Who's More Crazy? Dennis Kucinich, For Taking On The Most Powerful Men In DC? Or His Fellow Dems...

[babylonsister]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/23115

Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2007-05-30 20:31. Impeachment

Un-Cheney Melody
Who's More Crazy? Dennis Kucinich, For Taking On The Most Powerful Men In Washington? Or His Fellow Democrats, For Not Supporting Him?
By Dan Harkins, Cleveland Free Times



In the press toward the 2006 congressional elections, Democratic contenders couldn't talk enough about impeachable offenses committed by the Bush administration in the holy pursuit of oil and influence. The lies. The wire-tapping. The torture. Impeachment hearings, goddamnit! Oversight!

But look at them now. These days, with the White House within reach (two out of three ain't bad!) and a majority of Americans shooting the collective finger at the Bush camp, those same Democrats have once again let honorary chairman of his own Department of Peace, Cleveland Congressman Dennis Kucinich, carry the heaviest load.

All of them still decry the deception and the perils of unnecessary war, and yet they're angling this week to approve another $96 billion in war funding for a war that's cost more than 3,400 American and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, not to mention the $429 billion in tax dollars that could have instituted universal health care. Bush just vetoed a war spending bill with a timeline for withdrawal. Now, he's set to concede to benchmarks instead, one of which is a provision to privatize Iraq's oil supply. Sigh.

"We're still trying," said new Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Avon late last week as the House was preparing to approve the new spending plan. "The president is the commander-in-chief. He digs in, and we've just gotta keep pushing him."

But not push him out.

And so there Kucinich was, still boyish despite his 60 years, standing on the stage at South Carolina State University, just two days after he'd introduced his impeachment resolution without a single co-sponsor, itching to present his case for why Public President Bush and Private President Cheney deserve the boot. When moderator Brian Williams got around to asking the eight Democratic hopefuls at this, their first of many presidential debates, who supported Kucinich's HR333, only Kucinich raised his hand. So he whipped out the tiny Constitution he keeps in his pocket and let loose with a call to arms.

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[AnOhioan]

1. K&R...Excellent article

It is a damn shame that the Democratic leadership seems afraid of their own shadow these days.

[Red Knight]

2. It's sad really

Most Democrats would sooner elect a Republican lite candidate over someone who really represents most of what they're truly feeling.

The reason?

Electability.

It is perceived that Kucinich doesn't have a prayer in the general election. Perhaps that's true and there's only one way to test that but irregardless, as we keep voting the lesser of two evils and continue to slide to the right under DLC leadership, the party becomes insignificant, obsolete.

We truly become a one party corporate system.

WE do that.

So if we want to continue down that path, at the very least, let's acknowledge what we're doing and be honest about it. Let's not pull the blankets over our eyes or deny what's happening. Let's admit that the party has abandoned a large part of its base and decide whether it's a party worth saving, or cutting loose and moving to a third party.

There is a lot of anger at the DLC but it's meaningless without action. Either the base begins to support progressive candidates in the primary or it votes for the pretend progressive candidates.

If that feels like victory, so be it. But I find that hollow.

The big money primary system is set up for guys like Kucinich to fail.

But the base can say something different.

Dean proved that a grassroots campaign can be powerful.

It feels as though we often remove ourselves from the voting process by accepting the flashy, pre-packaged candidates. Others decide who the choices are, and those are quickly thinned with early primaries. The press loves this as well and has a lot of power in selecting our candidates and telling us who to reject.

We eagerly oblige and cheer the rock star of the moment--the one we're told to endorse. Until we decide to take the reigns of this party, that won't change---and the corporations will continue to control things.

[slipslidingaway]

3. K&R n/t

[Le Taz Hot]

4. B-b-b-but . . . he's not electable!

Ref: See John Kerry.

So-called Democrats need to put their money, activism and votes where their mouths are.

[Stevepol]

6. Kerry was not only electable: he won by about 4%. DK will win too if he gets the nod.

If he won the primaries and got the nod for official Democratic candidate, the press would be forced to face up to his IDEAS and not just make up things about him. He's quite electable and his ideas are very serious, in fact, probably the most serious and practical of any of the candidates.

[Le Taz Hot]

7. Who's in the White House?

Besides, 4% against the Worst. President. Ever.

[leftofthedial]

5. DC is full-on insane

and the beltway insiders need to be purged