this is a letter written by a friend of mine who lives in washington state - to her brother in canada. She gave her permisson for it to be forwarded.
Why Dennis Kucinich Could Win Anyway
By Lucy Garrick
Just a Citizen Looking for the America I Once Knew
Today I received a story written by Houston, TX area coordinator for Dennis Kucinich. It was not so much a story about Democrats versus George W. Bush as a story of inspiration. I share it because we all have opinions about policies, but I suspect we would all welcome a little inspiration.
During my childhood in the 1950s and 60s, American's saw the last of inspired leadership fade away. I believe that's why all the candidates, regardless of party, seems to quote Kennedy, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. And that's not to say that some of our leaders have not done outstanding work since Kennedy. But these men had something better than the ability to appeal to the masses and do good work . They were able to relate to our collective sense of courage and integrity and pride for our country.
Americans, sadly have become, obsessively focused on winning and losing. Sure, it's great to be a winner, but at what cost? That win/lose sentiment seems to be behind much of what our collective national soul detests the greed of the leaders of Enron, the lack of ethics on Wall Street and so on. It's not surprising that we might become cynical in the face of such betrayal which may be why almost 60% of eligible voters are no longer to even try to have their voices heard.
I'll admit I''m disheartened by the trends in policies and Bush's style of leadership, but I'm not willing to give up this incredible right we have to speak our mind at the ballot box. Until the Iowa debates I was thinking of backing Dean because I bought into the media's view on what makes someone electable in America polling results and the size of their war chest.
But these things have having nothing to do with the quality or inspiration of leadership. Then I read Crosier's story about what happened when Dennis Kucinich came to Houston on a whistle stop campaign tour the day before Thanksgiving.
Dennis Kucinich was coming to Houston ¦ Wednesday morning, to attend a conference of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. This news launched a whirlwind of activity for Kucinich volunteers throughout the Houston-Galveston area that would not cease until many of us fell asleep over our Thanksgiving dinners¦ He goes on to talk about how Kucinich's supporters packed meeting after meeting into his visit and how Kucinich lives and campaigns according to his espoused ideals, ¦getting a suitable American-made car to pick up Dennis and member(s) of his staff traveling with him (Dennis only rides in American-made vehicles)... What we didn't know at the time was that the events we had scheduled for Dennis were still were not enough for him.
Crosier delineates a schedule full of scheduled and unscheduled stops--- meetings with people from every walk of life, not just dinners with fat cat supporters, but the kind of campaigning most of us have only seen in movies like, dare I say it, Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. I was thinking, maybe this guy Dennis Kucinich is the real deal, a little guy, the underdog just doing what he can to make a difference. It gave me hope that the America I grew up in may still be there lurking under the cynical underbelly of a citizenry that doesn't vote and it learning to live in fear. It gave me hope for a kind of courage that doesn't come from power, or guns and control of the media. And I realized that Dennis Kucinich's courage and commitment is contagious, because Crosier reports Over and over again while Dennis was here, I kept hearing people say, "Finally, we have someone we can vote for FOR." It was terrific. And it's true.
Crosier has been a contractor at NASA's Johnson Space Center for quite a few years in their biomedical research laboratories. He wasn't there during the Apollo Program but his experience with Dennis Kucinich reminded him of a story that is part of the lore at NASA. ... after JFK issued his famous goal--"before this decade is out, to put a man on the moon and return him safely to earth." Many people in this country thought that the goal was completely unrealistic and that it was not worth the trouble to try¦ The quote I vividly remember was what this old timer told me when I asked him how they were able to get to the moon.
made by one of the NASA janitors when someone asked what he did for a living . The janitor said in a very matter of fact way, "I'm working to put a man on the moon."
After I heard his refreshing clarity or purpose in the Iowa debates, I made up my mind to support Dennis Kucinich. Even if I wouldn't take his exact approach to an issue, I know that when decisions are made in Washington they are somewhat a compilation of the left, right and center, so I don't feel threatened by his views that are more liberal mine. I just keep thinking¦what if we had a leader who told us what he really thought instead of rationalizing his views until it sounded like our own.
Kucinich's inspires this kind hope in his supporters. What kind of hope could he inspire in the rest of us, I wondered?
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