Voting your beliefs...

[mgc1961]

"If I were a Democrat, I'd vote for Dennis Kucinich for president.

I'm not, and I won't. His politics and mine, for the most part, are polar opposites.

But if I were heir to the populism of Andy Jackson and FDR, of W.E.B. DuBois and John L. Lewis, well, the favorite son of this gritty, old steel town would be the candidate for me.

Why?

Because Dennis (and in this city, he'll never be known by any other name) carries the distilled essence of what the Democratic Party used to be about, and in which most rank-and-file members, down deep in their hearts, still believe:

Universal, government-sponsored health care.

A massive public works program to rebuild the national infrastructure and provide full employment.

Curtailed military spending.

Continuation of affirmative action programs.

Cancellation of NAFTA and a quick exit from the WTO.

Re-regulation of all things corporate.

Immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

Now that's a list that would warm the hearts of practically anyone who carries a "D" on his voter registration card.

But, come a week from Tuesday, a lot of those folks will let pari-mutual politics silence the cry of their liberal hearts."

<snip>


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