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Democratic Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich has the support of a network of peace activists and New Age gurus attracted to his message of spirituality and peace. (Photo by Roadell Hickman) |
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Posted on 02/28/2007 7:12:17 AM PST by Incorrigible
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Democratic Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich has the support of a network of peace activists and New Age gurus attracted to his message of spirituality and peace. (Photo by Roadell Hickman) |
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WASHINGTON — Dennis Kucinich registers at a meager 2 percent in early Democratic presidential polls, but the anti-war congressman from Cleveland hopes to change that in a hurry.
His secret weapon?
While Howard Dean had "Dean-iacs'' who fueled the surprise surge of his 2004 presidential campaign, Kucinich claims a cadre of 100,000 volunteers around the country who are eager to open their wallets and spread his message. Call them Kucinistas, if you will.
Lots of them are anti-war activists. There's a large contingent of former Ralph Nader-ites. Many say they don't particularly care if Kucinich wins: They're out to make a point.
"It's kind of quixotic, but I'm happy to be on board,'' says Richmond, Va., actor Scott Wichmann, who believes Kucinich's early, steadfast opposition to the Iraq war will win him votes. "If people say he's tilting at windmills, that's fine: I'll ride Sancho Panza next to him.''
Kucinich's campaign has its highest number of supporters in California, the fund-raising hub of his 2004 effort, says Evan Moody, a former intern in Kucinich's congressional office who is orchestrating his nationwide volunteer effort.
More than an eighth of the $8.2 million that Kucinich raised from individuals in 2004 came from California, according to PoliticalMoneyLine.
Kucinich's highest per-capita volunteer numbers are in liberal Hawaii, the early primary state of New Hampshire, and nearby Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut, Moody says.
Since Kucinich announced his 2008 run in December, 20,000 people have signed up as volunteers on the Internet or at events Kucinich attended, Moody says. The 80,000 other names on his list carried over from Kucinich's prior congressional and presidential runs. Moody says he already had weeded out names from the earlier lists that were not deemed ``potentially useful.''
"An increase in the number of peace activists around the country has really helped the campaign,'' adds Marcos Rubinstein, who handles field operations for Kucinich in Dubuque, Iowa. "Now, people are coming out of the woodwork and saying, 'I support your guy.'"
Baldwin-Wallace College political scientist Charles Burke, who traveled the country in 2004 to watch presidential candidates campaign, doesn't think Kucinich's anti-war base will be enough to win him the Democratic nomination, even though anger over the war helped Democrats gain control of Congress in the 2006 elections.
Burke, whose school is in Kucinich's congressional district, also says Kucinich's presidential ambitions have hurt his standing with constituents.
"If it were not that his staff is very efficient and effective in constituent service, he would be in big trouble in his district,'' Burke says.
Kucinich placed behind John Kerry and John Edwards in Ohio's 2004 presidential primary, and a January poll of Ohio voters conducted by Quinnipiac University showed Kucinich with just 2 percent support in the state, well behind Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Edwards, Kerry and Al Gore.
Burke said even Kucinich doubts he can become president. Burke hypothesized that the congressman is running to keep his name before the public in case he decides to run for another office, like U.S. Senate, and to have his views represented in the debates.
But Kucinich volunteer Mike Hersh of Wheaton, Md., says Kucinich could vault into the top tier of Democratic candidates if he registers among the top three or four candidates in an early primary. He says that could happen if voters learn of Kucinich's steadfast opposition to the Iraq war and his stances on issues that affect the middle class, such as health care and trade.
"He has the advantage of being able to say: 'I didn't change my position. I voted right the first time,' "says Hersh, a full-time activist and Web designer.
Kucinich recently has traveled the country to promote his presidential bid and spread his message on such matters as the need for universal health care and a Cabinet-level Department of Peace. He made recruiting trips to many college campuses.
Jason Gagnon, an engineering graduate student from Dover, N.H., was impressed enough after watching Kucinich speak at the University of New Hampshire on Monday that he signed up as a volunteer. He also saw Obama, the senator from Illinois, speak at his school recently.
He described Obama's audience as the "'I'm liberal because I hate Bush' crowd'' — while Kucinich's audience was "people who are going to be liberal no matter what.''
Roger Hankey, a home inspector who lives in Eden Prairie, Minn., says he backs Kucinich primarily because of his opposition to the war. Hankey is particularly impressed with Kucinich's plan to start a Department of Peace.
"It's not just a matter of ending the war in Iraq, which he's been so good on and so ahead of the curve,'' added Alice Slater of New York City, who heads a group that promotes nuclear disarmament and says she donated the first Social Security check she ever received to Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign.
"It's understanding that we can't be an empire anymore. It is not helping us. It's not making us secure.''
Slater, who watched Kucinich sing the labor standard "Sixteen Tons'' at a January Rainbow/PUSH meeting, says she's not put off by the fact that Kucinich "doesn't make a good physical impression.''
Last week, Kucinich twirled with his arms aloft at a Nevada candidates forum, declaring himself to be the candidate with no corporate strings attached.
Slater said: "My kids said to me, `Alice, how can you vote for someone that looks like an elf?' And I'm thinking, you know, this is the year of the Hobbit. What's the difference what they look like? ... Dennis is head and shoulders above people. He really gets what we have to do to move out of this terrible environment that we're in.''
(Sabrina Eaton is a staff writer in the Washington bureau of The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. She can be contacted at seaton(at)plaind.com.)
Not for commercial use. For education and discussion purposes only.
Not just an elf, an evil elf!
Kucinich sing the labor standard "Sixteen Tons'' at a January Rainbow/PUSH meeting
Is there a YouTube of this?
For some reason, I'm reminded of Duncanistas.
lol, "Kucinistas"
"sing the labor standard "Sixteen Tons'' at a January Rainbow/PUSH meeting"
As I recall, there is a line in that song about St. Peter. What kind of right-wing Christian wacko is this guy? The ACLU ought to squash him - protecting the separation of church and state and all.
Translation: "his message of 'Death to America'"
More like "Kuccis"
I would have thought by now, this twerp would have been relegated to a job emptying ashtrays on the Oprah Show. He even looks like a lib...I am reminded of a little elfin creature, like Gollum, when I look at this guy, and hear him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGmYhTYLbno
We can look and listen to Kucinich and see that he is a nut.
Can you just imagine how nutty his supporters are?
Well, just about all the Kucinichites I've seen, heard, read can't seem to make it through a sentence without at least inserting at least two gratuitous profanities. Their lack of understanding about how the real world functions is obvious.
A lot of them seem to still live in mommie's basement and draw an allowance, or at best, work a part-time minimum wage job
I can't see how these sorts of people will be of much use in raising much money or convincing normal people to vote for their guy.
Ha! Better than I thought but still funny!
His supporters?
I get an image of the Pagan Parade in San Fran-sicko...
"Slater said: "My kids said to me, `Alice, how can you vote for someone that looks like an elf?"
Her kids call her Alice, not Mom? A complete cuckoo. Make that Kuckoo.
I'm from the Cleveland area, and this guy's a creepy, commie idiot!
Many, many years ago I dated a girl who I recently discovered had been a "Kucinista" in his 2004 campaign. All I will say is that she was nuts when I dated her and nothing has changed! She hangs out with Cindy and her "Sheehanistas", today.
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