Kucinich Still Gives me the Heebie Jeebies

[JCMach1]

I am fully expecting the flame here...

Don't get me wrong... I love Dennis' politics. I even voted for him in the 2004 primaries after Dean had basically dropped.

But, here's the deal... When I see him, or listen to him talk it's like nails on a chalkboard. :(

Honestly, I agree with him on almost every issue. How do I overcome this?


Does anyone else react this way, or should I be sent to the island of misfit Democrats...?

[dysfunctional press]

1. hey, i agree with you 110%...

sure, the guys says a lot of the stuff we all want to hear- but anybody who honestly thinks that he has a legitimate shot at winning a national election...is having a HUGH problem with reality.

[zanne]

2. Is it because he's short?

Some people think that a man couldn't be elected president if he was too short. I don't know if that's true or not; I really like him.

[JCMach1]

4. Short is fine... i voted for Dukakis

:(


And no, I just found the funny pic... I don't see him as funny, it's just eeeekkkkkk

[zanne]

5. LOL!

I'd forgotten how short Dukakis was. But I do think that physical attributes are more important now than ever. It shouldn't be that way, but I think it is.

[Gman]

8. Yup, way too short

[Irreverend IX]

22. Bush is pretty short...

His "victories" over Gore and Kerry were among the few times in history the shorter candidate won. But Dennis's problems go beyond that.

[cali]

3. Not quite

but I find him less than compelling. I don't see him as a figure of fun, as you evidently do. Honestly, I think Kucinich is smart as well as passionate and is in this to more widely disseminate his views. He doesn't believe he can win. What I do find weird is the adulation for him- or any other politician. The remarks that every other House member pales in comparison with Dennis or Cynthia or whoever is the darling of the moment or of a certain crowd, seems so adolescent to me.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. Great -- another voice trashing the most progressive Dem in the race.

Would you rather listen to John McCain? Rudy Guiliani? NEWT GINGRICH?

If the Dems go GOP-Lite again, they deserve to lose.

[NashVegas]

10. At This Time, Isn't Dennis The Only Dem Officially In the Race?

Not much space for variables there.

[bullwinkle428]

17. You forgot about Vilsack!

:sarcasm: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[NashVegas]

25. OOPS!

My bad.

:)

[JCMach1]

15. Hey I voted for him before... I just couldn't watch him...

For the record, I am officially undecided at the moment... but I will not vote in the primary for anyone who voted, or supported the IWR.

[LittleClarkie]

28. There's trashing, and there's giving an opinion.

The poster says they like Dennis, but can't get past the personal presence.

Trust me, as a Kerry supporter, I know criticism from bashing. This is not bashing, or trashing.

You, as a supporter, will have to figure out how to get people over that reaction. Getting all flamey and popping a blood vessel at any negative word about your candidate, esp. if it is a civilly worded comment, ain't the way.

Dennis will need a really good press secretary. He will need supporters who are willing to explain why people should vote for Dennis. If others don't see the charisma that you do, you'll have to explain why that doesn't matter.

Not everyone sees what you see. Explain it to them.

Because I'm very close to not paying attention to you if you continue to berate everyone in each of these threads who isn't in love with Dennis.

[HeeBGBz]

7. Say what?

I get those all the time.

[Dhalgren]

9. Hey, maybe Dennis will go third party and then all of the "good"

Democrats can relax....

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. He knows better than trying a stunt like that

He will run another half-hearted campaign, still running for his House seat. Going third party would jeopardize his current meal ticket.

[Dhalgren]

19. Oh Freddie, you are as dependable as death and taxes.

Merry Christmas to you. :hi:

[ecstatic]

12. You sort of wish you could place his mind in an attractive man's body? Like Alec Baldwin? nt

:rofl:

[JCMach1]

14. it's not even that... Ugly is also ok... Remember Carter

or LBJ...

It is something intangible... for me at least...


Maybe it is the X factor, or the Charisma factor... whatever you want to call it.

[KoKo]

13. I saw him in person at a rally and he's nothing like what you see on TV.

He looks very normal and is an inspiring speaker. I think folks remember when he used to wear his hair in an odd way. He's changed that and he doesn't look like an "elf" when you see him in person. Maybe because there are some very short people in my family...and where I live, he doesn't look like a midget and he isn't. :shrug:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. I'll go farther than that--he's an incredible speaker

and he handles questioners, sometimes very off-the-wall ones, very well.

[KoKo]

21. yes...thanks. He did handle questions very thoughtfully...not like typical

politician who couches every statement. He was here in NC and had a huge crowd and got tremendous applause.

[demnan]

16. I don't feel that way about Dennis

I've seen him plenty on C-Span and I always admire his speeches. If he were my Congressman, I'd be proud.

[underpants]

20. Eh he is great to have out there so that people hear another voice

and hear a truly liberal voice. The problem is that he is disrespectfully treated as a joke which may work well to frame the frontrunners as being more moderate but I think it is just horrible how he is treated. This is a guy a politician doing it for all the reasons we want a politician to do it. He clearly isn't in it for the money and he clearly isn't in it for the ego. Everyone should appreciate that you may not agree with his point of view to some degree but don't doubt that he is being honest and heartfelt with you. That shows.

[Armstead]

23. He was way too shrill in 2004

I reluctantly tend to agree with you, in terms of his demeanor.

I agree with him on almost everything, and I admire the guy's honesty and courage immensely.

However, someone needs to tell him to lighten up and tone down his speaking style.

I don't mean that he should soften his message. But it's not necessary to yell to make a point, and a little bit of humor wouldn't hurt.

[kentuck]

24. Good advice Armstead...

Since Dennis is one of the best Democrats out there.

[hijinx87]

26. for some reason, this thread made me think of abraham lincoln's voice/appearance

which was observed (especially in the lincoln douglas debates) to be
shrill and high pitched, and it's presenter to be ungainly.

"Lincoln's voice was, when he first began speaking, shrill, squeaking, piping, unpleasant; his general look, his form, his pose, the color of his flesh, wrinkled and dry, his sensitiveness, and his momentary diffidence, everything seemed to be against him, but he soon recovered."
--William H. Herndon letter, July 19, 1887

"But whenever he began to talk his eyes flashed and every facial movement helped express his idea and feeling. Then involuntarily vanished all thought or consciousness of his uncouth appearance, or awkward manner, or even his high keyed, unpleasant voice."
--Abram Bergen in Intimate Memories of Lincoln

"The inaugural address was received in most profound silence. Every word was clear and audible as the ringing and somewhat shrill tones of Lincoln's voice sounded over the vast concourse."
--Noah Brooks in Washington in Lincoln's Time

http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/speaker.htm

I guess my point is that is we had let "physically unattractive" or "annoying
voice" stop us from electing brilliant men to public office in the past, we would
have missed out on one of the greatest presidents the country has ever known.

(even if he did win only because the vote split four ways)

[LittleClarkie]

27. Why am I such a misfit. I am not just a nit wit

You can't fire me, I quit. Why don't I fit in...

No, it's not just you. Two things come to mind when I think of Dennis: the fact that most folks couldn't even remember his name when they tried to list all our candidates last election time (Braun suffered the same fate) and that I heard more than one person refer to him as either a garden gnome or a Christmas elf.

I remember bristling at the Republican who said that last bit to me. I told him "Don't go there, fella. Your guy looks like Alfred E. Newmann."