Kucinich could ride single payer Universal health right into the White House

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

The media and the rest of the candidates are hopelessly behind the curve on this one. This is a pocketbook issue for almost every American. They have personally SEEN and LIVED their contributions going up and their coverages going down. Remember that SICKO was about people who HAD insurance, not the uncovered.

Every single American is one illness or accident away from financial catastrophe.

[kdmorris]

1. I wish!

However, I don't think it will happen. Most people have never heard of Kucinich, and they have no idea what his platform is.

And those that have heard of him declare him to be unelectable. Go figure.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. Who, specifically declares him "unelectable" and what reasons do they cite?

[kdmorris]

9. LOL you obviously don't hang out in General Discussion:

Extra Crunchy! Enjoy:

This one seems to equate Kucinich with the dogcatcher and thinks Dennis should be governor or Senator before daring to run for President (one of the responses): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=3527177

Responses to this one seem to indicate that there's no particular reason, he's just not a contender:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1842528

Now, it's true that most of these people are supporters of the other candidates and the Primary Wars are never pretty. It just bothers me that supporting Kucinich can get you called a purist, out of touch with reality, etc. I'm not looking up links to all that unless you make me, but it's been put forth here that people who support Kucinich are just kind of nutballs.

[TreasonousBastard]

20. Pretty much everybody who didn't vote for him...

in the last go-round.

Lest we forget, we went through this before with him-- everyone can look under any rocks they can find for excuses, but the bottom line is he just can't attract major national support.

[rodeodance]

3. if i were a single issure voter---this would be my issue.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

4. But he's on the right side of the other BIG issue - Iraq

And he doesn't have to tap dance about how he was misled. He was brave and in the minority when he voted against the authorization. Plus, he is really growing on me. He is just denied the focus and attention that he deserves because the MSM has decided this is a 3 horse race whether we like it or not.

It would be amusing to have people vote their conscious and then watch all the know-nothing blow hard "pundits" explain how they were so clueless and uniformed about the pulse of the populace.

[The Vinyl Ripper]

11. And right about another big issue too..

The drug war..

Kucinich wants to end it.

[toadzilla]

25. hes on the right side of just about every big issue.

[Le Taz Hot]

7. Well, I am a single issue voter.

Here are my single issues:

- Single-payer health coverage via expanding the Medicare system as opposed to FORCING all of us to buy into some insurance company's plan.
- Against the Iraqi war and removal of troops NOW.
- Against Patriot Acts I & II.
- recognition that gay marriage is a civil rights issue.

The point being is that those of us who support Kucinich support him for a myriad of reasons so casting us as "singe-issue voters" is somewhat disingenuous.

On edit: First sentence made no sense.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

8. What's not to love?

I admit that I was buying into and being manipulated into believing that this race is either Hillary, Obama or Edwards and that I would be "wasting" my vote if I went for Kucinich and probably not get my second favorite, Edwards, and would end up with my least favorite - everyone else. I wish we had automatic run-off voting, but we don't.

So, you know what? Screw it. Being strategic has gotten me nowhere so far.

Also, our DINOs like Pelosi and Reid need to know that a convergence of events: the economy, wage stagnation, health care, the war, are causing many Middle Americans to veer more strongly to the left than their representatives.

[Freddie Stubbs]

18. Gun owners will never support him

[DemBones DemBones]

22. I'm a gun owner and I support him because

he's right on most issues and the chances of his repealing the 2nd Amendment are very. very slim.

I think he is completely wrong on this issue but he is used to cities where guns cause problems, and where cops can respond if you need help. Where we live cops have told us we should have guns because they could never get here in time to stop an armed home invasion.

Besides, we like target shooting with handguns.

[Freddie Stubbs]

26. Banning civilian ownership of hanguns won't fly with most Americans

[toadzilla]

27. it wont happen. n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

28. Of course not. Just like Kucinich getting elected

[Selatius]

5. The irony is that you need media air time in order to get voters aware of you.

Without that, your campaign is doomed to failure regardless of how good your ideas are. Unfortunately, the news media would rather cover OJ Simpson or some other story of no national significance than cover the candidates or something else of significance like education, health care, poverty in America, or the war.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

6. Although, perhaps we are at a tipping point where that is not necessarily true

Newspaper readership is down and many many Americans do NOT use TV as their primary news source - they get it just like we do here, from numerous sites.

Sometimes, on Sunday mornings when I watch Meet Mr. Potato Head or am forced to endure the self-serving rantings of George Will, I just shake my head at what relics they are and how so many of their viewers are better informed than they are.

I am starting to think that Chris Mathews has undergone some personal self- re-evaluation over this issue, as he suddenly seems to be more probing and astute in some of his questioning than previously.

Also, witness the rise of Kieth Olberman and what I predict will be the eventual demise of Hannity and Rush.

Hannity and Rush just sound so lame and out of it lately.

[Selatius]

12. I'm generally not as sure on trends as you are.

It's all true that readership and viewership is down, but at the same time, laggards as far as information technology happen to be senior citizens, the ones who happen to vote most often and still read newspapers and watch corporate news. Most Americans, as far as I've seen, are still detached from the world around them. They are still more or less self-absorbed with the problems of their lives to pay attention to issues of national importance. People know more about OJ and Paris' problems than they do about serious economic issues that affect us all. Call me a cynic, but I think only part of the population has awoken.

The rest of the population is either ideologically blind, such as those who still support Bush and watch Hannity et al., and the others simply don't know and don't care what's happening.

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. Kucinich was on MSNBC this morning

[Selatius]

16. Nice to hear, but I'm still smarting over the fact he got the least air time during the debates

It was either he or Gravel at the bottom of the list as far as minutes went.

[BadgerLaw2010]

10. Hahaha...no.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. No, he couldn't.

Because regardless of what programs he advocates, he still has no appeal as a Presidential candidate.

[The Vinyl Ripper]

14. And you know this how?

He appeals to me and a lot of others I know..

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

19. Because he just isn't the type.

His character and demeanor are fine for a legislator, but not suited to the executive. I wish I didn't keep having to point this out to people who are very earnest in their support of him, but let's face it, if nothing else the dude simply doesn't look right to most people, and image is a big part of it. The dude has no chance.

[The Vinyl Ripper]

21. And of course..

Rudy Giuliani "looks right" as president.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

24. Yes,

but he doesn't dress like that every day, does he?

[kdmorris]

17. And why do you suppose that is?

You figure the media gives him plenty of airtime and support, so he should be just as well known as "the others"?

Or are you saying he doesn't appeal to YOU as a candidate? If so, why doesn't he appeal? What issue do you have with him that you don't have with your favorite candidate?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

23. I'm saying he doesn't appeal to the general public as a candidate.

The media could give him all of the airtime in the world and he'd still be who he is, which is someone who doesn't appeal to most Americans as a presidential candidate (reasons I discussed upthread a bit, and which are fairly well-known.) I don't have any issue with him, except for his demands that he be treated as a serious candidate when he clearly isn't.

As for having a favorite, I don't have one. Let's just say I'm pretty underwhelmed by all of the choices this time around, in one way or another. But some of them clearly have a chance of winning, whereas Kucinich doesn't.

[book_worm]

29. He spoke about the same thing last time and didn't ride it into the WH

and health care has been a top issue for years.