huffingtonpost: Weighing the Field

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-abrams/weighing-the-field_b_58122.html

Dennis Kucinich is a lightweight -- at most, maybe not even a featherweight. This does not necessarily reflect his worth as a human being. The best fighter of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson started out as a lightweight and arguably the second best fighter of all time, Benny Leonard, was undefeated as a lightweight before moving up in weight class after a seven year lay off.

But Dennis ain't them. After watching Kucinich in the Howard University Democratic debate last month, my teenage son and I both concurred that if Kucinich would take some steroids, hit the weights and build himself up to at least a welterweight, he might have a chance.

"You'd fear Kucinich then,"my son said. "He'd be a beast."

This is not superfluous. Fear is a tool Kucinich would need to run the Huey Long type, dignity of the common man campaign he clearly envisions. Rather than talking, absurdly, about "texting Peace," Kucinich would need to talk about empowering unions and rebuilding a mixed economy that doesn't only work for big corporations. He would need to make himself a lightening rod for attacks from the corporate and right wing media, to become a credible attack dog for the working class and draw the class lines in America so indelibly that the rich and the powerful would hate him, and yes, fear him. For the present, the rich and powerful don't fear Dennis so much as sneer at him.

Ironically, the one female candidate and current front runner in the Democratic field, Hillary Clinton, does not have this problem. We fear Hillary.

The great fight trainer, Angelo Dundee, famously said that "anyone over two hundred pounds can hurt you, even a dame," but of course, it's not Hillary's size that scares us, though that eight hundred pound gorilla on her back does have to be reckoned with. What scares us about Hillary is that cold blooded look in her eye. As the Scottish singer/songwriter Angus McKie once bitterly said of his girlfriend, "butter wouldn't melt on her lips."

FULL story at link.

[Faygo Kid]

1. Interesting, provocative. Al Gore is still out there, and I can't commit to anyone else yet.

I am impressed with this field, and can work for the nominee with great enthusiasm, but my heart still belongs to Al. For now, I will hang loose and watch it unfold, and spend my energies trying to stop Bush from doing any more harm. That's a plenty big job for now.

[Gregorian]

2. I have to wonder how George Washington would have done in the debates.

Or Lincoln. Or FDR.

Debates are debates. Yes, one needs to be able to be able to put up a fight when confronted in the Oval office, or at the press conference. But I don't think it has anything to do with what kind of a president one would make. I watch the debates to see personality and position on the topics. But there is one person who stands above all of the rest on important issues. That is Kucinich. Presidents surround themselves with advisors for a reason.

[illinoisprogressive]

3. It does hit on the head the problem Edwards is having in connecting to voters

he is trying too hard. I am not saying this in a mean way. I cannot figure out what the problem is with his campaign and why it is not doing better. when I read that I thought Bingo!

[zalinda]

5. I don't think he has a problem with the voters

he has a problem with the media. The media has Clinton or Obama in the news ALL THE TIME. There doesn't seem to be any room for any other candidate. Their reasoning has to be that America is not ready for a woman or a black president, so let's promote them, so repubs will win.

zalinda

[unkachuck]

4. a field....

....of corporate candidates and two progressives that couldn't get 5% of the popular vote between them....

....I see absolutely nothing to get excited about....

[ProudDad]

6. Those aren't "debates"

It is true that Kucinich is at a disadvantage in the bullshit Olympics the MSM are putting over on the American People, at least the tiny percentage of the American People who watch these staged sound bite opportunities...

If you match program for program, especially since ObamaClinton don't have programs -- just platitudes -- Dennis wins hands down...