Democrats Need Ohio to Win [View All]

[LWolf]

http://www.kucinich.net/statements.htm#DemsOhio

"Ohio is the mother of presidents and the state which chooses presidents. The last member of the United States House of Representatives elected to the White House, James Garfield, also came from Cuyahoga County and won an upset victory at his party's convention, just as I intend to do in this nominating process. Ohio is bound to play a critical role at the Democratic Convention.

"Ohio has felt the brunt of the Bush Administration's economic policies. More than 369,500 Ohioans are out of work, and our nation is averaging a loss of 68,000 jobs a month. The nation has lost nearly 3 million manufacturing jobs since this President took office. Many of the lost manufacturing jobs have been due directly to trade agreements which have been unfair to American workers. I intend to cancel NAFTA and the WTO.

"I will cancel the tax cuts to those in the top brackets. Under the latest tax cuts, the first 60 percent of Ohio taxpayers will only see a cut of $380 in total over the next four years. But the richest 1 percent of Ohioans will be rewarded with tax cuts worth $52,240 on average over the next four years.

"I intend to make the health of Ohioans and Americans my number one domestic concern, and that is why I'm co-sponsoring legislation to create universal health coverage.

"Finally, my candidacy will give Ohioans an opportunity to vote to end the war in Iraq, to bring in UN peacekeepers, and to bring home our troops. I have had a plan on my website for nearly three months at www.kucinich.us which describes how this can be accomplished. The Democrats cannot win the election unless the nominee of the party is clearly committed to an immediate withdrawal from Iraq with the help of UN peacekeepers.

"The Democrats will not win the White House without Ohio's 20 electoral votes. I'm in the best position to win those votes based on the fact that I defeated Republican incumbents in races for Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio State Senator, and Member of the United States Congress. I've shown a strong vote-getting ability in Republican areas where other Democrats have been soundly defeated. I can win Ohio for the Democrats, and because I can win Ohio for the Democrats, I can win the White House."