had gone largely uncovered.

The casual dismissal of what for Kucinich was always a sincere, issue-oriented endeavor made it easy for critics at home -- led by the virulently anti-Kucinich Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper -- to ridicule a campaign that raised critical issues as little more than an ego trip. That encouraged challengers to enter the March 4 Democratic primary contest for Ohio's 10th District House seat.

The critics claim that Kucinich has neglected his constituents in order to pursue what Bill Clinton might refer to as a "fairytale" campaign for a nomination that was never realistically within reach. "Our district is heading in the wrong direction because we have an absentee congressman," says Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman, whose primary challenge to Kucinich has been generously funded by special-interest groups that disdain the incumbent's independent streak.

Kucinich, who flew to Cleveland rather than to South Carolina or California after the New Hampshire primary in which his campaign received more votes than the "serious" candidacy of debate-regular and one-time media darling Fred Thompson, was anything but an absentee congressman during his presidential run. If anything, the congressman neglected the national race in order to spend time in his district and on the floor of the House -- where he maintained a far steadier attendance record than the senators against whom he was running for the presidential nomination.

The congressman's greatest attention to his district during the course of the presidential campaign took the form of his focus on the economic issues that are most important to a working-class district that includes portions of the city of Cleveland and neighboring blue-collar suburbs. Even as he discussed the essential subject of the war in Iraq, Kucinich usually did so in the context of a discussion about the cost the war was imposing not just on the distant battlefields of Iraq but on the American cities from which needed federal funds have been diverted to fund a fool's mission in the Middle East.

Much is made of the populist turn the presidential race has taken as economic conditions have worsened. But when none of the other candidates were taking pointed stands on trade policy, the mortgage crisis and real health-care reform, it was Kucinich who staked out precise positions and forced the other candidates to offer working Americans more than mere rhetoric.

The AFL-CIO extended an enthusiastic invitation to Kucinich to participate in the labor federation's August debate in Chicago because union leaders knew that he alone would guide the debate toward specifics on questions of how to reform free-trade agreements, renew industries and protect the rights of workers to organize. At that debate, it was Kucinich who earned the loudest applause. And rightly so. He was bringing the concerns of cities like Cleveland to the national stage.

One of things that most debate moderators found so frustrating about Kucinich was his determination to talk about the bread-and-butter issues that matter most to working Americans, rather than to play their games. Kucinich forced the anchormen and the reporters, as well as the other candidates, to pay a little attention to the problems of factory workers, shop clerks and farmers. There is no question that the Ohioan's determination to do this influenced more prominent and well-funded contenders, especially former North Carolina Senator John Edwards.

Kucinich never got much credit from the media or the other candidates. But he influenced the national debate for the better, and the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is diminished by his exit.

It is not just Kucinich who is leaving the national stage. It is the discussion about cities like Cleveland and Detroit and Milwaukee. Mayors have bemoaned the neglect of urban affairs in this year's campaign, but the former big-city mayor never allowed that neglect to become complete. Now, it may be, as least as far as the presidential race in concerned. But the congressman's determination to retain his House seat points to the likelihood that Congress will still be called upon to consider the concerns of a city on Lake Erie and the so frequently-forgotten people who live there.

Democrat Kucinich Quits White House Race
By JOE MILICIA

In an interview with Cleveland's Plain Dealer, the six-term House member said he was quitting the race and would make a formal announcement on Friday.

"I will be announcing that I'm transitioning out of the presidential campaign," Kucinich said. "I'm making that announcement tomorrow about a new direction."

Kucinich has received little support in his presidential bid; he got 1 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary and was shut out in the Iowa caucuses. He did have a devoted following.

Kucinich, 61, is facing four challengers in the Democratic congressional primary March 4, and earlier this week he made an urgent appeal on his Web site for funds for his re-election. Rival Joe Cimperman has been critical of Kucinich for focusing too much time outside of his district while campaigning for president.

His decision comes a month after the death of his youngest brother, Perry Kucinich.

Kucinich said he will not endorse another Democrat in the primary.

Kucinich brought the same sense of idealism to his second run for president as he did in his first bid. He said he was entering the race again because the Democratic Party wasn't pushing hard enough to end the Iraq war.

Once dubbed the "boy mayor" of Cleveland, he made an unpopular decision to refuse to sell a publicly owned utility that pushed the city into default and drove him from office.

After the city's financial troubles, the mayor faced death threats, and was forced to wear a bulletproof vest when he threw out the first ball at a Cleveland Indians game. He barely survived a recall vote.

But he lost his bid for re-election as mayor of Cleveland in 1978 to Republican George Voinovich, who went on to become governor and then U.S. senator. His life and his political career were derailed. Kucinich spent more than a decade trying to get back into politics -- traveling around the country and then working as a teacher, consultant and television news reporter.

In 1994, Kucinich was elected state senator and he then won a seat in Congress in 1996. His once unpopular stand against the sale of the municipal electric system was praised as courageous. In 1998, the Cleveland City Council issued him a commendation for having the foresight to refuse to sell it.

During his time in Congress, Kucinich has been one of the most outspoken liberals, opposing international trade agreements like the North America Free Trade Agreement and marching with protesters in Seattle during a meeting of the World Trade Organization.

As a presidential candidate, he has proposed a Department of Peace, backed universal health care and supported gay marriage. He also pushed for impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.

At a debate last October, Kucinich delivered one of the night's lighter moments when he confirmed seeing an unidentified flying object at the Washington state home of actress Shirley MacLaine. With a smile, he said he would open a campaign office in Roswell, N.M., home to many alleged UFO sightings.

Kucinich married British citizen Elizabeth Harper, in 2005, ensuring his 2008 campaign would have one dramatic difference from his first campaign. Kucinich told New Hampshire audiences during the 2004 race that he was seeking a mate. Women then vied for a date with him during a contest arranged by a New Hampshire political Web site, but nothing romantic evolved from Kucinich's breakfast with the winner.

Rep. Kucinich creates commotion in House, claims President 'lied'

Created: 1/23/2008 2:54:10 PM
Updated:1/23/2008 6:55:40 PM

That's the same day of the president's state of the union address.

The announcement comes as Kucinich railed the President and Vice President for how they have handled the war in Iraq.

In his lengthy statement, the Ohio congressman said, "The President and Vice President lied and 4,000 of our soldiers died. The President and Vice President lied and a million innocent Iraqis died in a war that'll cost us two trillion dollars while people here in the states are losing their jobs, their health care, their homes, their dignity. Lies are weapons of mass destruction. Lies are also an impeachable offense. Monday, January 28th is the State of the Union. We already know the State of the Union, it's a lie."

After minor commotion on the floor and opposition by Republicans, the ostracized presidential candidate moved to have his words taken off the record.

Kucinich said, "I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the offending words, to the end that they be stricken from the record and that I be permitted to revise and extend my remarks for the record."

Last April and November, Kucinich almost had the house debating the impeachment of Vice President Cheney.

House Democratic leaders blocked the debate by referring the impeachment effort back to the judiciary committee.

January 23, 2008

Kucinich campaign does it one handshake at a time
BRIAN SEALS
SENTINEL STAFF WRITER

Lagging in the polls, locked out of nationally televised debates and even unable to be the sole focus in a small-sized media market Tuesday as candidate Hillary Clinton hit the Central Coast, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination still campaigns, in part, the old-fashioned way -- word of mouth, one handshake at a time.

Elizabeth Kucinich was in Watsonville touting her husband, a former mayor of Cleveland, as the candidate with the best proposal for single-payer health insurance, canceling what he sees as unproductive foreign trade agreements and a pledge to bring the troops home from Iraq immediately.

"The only candidate that represents mainstream thinking in this country is being locked out of the debate," she told the group.

She also highlighted an endorsement last week by the Mexican American Political Association. As Clinton was in town to pick up a United Farm Workers endorsement, Kucinich said her husband has a long track record of being pro-labor and supportive of workers' rights.

Kucinich's platform is solidly to the left of the other Democratic front-runners.

Among his proposals:

• Cancel the North American Free Trade Agreement passed during the Clinton administration and withdraw the United States from the World Trade Organization. NAFTA has prompted jobs to flee the country while also sparking increased illegal immigration -- a term she disdains -- from neighboring countries by those who can't find jobs to pay the bills. It has also gutted environmental protections and workers' rights, Elizabeth Kucinich said.

"The real issue is economic refugees, economic migrants," she said.

• Kucinich is a sponsor of a bill, HR 676, that would establish a universal, single-payer health plan for all residents of the United States.

• Immediately bring troops home from. Iraq

• He would seek to repeal the No Child Left Behind federal education act passed early in the current Bush administration, which she said has placed too much emphasis on standardized tests.

She asked one girl in attendance what education should mean and if she wanted to "be taught to be a test taker."

Isabel Corpus, 13, replied: "So you can have a good career. In your job, you don't take tests all the time."

While not a frontrunner nationally, Kucinich enjoys a visible degree of support in Santa Cruz County.

"He votes exactly what he speaks, there's no double-talk," said Robert Herrera, CEO of Astra-Lite. "He's the man for the job."

Watsonville resident Francisca Corpus said she agreed with Kucinich's stances on health care and education, but most especially liked his stand on the Iraq war.

"He's my candidate," she said. "He's willing to do whatever he can to bring the troops home from Iraq."

Kucinich grabbed 8,000 votes in Santa Cruz County in the 2004 primary. He is scheduled to be in the area Friday night for the Santa Cruz County Democratic Party's annual fundraising dinner.

FCC Rejects Kucinich Complaint About CNN Debate - Yet again, the media takes it upon itself to determine which candidates are acceptable

Supreme Court denies Kucinich ballot bid
Supreme Court denies Kucinich bid to get on Texas primary ballot
AP
Jan 18, 2008

The court refused to step into a dispute between Kucinich and the Texas Democratic Party over a loyalty oath all candidates must sign to make the ballot.

Kucinich and singer-supporter Willie Nelson objected to the party oath that a presidential candidate must "fully support" the party's eventual nominee. Kucinich crossed out the oath when he filed for a spot on the primary ballot.

A federal judge in Austin ruled against Kucinich last week. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled the state party has the right to require the oath. Kucinich and Nelson argued it violated Kucinich's First Amendment right to free speech.

Texas said its deadline is Saturday to print absentee ballots so that they can reach overseas voters in time for the March 4 primary.

The homage that Americans pay today to the inspiring life and lasting legacy of Dr. King is a fitting tribute to this leader who spoke so eloquently of peace, of social justice, and of equal rights under the law and under the moral covenant that established and guides this great nation. But, as we survey the grim realities of today, across this country and around the world, that rightful homage also has the somber ring of a faint and distant eulogy for a man and a message from another time.

That other time that we remember and honor was then. But, more than ever, it is also now.

In his speech at Riverside Church in New York City, on April 4, 1967, Dr. King spoke of one war that was destroying the aspirations of the people of two nations - the people of the United States and the people of Vietnam.

The Vietnam War resulted in the deaths of 4 million Vietnamese civilians in a nation of about 40 million - 10% of the total population of Vietnam. Americans lost 58,202 soldiers in that war. And in hard, cold numbers, the Vietnam War cost the United States the equivalent of $662 billion in today's dollars.

So far, today, this no-end-in-sight war against Iraq has resulted in the deaths of more than 1 million innocent Iraqis in a nation of 25 million. Four thousand of our best and bravest have died, and nearly 29,000 have been wounded. In hard, cold numbers, the Iraq War will cost the United States more than $2 trillion.

What would Dr. King say today? What would his message be to the President, to the U.S. Congress, and to the American people? It would be, I deeply believe, the same as it was more than 30 years ago: Iraq is a war that is destroying the aspirations of the people of two nations - the people of the United States and the people of Iraq.

And, it was only two years ago that the leadership of the Democratic Party, without invoking Dr. King but aligning itself with the powerful principles that he espoused, promised an end to the abuse of political power and an end to the war that was devastating the people of two nations. And Americans, believing that promise that we would "be free at last" from the policies that morally and economically enslaved this nation and unrepentantly took control of another, elected a new Democratic leadership in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.

Tragically, in the two years since, nothing has changed. The policies of this President persist and prevail. The Congress yields and subjugates itself time and time again. And the powerful, righteous, and universal message of Dr. King has been forgotten.

Dr. King's concluding remarks in his Riverside Church speech called for an end to the disintegration of humanity brought about by war: "Somehow this madness must end," he implored.

It is not in our power to bring Dr. King back, but it is within our power to resurrect his spirit in our daily lives and in the policies of the government that we elect to represent and lead us. He demonstrated throughout his entire life that social and economic justice are achieved not through compromising what we believe, but rather, committing to what we believe - whatever the odds.

In this crucial year for the future of our nation and the future of our world, today is the day to remember Dr. King's words, embrace his spirit, and fortify ourselves with the message that he left for us.

It is time, once again, to ask what we can do to forge ahead - in our votes, in our support, and in everything we do -- to reach that place where his words, his strength, and his optimism become more than a legacy. They become the policy and mission of this nation: "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last."

Dennis Kucinich

REP. Dennis Kucinich was right to request -- and pay for -- a recount of the ballots in the Democratic presidential primary.

We say that not because we think there is strong evidence of voter fraud. Secretary of State Bill Gardner was probably correct when he said a recount would reveal a fair election.

Kucinich's recount, however, will answer some questions and put to rest some of the conspiracy theories being circulated. OK, it won't end all the conspiracy theories. Some people are impervious to facts. But it will show whether the "irregularities" Kucinich and others think they have found are real.

Kucinich also deserves credit for paying for the recount with campaign funds. Some candidates would have whined. But he chose to pay the price to have his questions answered instead of trying to pass the bill to New Hampshire's taxpayers. The same goes for Republican candidate Albert Howard, who paid for a recount of the Republican ballots.

Whatever the recount's results, Gardner has opened the process to observers so there can be no question about the integrity of the count. Doubters on both sides should let this settle the issue. If they question Gardner's integrity, then we'll know for sure not to trust anything else they have to say.