Do you think Kucinich would win the GE?

[redqueen]

Considering this:

- ONLY candidate with a sane plan to fix the healthcare crisis (sane = no taxpayer-funded profit for insurance racket)
- ONLY candidate willing to end the war on drugs
- ONLY candidate willing to call the war for oil what it is
- ONLY candidate willing to pull the US out of WTO/NAFTA


As for me, I don't think there's any way he'd lose to a mealy-mouthed repuke. He speaks in plain terms and many of his policy ideas are not only mainstream, they're focused on issues that people have given up hoping for any progress on (drug war, "free" trade).

If you think he could win in the general... then I urge you to vote for him in the primaries. Don't hedge your bets now.

Activists and wonks are pretty much the only people paying serious attention right now. Most people are watching the headlines being spoon-fed to them on teevee news, and answering polls accordingly. It's the activists who have the most power to decide who gets the votes in the primaries. Let the teevee watchers follow our lead. Let's not let them set the course from the outset.

Just my two cents. :)

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. I Admire Your Vocal Advocacy

eom

[redqueen]

30. Thanks.

:)

[MonkeyFunk]

2. No

I don't think he could carry a single state.

[emilyg]

29. No way. No.

[superkia]

52. If he was the democratic nominee, the media would have to give him a voice.

As frustrated as Americans are with our politicians and what has been done to our country by them, are you kidding?If people heard him spreading his messages about the governments attacks on our freedoms and how we are letting them attack our constitution because of fear they instill in us. The fact that he was against the war from the beginning and called them out on the fact that is was for oil while the other candidates supported the murders of innocent people for oil. His idea for health care without the drug corporations hand in the basket, if he was given that national stage to spread his word, he would destroy anyone they put against him and the people would have a representative instead of the corporations.

I don't care what the media says, I will be voting for him in the primaries as well as everyone I know. I keep the faith, wasnt their a politician that passed away before the election but people that wanted to vote for him, did anyways and he one? I'm sorry but I dont fall into the category of throwing my vote away one the candidate that supposed to win, I will vote for the candidate that stands for the people and for real change.

[cobalt1999]

54. Agreed.

Not a single state. It would be a disaster of epic proportions.

[Radical Activist]

3. Maybe if someone else took over his campaign.

If he completely gave up trying to run the campaign himself and handed over total control of the campaign to someone else. Then he might have a chance in the primary or general. That's really the biggest obstacle to him winning, more so than the media or how liberal he is.

[BridgeTheGap]

4. One gargantuan hurdle at a time, please

But he if he won the nomination, I would think he would have a good shot at it. Awfully big IF, though.

[Connie_Corleone]

5. No, he wouldn't win in a general election.

I'm not hedging my bets. I don't want Kucinich as president for several reasons. Just my opinion.

[againes654]

21. Do you care to list any of those reasons?

Just asking.

[iamjoy]

6. When Pigs Grow Wings And Fly

Sure he's got lots of great ideas. But he does not look Presidential, and that's a special detriment in his case.

It's great to talk about peace, everyone likes the idea, but they also want to know that their President will kick some serious butt if need be. DK does not give that impression.

[Joe Chi Minh]

26. Haven't you noticed? They already are.

[Baby Snooks]

53. OMG

Bush looked real presidential. Real manly man. Big old cowboy type. John Wayne goes to Washington. Even men who didn't really liked him liked the look. Women who didn't really like him liked the look as well. Madison Avenue couldn't have created a more perfect presidential look.

What you see is sometimes not what you get. Shame the American people want a "look" to their politicians instead of substance.

That is one of the reasons why this country is such a mess. We have all these handsome and pretty politicians running everything.

[Ilsa]

7. George Snuffaluffagus on ABC's This Week doesn't even

acknowledge that he's a candidate. Yesterday, GS said that Bill Richardson was the only major Democratic candidate that was advocating for the immediate remocal of troops from Iraq. If a candidate is in the debates, he's a major candidate, IMO.

ABC News also cropped him out of a picture of the last debate and GS also didn't ask him any questions until 45 minutes into the program.

[redqueen]

11. Watch the pundits ignore his healthcare plan,

while it touts the 'top tier' candidates' plans... the plans that don't threaten anyone's profits, of course.

[rucky]

37. funny, he sat down with him a couple weeks before.

then snubbed him at one of those debates two nights later.

He must've gotten some marching orders from the brass (or his old boss).

[Desertrose]

8. Honestly, if the people could "HEAR" what he is saying- not just the spin

I think he could.

If the media was fair and made it clear what DK's platform is, the things he wants to do...

If elections weren't just a rigged polarizing game to occupy the citizens while TPTB just do want they want anyway.....


If the people could understand what is really going on with the big $$$ corporations calling all the shots....

Yes, I honestly believe he could get the votes to win.

DR

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. No. He has show an inabliity to garner a significant amount of votes outside of the Cleveland area

[TreasonousBastard]

10. Not a chance. I agree with most of his positions, but...

positions aren't the point in a Presidential election.

He's an idealist, and idealists just don't cut it President of the US. Look at every President from FDR on-- isn't 90% of what they do and the decisions they make based on what CAN be done, not what SHOULD be done?

Dennis doesn't impress me as the kind of guy who can make those distinctions.

And no crap, please about how we should always do the right thing and all. This is a big, bad, world, and you get only one shot.

[redqueen]

12. So you think we CAN'T withdraw from WTO / NAFTA, or that we SHOULDN'T?

:shrug:

[TreasonousBastard]

15. Both, actually, but that's not really the point, and...

maybe I should have made it clear that I don't agree with absolutely everything he says.

[redqueen]

16. Okay

:hi:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. There Are 151 Members Of The WTO

What are the other 150 members going to do?

[redqueen]

24. Whatever they like.

That whole "sovereign" thing.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. A Small Correction

"Look at every President from George Washington on..."

[TreasonousBastard]

25. I hear ya, just that we weren't a world power back then. n/t

[DemocratSinceBirth]

34. I'll Bet Politics Is Played Like That In Every Liberal Democray

eom

[sniffa]

13. no, he Looks funny

see? Look at my avatar.

[Dawgs]

14. No, he would lose if Bush was running again.

[penguin7]

17. Kucinich would win

And the campaign would also inform the people.

[redqueen]

19. Not just inform... it would show people politics really isn't a rigged game

run by bought-and-paid for "lobbyists are people too" type politicians.

:hi:

[kenfrequed]

18. He is a great candidate

He has sadly has not recieved the blessing of the corporate media and therefore is considered a 'second tier candidate' before even a single primary or caucus has been held.

Clinton's only 'distinction' is name recognition and the slightest of nods from corporate America and the pundit-o-cracy on the airwaves. During a time where America is trending back towards progressivism and positive democratic values we are having a safe and uninspiring candidate puhsed on us.

Truely sad.

[penguin7]

22. Kucinich would also win any one on one debate with any candidate

running for president.

This is one very big reaason why he would win the GE.

[Tom Rinaldo]

27. With a rigerously nuetral and thorough mass media starting now, possibly

Had we had such a mass media climate over the last decade, yes. In the reality that confronts us today, with the media we currently have, no.

[redqueen]

28. No more war on drugs... no more "free trade"

I don't think the whore media would be able to water that down.

There's two choices -- more of the same... or radical departure.

IMO people having a choice with a BIG difference in direction would be impossible for the whores to talk over.

[onenote]

31. No.

[LittleClarkie]

32. If he can't get through the primary season and end up on top

he won't make it in the general.

If he wins the primaries, then we shall see. But he has to win them first.

It won't be handed to him.

[ChiciB1]

33. Good Message... Can't Win! It's The Way The Game Is Played!! n/t

[Stop Cornyn]

35. I am torn between Kucinich, Edwards, and Obama, but Dennis would not win the general election. But a

nominee will be chosen by the time I get to vote in March, and if Dennis is still in the race, I'll probably vote for him just to show that there is a vibrant constituency on the left wing of the party.

[zulchzulu]

36. There was a Kucinich table near my Obama table last Saturday

I went up and thanked him for being out there with me. I would suggest that if you support Kucinich, get out in the street and make your move.

[rucky]

38. If he were to get the nomination...

he'd have to win an early primary, which would give him more media attention and earn him more respect. Once the respect and air of legitimacy is there in the mainstream, people may actually open their ears to what he's saying. Once they do that, they'll like what they hear and he'll win. Plus, he's pretty resilient to the GOP smear machine and darn good in debates.

That's alot of "what if"s, but your premise was "can he win the general?" and the answer is - if he can win the nomination, he can clean up in the general.

[redqueen]

39. Thank you for your thoughtful post.

:hi:

[Kelly Rupert]

40. No. It would be a complete disaster.

He's utterly incapable of seeing any distinction between what would be nice and what would be possible (an affliction he shares with many of the more-vocal on DU/kos). He'd lose to anyone but the equally-bent Ron Paul.

Both candidates are popular among internet politicos, and met with "he wants to do what?" in real life.

[redqueen]

41. I canvassed for Kucinich in TEXAS.

I can tell you right now with 100% certainty that his ideas for ending the drug war and pulling out of NAFTA & the WTO are NOT met with "he wants to do what?"


Oh, and on edit: the ever-vaunted polling also shows the ideas I describe above are not 'out there' as so many would have us believe, but actually enjoy widespread support.

[Kelly Rupert]

43. The things you picked are interesting,

since they're also things supported by Ron Paul--they're isolationist/libertarian ideas, which certainly play well in Texas. On the other hand, his gun control record certainly won't help him there, nor will his abortion record, nor health care, gay marriage, taxes or immigration. He gets crushed in Texas by anyone.

[redqueen]

44. Amazing how some issues trump others in voters' minds.

Apparently for Texan republicans, Free Trade trumps A LOT. Probably due to the TTC / Mexican Trucker / Illegal worker issues - they see NAFTA as a big contributor to the increase in immigrants.

[Kelly Rupert]

45. Dennis's Texas cred on immigration will last maybe an afternoon.

He's got a 0% from FAIR. All they have to do is run a clip from the 2003 Dem primary debate with him saying "Yes, I'm for amnesty. Yes, I'm for legalization of status. Yes, I'm for broadening citizenship possibilities." once or twice, and he's lost any naturalist appeal he might have gained from his anti-free-trade stances.

[redqueen]

46. Think the republican candidates are saying anything different?

:shrug:

[Kelly Rupert]

47. Find me a Republican saying

"Yes, I'm for amnesty. Yes, I'm for legalization of status." Find me a Republican suggesting we should be opening our borders*. Republicans might think that the Bush plan was too lefty for them, but for God's sakes, that was only a tenth of what Dennis has said. Immigration would kill him in the South and West, and that's saying nothing of his anti-military, pro-choice, pro-tax, pro-gay, anti-gun stances either. The guy is moral and principled, yes. He's also electoral poison.

*"we need to extend our arms once again to the world community and bring those, the tempest-tossed, to the US.", Dem debates, 2003.

[redqueen]

48. Bush is for amnesty.

I thought this was common knowledge.

Amnesty for the republican voters is like free trade is for dem voters. There's no alternative, so you just get to sigh and vote for whoever you can.

[Kelly Rupert]

50. Bush is not for amnesty.

That's a line of attack developed by the far right aimed at his immigration reform plan, simply because it allows a (multi-year, expensive, extremely limited) path to citizenship. Think about how a candidate who is actually for amnesty is going to play. Consider also that Kucinich will not actually be running against Bush.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

57. I Like Immigrants

In fact we could trade with Mexico...One goober for every Mexican...

[ozone_man]

42. Yes, but it's the primary that's the problem.

The worse the economic conditions get in the U.S., the better the climate will be to get a real Democrat in office. I think it is headed that way.

If DK appears to have a chance in the the primary, I'll vote for him there. Otherwise it's Mike Gravel, who doesn't have much of a chance at all, but he represents my positions best. The rest are corporate Democrats.

[Milo_Bloom]

49. I wish, but no...

I remember in 2003, when the war was on between Dean people and Kucinich people, there were tons of links to speeches and articles written or given by Kucinich and there were some pretty strange things in some of those. (I don't remember exactly and I don't have the links nor would I want to re-create them); however, I do remember them.

Unfortunately, if Kucinich were the nominee, every single thing he EVER said would become part of the campaign and although I don't remember specifics, I do remember thinking some of the things were pretty odd.

[renie408]

51. I find the whole Kucinich situation very interesting.

I cannot understand why he doesn't have more popular support. I get why corporate sponsors aren't jumping on board, but it seems to me that would be the very reason that INDIVIDUALS would find him attractive. But he never seems to get that same kind of groundswell that Dean got. I can't decide if it is because he comes off as a very sweet person. Very kind. Does that translate as 'weak' in the back of people's minds? Or is the 'winner' factor? People want to back a winner and conventional wisdom says Kucinich can't win, so people don't support him. They don't want to feel like they are throwing away their money or their vote. But, if enough people DIDN'T think that way, he would win.

I do think it is very weird.

[Bluebear]

55. If only he could be heard beyond 20 second debate answers.

Kucinich vs Giuliani? A fascinating match-up. The debates alone would be worth the price of admission.

[2rth2pwr]

56. He can't even get invited to a "Steak Fry" in Iowa

much less win a primary.

[tammywammy]

58. No n/t

[bluedog]

59. nope............n/t