Kucinich Supporters: What is it about Dennis that makes you support him?

[absyntheNsugar]

Is it his stance on the issues (pretty much progressive down the line) is it his charisma, or is it how he's never backpedaled or apologized for doing what he believes is right? (I love how after getting totally defeated as Mayor of Cleveland, his comeback slogan was "Because he was right" - I mean that takes CAJONES!)

For the record, I'm a Dean/Clark supporter, but you just can't help but like Kucinich. In a perfect world, he would beat Bush in my opinion...

[mmm]

1. He is progressive down the line

When you see him in person you see a man whose ideas
could save the world. He is amazing to behold.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

2. absolutely

Im a Dean/Clark supporter too, but I thought one of the bravest things he's said is that he'd decriminalize marijuana. The Drug War is perhaps one of the most important domestic issues, and its one that none of the others have touched. Kucinich was the only one with the cajones to say he'd decriminalize - which is absolutely necessary - in this country. Everything Kucinich says is ballsy, but this took the cake.

[moosedog]

7. I agree.....I like Dennis

i have all along. He wants to take the ammunition( drugs) away from the thugs in power. Decriminalize the drugs and our kids can think straight and won't be fodder for the evil doers. I wish Dennis could lead our country, but I believe that the thugs have it all figured out how to cheat us out of our vote. Mrs. M

[sweetheart]

8. Dennis is awesome

I was very moved by his story of the "coins clicking on the table" and the whole thing about his mayoral experience losing to corporatism.

I support him because i *KNOW* i can trust him.

I would not trust the family china or my daughter with any other candidate. He is the truth at the leading edge of the egaletarian lashback to the neocon small-mindedness.

I can't "love" him, but i sorta do. My registration is complete.... he's gettin' my vote.. yahoo!! the first time i can vote for someone really who i support.

Goooooo Dennis. You will win no matter what the vote counts. You stand for the spirit of america, and the GOP stands for nihilism and the uglier concept of violent anarchy... vs. choamsky's wise anarchism... dennis rise up and strike them down.

[JohnKleeb]

3. Thats a lot to ask me

:)
Well I love his views on the issues, I like his ablity to stand up for what he believes in, I am also amazed by his life story, and please dont laugh at this, this isnt a reason but its a neat thing, you are aware obviously that Kucinich is an ethnic name, Croatian to be exact, I am on my mom's side descended from a nearby country. Thats not a reason but its kind of cool, I feel like how the Irish Catholics did with Kennedy I guess. Theres loads of reasons to like him honestly, thanks though for respecting our choice,

[Terwilliger]

4. progressive down the line, basically

but the fact that he really isn't a political insider helps too...he wants to build coalitions, not make back-door deals for political gain

[johnnie]

5. Well..

He's been doing this since he was a kid. I think he was 21 when he got on city council here in Cleveland. The whole default thing wasnt his fault, but he had to live with that. He stuck up for the people and fought the big guys here who were trying to take over the small electric company. He came close to ruining his political career for standing up for what he believed in.
I think Dennis has more guts and balls then 95% of the politicians out there, and one of the few honest ones. The sad thing to me is he might be too honest to win the ticket, but I support him.

[underpants]

6. Same reason I like playing solitare with a deck of 51 cards

Sorry I had to say that.

[Rainbowreflect]

9. All of the above, plus

when I went & heard him speak about peace he made me cry because of his passion & compassion.
I believe if he was President he would change not only this country, but the world. He has a vision of what humans are possible of and believes we can become so much better than we are.

[MIMStigator]

10. I like Halloween

With DK, every day is Halloween

[redqueen]

11. First the obvious: he's the most progressive.

And as you put it, his COJONES to stand up and speak truth to power is a large part of it. (Resolution to oust Rummy? THANKS DK!)

Now the rest:

- his willingness to stand up in unyielding support of the public interest and common good, despite the overwhelming pressure he faced as mayor. Even going so far as to risk the sacrifice his own career in public service, which he obviously pursued first and foremost before any other option, in order to do so.

- his record of saying what needs to be said, of giving voice to the voiceless, and doing so without regard to the consequences.

- his record of not just speaking out on issues, but acting on them, despite the odds against him. This is leadership, IMO.

- his ability to speak to the best in each of us, not caring to water down his message for marketability or to cater to what polls say. IMO another example of leadership.


I could go on and on and on... :D

And his stellar endorsements (Studs Terkel, Howard Zinn, Patch Adams, Barbara Ehrenreich, Arun Gandhi, Granny D, Pete Seeger, Willie Nelson) don't hurt either. :)

"Had the Democratic Party true leadership, Kucinich would be the candidate. And, of course, if he were nominated, he would win. In a debate with Bush there would be a knockout in the first round, there would be no competition. And this is the perfect time for that, except for the role of the media." -- Studs Terkel

Hey Studs, I'm not letting the media decide. I'm voting for Kucinich. :D

[dpbrown]

12. The Dem nominee will beat Bush in a free election

So I will support the best candidate.

Bush got 50 million last time and Gore got 51 million and Nader got 3 million - and Bush lost then.

There's no way Bush'll get 50 million this time, because he's pissed off too many people who crossed over to vote for him.

I support a candidate who will bring together the fracture on the left, getting all Nader's 3 million votes, and most of Gore's 51 million votes - with Bush getting less than 50 million no matter how you slice it.

Therefore, I support the candidate best positioned to win the election, overcoming even the manipulation of the paperless Black Box Voting Machines.

Therefore, to answer your question directly - I support Kucinich because he's the most pragmatic candidate.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[dpbrown]

14. 2000: Bush=50 mil., Gore=51 mil. + Nader=3 mil. = 2004 No Brainer

If we beat Bush 50 million to 51 million last time, when we add in the Green voters we'll beat him 54 million (or more) to less than 50 million this time.

It's simple math.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[Mairead]

13. It's a no-brainer: he has all the issues and the only backbone in town

If we aren't willing to support the only candidate who (a) is for real change and (b) has proven he won't sell us out, then what's the point? To get Bush Lite instead of Bush? Why bother?

[loudnclear]

22. You are so right! I hope more people really take a second look at DK

I just really think that he is too good for the country. We really don't deserve him

[Kanary]

15. The BIG reason

is because he is the only candidate who has made it clear that he intends to HELP and SUPPORT poor folk, disabled folk, and others in like situation. None of the others speak to that issue: indeed, the Dems in general have left that issue behind. Many people are suffering because of it.

That is my first and foremost reason.

Kanary

[Kanary]

16. Having said that..

While my primary reason is because of his support for those on the bottom rung of society, I also appreciate his courage in going nobody has dared to go before.

I follow that closely with his stand on peace. He is not only talking about stopping the immoral war we are currently engaged in, but directing the whole focus of this country on waging peace. His definition of peace is international, national, local and.... interpersonal. That is a change of tremendous magnitude.

Dennis Kucinich is also the only candidate I've heard who is speaking clearly about the overpowering force of corporations in this country. Without dealing with that, I doubt that much can be done to substantially change the direction of our policies.

Along with his view of corporations, he supports labor and the integrity of the individual. Maybe, under his leadership, we could reclaim our true value of the individual, rather than perpetuating the culture of sheepdom.

Kanary

[loudnclear]

17. It's his positions on the issues

For universal health care
For treating other nations with respect and dignity to understand their issues and avoid conflicts
For protecting American by enabling America to be highly respected and trusted
For unions
For a reformed tax system that helps the middle class...really!
For cutting military spending and using money to help with education and child care

Try to catch his discussion on today's Talk of the Nation. If that doesn't convince you to support him, nothing will.

[redqueen]

18. A very interesting commentary on Kucinich's candidacy...

was posted on another forum... can't find it now, but it was about how in evolution, there are giant leaps between major shifts (e.g. the development of feathered wings). These leaps are without incremental steps between, instead seemingly happening nearly instantaneously.

The person who posted this finished the message with: "are those feathers peeking out from underneath Kucinich's jacket?"

:D

[xJlM]

19. He makes sense

His ideas and solutions about the many problems our country is facing are definitely the best. He has the guts it takes to stand his ground on difficult decisions, even when they're not the most popular. In America, it's easy to appeal to the "gung-ho, kill-'em-all-and-let-God-sort-'em-out" crowd,but Dennis appeals to the better instincts in all of us. Plus he doesn't flip-flop at the drop of a hat. His positions now are the same as he had at the start of this campaign.

[youngred]

20. I love his stances on all the issues

they match mine. he's honest, fair and open.

In a perfect world he'd be the President, sadly we live ina deeply flawed, so he has my support right up until the second he drops out and then after that ABB

[Ficus]

21. He seems

oh my gosh....genuine...

[Lydia Leftcoast]

23. When I first moved to Minneapolis

I was undecided, so knowing that the Twin Cities are likely to be a major stop for presidential candidates, I intended to go see each one who came to town. The first one, showing up two weeks after I arrived, was Kucinich.

I went, mildly interested, but not committed. Then I heard him speak.

Oh man, what an experience! Here was somebody who was saying everything that I'd been thinking ever since the sad day when Ronald Reagan took the oath of office. Here was someone with a vision of a better America, not just piecemeal solutions to specific problems. Here was somebody who was as bold on the left as the Republicans are on the right.

After suffering through Mondale's and Dukakis's inept campaigns, and having to forgive Bill Clinton's pandering to the Republicans, and Al Gore's previous wholehearted support for both the Contras and Reagan's military build-up, here was someone I could back without hesitation.

All the other candidates seem timid and waffling by comparison.

[dpbrown]

24. Excellent points!

Kucinich is the President most liberals wish they could have.

Of course, this is the point where someone (note - anonymously) comes out of the woodwork and says, "Hey, I'm a card-carrying liberal from way-back and I don't like Kucinich because..." and then they spout some misperception.

Two facts should be taken into consideration in determining Kucinich's "viability."

First, the Green vote plus the Democratic vote in 2000 added up to more than 54 million people, and Bush barely got 50 million, so if you want to "put the election away" you'll be supporting a candidate who will bring consensus between the Greens and the Democrats on this single, very important issue.

Second, if all the people for whom Kucinich is currently "second" because of some misplaced worry about "electability" made him their "first" candidate, we would have virtually no problem making Kucinich the nominee, and we'd be in position to get the Democratic vote plus the Green vote, and make the vote spread large enough to cover over even the Black Box election-stealing that the Republicans are engaging in.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[MadHound]

25. All of those reasons you mention, and one more big one

DK is the ONLY candidate who isn't taking coporate money. If we want to effect real change in this country, we must get corporations out of government. The only way you can do that is to not be beholden to corporate interests, ie not take corporate money. For once you take that corporate money, you've got to dance that corporate tune.

[dpbrown]

26. Corporations were barred from politics when this country was founded

It's funny how the "original intenters" get around that in touting the idea that we have to do whatever we can to "help" the corporations these days.

[dpbrown]

27. A kick for Kucinich the ass-kicker

....in a peaceful way, of course.

LOL

[Mairead]

28. yak

[LeftistGorilla]

29. Cuz...

he would America...more like Canada...
peace loving and all that...

[LWolf]

30. Vision

Depth
Clarity
Integrity
Action
Consistency
Honesty
Loyalty to citizens
Platform
Hope

Because America would be a better place with DK leading the way. Not just marginally better; we could evolve a new definition for "civilized."