Kucinich Says He Faces "Swiftboat" Attack

[Hissyspit]

Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

Kucinich says he faces "swiftboat" attack
Posted by Molly Kavanaugh February 21, 2008 11:55AM
Categories: Breaking News, Kucinich

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich said he is facing a "swiftboat" attack in the March 4 Democratic primary and if he is reelected to the 10th Congressional district he will continue to govern as he has for 12 years.

"I'm going to keep on working for the people," he said during an interview on this morning's "Sound of Ideas" on WCPN 90.3. "You have to build consensus. That's what I do."

Swiftboating refers to an attack that is unfair or untrue. The term comes from the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth(formerly "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth") and their widely-publicized campaign against 2004 Presidential candidate John Kerry.

While not calling him by name, Kucinich was referring to candidate Joe Cimperman, who has been hammering away at his failed presidential bid and his record, which includes passage of one bill.

Read more: http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/02/kucinich_says_he_faces_swiftbo.html

[grytpype]

1. Oh, for God's sake...

He's whiny, ineffectual fruitcake who feels entitled to his job.

Are the mean people saying he wastes too much time on his failed, hopeless bids for the presidency? How dare they Swift Boat him like that!!!! He says all the things liberals like to hear, who cares how he represents his district in Congress!!!!

[fascisthunter]

2. "He's whiny, ineffectual fruitcake who feels entitled to his job."

uh huh

[still_one]

5. How about being right about the Iraq war, even though his associates thought otherwise

how about trying to bring impeachment, because believe it or not, an administration outing a CIA agent, elements of that administration lying under oath about it, going to war based on those lies, MIGHT JUST BE AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE

of course, the party leaders don't want to rock the boat, or do any actual REAL INVESTIGATIONS

[fascisthunter]

22. Did You Respond to the Right Post?

I don't agree with what I quoted.....

[still_one]

25. Boy did I screw that one up, it was meant for the, "Oh for God's sakes" post

thanks for the heads up, I'm not going to repost, but it wasn't meant for you, and I appreciate you calling my attention to my mistake

[fascisthunter]

26. no prob....

I figured it had to be a mistake. Just making sure.

[pnwmom]

41. But if his CONSTITUENTS feel he has been neglecting them,

that could outweigh everything else.

And it's not Swiftboating for a primary opponent to criticize an incumbent.

[Omaha Steve]

53. It is If the Nancy story about pulling the strings is correct

Posted last week.

[pnwmom]

72. I don't know which of last week's stories you're referring to. n/t

[peace13]

10. Very unfair of you.

To the rest of you guys, if you are a Kucinich fan and you haven't sent him what you can for this election please try to. His fight is important to our country. I support Dennis Kucinich.
Edit to say sorry - I meant to respond to you know who.

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. *ahem* your slip is showing.... n/t

[nbcouch]

4. "who cares how he represents his district in Congress!!!!"

Too much caffeine today, Mr Wolfson?

[ohio2007]

54. Wheres the PORK ?

I'm not sure he is willing to talk about the amount of federal tax $ he brought home as bacon to his district.

[FiveGoodMen]

6. And you are just SO goddamn ignored!

[wuushew]

8. what you call fruitiness, I call integrity

Embracing liberal ideas is how humanity evolves. This Cimperman character is a right-wing tool and doesn't even live in DK's district.

Can you cite any specific votes that you feel Dennis voted incorrectly on when representing the interests of Cleveland?

Congressman Kucinich is there for all the important votes in the House and in his spare time he was attempting to bring voice to issues as a member of a group of ten national candidates instead of one out of 435 members of the House of Representatives.

I know who the fool is here and it is not Dennis.

[EFerrari]

9. His voting record is one of the best in the House.

You don't know what you're talking about and that's just sad.

[pnwmom]

43. Isn't that for HIS constituents to decide? What we don't know is

how accessible he has been to them.

A lot of a Representative's job is involved in the day-to-day nitty gritty of taking care of his constituents and their concerns. If they've been feeling neglected, then there could be repercussions.

This is a risk for any incumbent who decides to make a national run.

[NikolaC]

50. How Do You Know That He Is Neglecting Them?

If they felt that way before, then they would not have put him back in Congress 6 times now. This all stems from the fact that the national Dem party is not happy with him and the fact that he WILL NOT tow the party line where impeachment and other issues are concerned. This is payback pure and simple and to assume that his constituents may not be happy with him because there are 4 other people running against him, with one of them being a well financed corporate shill, is unfair. None of us should assume that they are unhappy with their representation, they are just told to be by some very well financed ads and a man who is going to owe big business a lot of favors if he defeats Dennis and wins his seat.

[ohio2007]

57. And you live in the tenth district of Ohio I suppose?

He is going to have fellow dems put him on the carpet. He'll probably keep his seat but he has to open up his wallet and spend this time around

[NikolaC]

65. No, Do You?

I just bothered to look up his record and not repeat what the Cleveland Plain Dealer (a paper who just loooooveeeesss :sarcasm: Kucinich) says. Also, if they disliked him so much in his district, why send him back to Congress 6 times?

[pnwmom]

71. He obviously was NOT neglecting them then. But, if he's in the trouble

some of his supporters think he is, maybe the last few years have made a negative difference in how his constituents feel about him.

[pnwmom]

70. This primary election will show how his constituents feel about that.

It's too soon to know.

[EFerrari]

63. I was referring to the fact that Dennis doesn't miss votes.

He's something like 94%. There's nothing to "decide" about that, it's just a fact.

[Alexander]

11. So impeachment means nothing to you? Good to know.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

12. Those people are saying

it is wrong for him to campaign for another office while he holds one, which is ironic, because his chief opponent is doing the same thing. Also that opponent is not a resident of the district and is being backed by banks and real estate interests in the area that are tired of having someone in office who actually attends to the needs of his constituents.

"Whiney and ineffectual?" Tell that to the constituents who lived by the lake and needed help. They were Republicans, by and large, but they had a problem and they took it to Kucinich, who helped them with it. I've heard from people from Cleveland that he is very helpful to individual constituents, which is his job.

Unless you are a resident of OH-10 and can testify otherwise, your opinion about the man is strictly that--your opinion. And I will continue to support Kucinich's bid monetarily--your comments have inspired me to do so.

[kenfrequed]

15. Uhm yeah

Right...I would much prefer a centrist, triangulating democrat who has the blessing of the DLC and manages to get all the WRONG things done with the aid of the repugniks.

[harmonicon]

16. yep, that's why he's been elected to six terms in a diverse district

people from Cleveland just love whiny and ineffectual.

[ElboRuum]

20. Lost me at fruitcake.

No, wait... lost me at ineffectual...
Whiny's a matter of opinion.

If he's so nutty, why the hell is he right so damn often?

[Dukkha]

27. "entitled" to his job?

I believe the word is ELECTED. and if his district keeps electing him then he's obviously representing them right.

[grahamhgreen]

29. I'll send him some more money to fight off these liars!

[frylock]

30. and you don't know jack about shit..

whiny and ineffectual. what the fuck has your precious rockstar candidate done?

[penguin7]

49. His opponent is running swift boat type ads on TV. N/T

[liberalnurse]

66. I agree...and I am from Ohio....

He is self-serving and narcissistic. He would not vote to bring the troops home on the time line, which would bring some home! He wanted it immediately or not at all which served his selfish platform. Now, none get to come home. :cry:

[NikolaC]

68. Oh

So wanting the troops out right away from a war he knew was illegal, wrong and happened to vote against means he should lose his seat? Why is it that those who are continually voting to fund the war (when in actuality little of the money is making its way to the troops) not the ones to blame? How is it narcissistic to want them out of a place that they should not have been in in the first place?

[shanti]

74. did you forget the sarcasm smiley?

??? if not...

[Canuckistanian]

79. Typical Hit 'n Run poster

I'd like to see WHO, exactly, the poster thinks REALLY represents his concerns.

[Zorra]

80. Yeah, we don't need no stinkin' liberals in the republican party!

Oh, yeah--Kucinich is a Democrat.

Sorry there, grytpype...but, are you posting in the right forum?

Freeperville is quite a ways from here. Take a right at the dead end.

[colorado_ufo]

83. A first for me!

A chance to use "ignore" - first time since DU started. Let's see if it really works!

[H8fascistcons]

84. A Fruitcake??????

HHHHMMMMMMM, well lets see, When they asked Mr Kucinich why he voted against the partiot act he responded "because I read it" WOW!! the audacity of this "fruitcake" to read the bill before voting. Your absolutely correct grytype he has to go! we need more criminal republican Fascists such as yourself looking out for our interests!!! How could we be so gullible???

[salib]

7. Here we go.

Many of us are talking about getting more progressive candidates to run and even unseat DINOs. This is an example of what is going to happen. This is a struggle that is much older than any of us and will go on after we are gone. Still, it is one of the few worth struggling for.

We have to support this man and all of our most progressive candidates with everything we've got.

[BobbyVan]

13. We're better off with Iraq war vets making the case for peace

Not whiny little men who trace hearts in the air.

[sakabatou]

17. Ad hominems for everyone

:eyes:

[ElboRuum]

21. These days...

It's a bumper crop of argumentum ad hominem (absurdum).

[harmonicon]

18. yeah....

.... because iraq war vets are in congress?

[LanternWaste]

23. Such depth and breadth to your analysis.

Such depth and breadth to your analysis. Your mind simply is not one for mere mortals to entertain conjecture with.

So I assume that either you're a veteran or you're not making the case for peace...?

[NikolaC]

56. Project Much?

What have you done to give you the authority to call a man who has served his district, state and country for a good number of years now a whiny little man? Have you bothered to look and his voting record, or actually listened to him on the issues instead of watching some idiot talking head on television tell you that he is a whiner? Kucinich wants the soldiers out of Iraq ASAP, he wants peace and to work towards it. As a matter of fact "Strength Through Peace" was his Presidential campaign slogan. We need both the vets and Kucinich to make the case for peace.

[caseycoon]

14. K&R For Dennis!

WE NEED him!!

[IntravenousDemilo]

19. You know, if he doesn't get elected, he'd sure make a great Secretary of State. n/m

[totodeinhere]

35. He would make a great Secretary of State even if he is reelected.

[fascisthunter]

24. Boy... the Centrists Really Fear Him

I watched Cimperman debate.... I thought he was a Republican until his name popped up with a (d) next to his name.

[Algorem]

28. "Joe Cimperman is a horse's ass"

http://blueohioan.blogspot.com/2008/02/joe-cimperman-is-horses-ass.html



...Hell, the one Cimperman sign in my neighborhood is decorating the lawn of a Republican. And look at this letter from West Life (print edition) written by a Robert G. Aber of Westlake:

To the editor:

Voters in the 10th Congressional District unite! Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, cast your vote for Joe Cimperman, democrat for U.S. Congress United the 10th District wins, divided Dennis wins.

The Ohio primary election scheduled for March 4 is an open primary. This means registered Republican or Independent voters can request a Democratic ballot. By March 4 the Republican Presidential candidate will be John McCain. I challenge the Republicans and Independents to cross the aisle and cast their vote for Joe Cimperman, and bring home a victory for the 10th Congressional district.



(Works well for Republicans gaming the Dem Presidential race too.)





http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4081

This says all you need to know about Joe Cimperman

They are stooping pretty low to get Dennis. Cimperman's field director Bob Aber is sending out this letter (published in local newspapers) calling for McCain supporters to HIJACK the Democratic primary. Nice, huh?

Voters in the 10th Congressional District unite! Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, cast your vote for Joe Cimperman, democrat for U.S. Congress United the 10th District wins, divided Dennis wins.

The Ohio primary election scheduled for March 4 is an open primary. This means registered Republican or Independent voters can request a Democratic ballot. By March 4 the Republican Presidential candidate will be John McCain. I challenge the Republicans and Independents to cross the aisle and cast their vote for Joe Cimperman, and bring home a victory for the 10th Congressional district.






"...field coordinator, Bob Aber..."

http://blog.cleveland.com/theview/2008/01/know_the_issues_and_get_involv.html

[NikolaC]

59. What an idiot

I am hoping and believe that this tactic may backfire on Cimperman. Just in case, Kucinich got whatever financial support that I could afford to give him. It sucks that he has had to fund raise like mad to fight this idiot.

[noel adamson]

31. So where can we send donations?

[eridani]

33. www.kucinich,us n/t

[noel adamson]

55. Thanks, my bucks are traveling through the tubes to Mr. Kucinich now...

http://www.kucinich.us/

[The Blue Flower]

32. His constituents know who he is

I really don't understand how it would be possible to spread a lot of lies that would stick. I don't understand why he feels so threatened.

[totodeinhere]

34. Kucinich is a national treasure.

And I'm sure his constituents know that and they will handily reelect him in both the primary and the general.

[ToughLuck]

36. Kucinich...You are a decent man..hope you win

One of the few to stand up against Bush and Co....unlike that complete FAILURE PELOSI
Kucinich..you are a great American!

[sellitman]

37. I watched the debate live and Cimperman is a horses ass.

His only reason for running is to run one of the only true liberals out of office.
He is a tool of the Reigh Wing and the DLC.

[knixphan]

38. I'm not in his state...

But I'm going to send Dennis a donation...

Gonna do that right now.

We need all the truth-tellers we can get.

[Voltaire99]

39. Crappy metaphor, Dennis

The 2004 Swfitboat spat only means something to warrior liberals who want to claim Kerry's Vietnam record as "heroic," rather than look at it for what it was: shooting at foreign people from a boat in an unjust, immoral war.

That Kerry mobilized pro-Vietnam War symbolism at a time when the US was embarking -- with his help -- on the Iraq war misadventure was unconscionable. The convention's chant of "John Kerry said, Send me!" sounds, in retrospect, like a call for impressionable, econimcally disadvantaged American youth to sign up for the Iraq occupation.

Don't mix pro-war symbolism with your personal political fortunes, Dennis. It's not only intellectually dishonest.

It's morally repugnant coming from a peace activist.

[RuleOfNah]

40. Interesting how McCain's campaign gets more vigorous support than Kucinich around here.

[OhioChick]

42. The Negative Ads Here

Against Dennis are fierce and often.

[bonito]

44. We need more like him I hope he prevails.

[pnwmom]

45. That is stretching the meaning of "Swiftboating" beyond any recognizable meaning.

Not every criticism of every candidate is Swiftboating, and this time, Kucinich is in trouble in his own primary.

What is happening to him now is not unusual when an incumbent takes significant time away from his or her district for a national run. There can be consequences, and other contenders have a chance to get a toe-hold.

[varelse]

46. I've already donated more than I can afford, but I'll try to find the $$ somewhere

but if he loses his seat in Ohio, think we can get him to move to California and run for the Senate here?

[Eric J in MN]

47. Donate to Kucinich for Congress.

http://www.kucinich.us/

[Kolesar]

61. Thanks for the reminder! Dennis is THE best ... eom

$50.00

[Eric J in MN]

69. You're welcome. Thanks for helping Kucinich. NT

NT

[penguin7]

48. Link to list of corporate donors to Cimperman campaign

http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/HSRefreshContributorList.do?cand_id=H8OH10069&detailType=cand&contComeFrom=candDetail&contCategory=INDIVIDUAL&category=stateH_dem&stateName=OH

Notice that most are not even from the district.

[ohio2007]

60. interesting website. Look at the Kucinich doners (none from Ohio ) LOL

http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/HSRefreshContributorList.do?cand_id=H6OH23033&detailType=cand&contComeFrom=candDetail&contCategory=PAC&category=stateH_dem&stateName=OH




You can dig up all sorts of spin from that dot gov site of yours





http://www.fec.gov/

http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/HSRefreshCandList.do?category=disH&stateName=OH&congressId=10

[NikolaC]

64. Nice Try

If you look at the individual donations and where they came from, you would find that most of Cimperman's donations come from people employed by a few Corporations. Check out the contributions for the others as well. The list does not seem complete, but it is apparent that Dennis has a fight on his hands with so many well financed opponents.

[penguin7]

67. Is this a deliberate distortion or are you sincerely confused?

And what was the point of posting those irrelevant maps?

[Kolesar]

77. Developers Ratner and Wolstein ... eom

[OzarkDem]

51. Cimperman doesn't even live in the district

The local Cleveland billionaires are trying to put their own guy into the 10th district. Too bad, Dennis' constituents are the ones who will decide and they like him.

[ohio2007]

52. "I'm going to keep on working for the people," ... LOL, like those steel worker people that lost

their jobs when the Wal Mart rose out of the torn down mini mill?


He's been running for president the past six years in office.
DK needs a swift kick in the pants imo

Their are three other dems running for his job in order to serve "the people".

[Kolesar]

75. It was an integrated steel mill that was long abandoned

[seriousstan]

58. Swiftboat attack? One person in a dingy maybe. He will need a better talking point

than that if he is going to hold his seat. I think his constituents are tired of the perennial Presidential candidate. He did a good job of stepping in for Pat Paulson, now it is time to go home.

[Kolesar]

62. Dennis was speaking extemporaneously, so he deserves little slack and a lot of love

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[seriousstan]

73. A little slack and a lot of love doesn't count in the election....only votes do.

I predict he will lose.

[Kolesar]

78. boor...eom

[Malikshah]

76. Take it from Deep Throat: Follow the Money.

Just follow it. Watch those who are most vociferous against Kucinich.

Just ask Findley...

[peoplepower68]

81. Cimperman urges McCain supporters to hijack Dem primary

Here's the letter Cimperman's field director Bob Aber had published in local newspapers his week:

Voters in the 10th Congressional District unite! Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, cast your vote for Joe Cimperman, democrat for U.S. Congress United the 10th District wins, divided Dennis wins.

The Ohio primary election scheduled for March 4 is an open primary. This means registered Republican or Independent voters can request a Democratic ballot. By March 4 the Republican Presidential candidate will be John McCain. I challenge the Republicans and Independents to cross the aisle and cast their vote for Joe Cimperman, and bring home a victory for the 10th Congressional district.

[Infinite Hope]

82. Only ONE bill??? n/t