Posted on 05/15/2011 3:42:15 PM PDT by Second Amendment First
Not long ago, Rep. Dennis Kucinich was championing the anti-war movement on the presidential stage with the likes of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
But now, the die-hard liberal who launched his 30-year career on a high note as the “boy mayor of Cleveland” has become something of a political outlaw on the hunt for a new House district reportedly as far west as Washington state and as far north as Maine.
It’s a moment brought on by a set of circumstances ranging from dreary to bizarre.
The anti-war movement has almost disappeared. He’s bracing to be redistricted out of his beloved Cleveland district. The biggest platform he’s had recently is Comedy Central, where he performed a semi-professional ventriloquist act on an episode of “The Daily Show.” To add insult to injury, he is still widely lampooned for suing the House cafeteria over an olive pit that cracked his tooth and cost him dearly in medical bills.
Former aides and foes alike say he’s a character whose lifelong eccentricities make his current predicament not so unlikely.
“Dennis is not a conventional politician in any way,” said 2004 deputy national campaign manager Tim Carpenter, who currently heads Progressive Democrats of America. “When you use a traditional measuring stick, yes, he’s been outside the norm.”
While Kucinich, 64, has remained mum about his exact plans, there’s speculation he may try to recoup a House seat by following a population shift out West. Based on the last census, Washington is adding a district while Ohio is losing two. In an email to supporters, Kucinich said he’s been approached by supporters from “Washington to Maine.”
While calling stories about his potential move to Washington mere “speculation,” Kucinich didn’t deny that invitations have picked up since news of the redistricting broke.
Less than two weeks ago, he spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 800 in Washington. He said he’s received a steady stream of invitations from labor, environmental, political and other groups.
“The thing I won’t do is wake up the day after the Ohio map is revealed and suddenly be in shock and say, ‘Oh what do I do now.’ I don’t live that way. I don’t see myself as a victim. I reject that,” he said. “This is nothing to cry about.”
And if he doesn’t move to a new state, the redistricted map could very well pit him against a fellow Ohio Democrat — a race his friends say he’d be too noble to jump into.
“As someone who spent a lifetime challenging corrupt utilities and insurance companies, I’m not exactly the Republicans’ favorite Democrat,” he said, ruefully. “I’m aware of that reality, but I’m not complaining. There’s a specific effort to eliminate my presence in the U.S. Congress.”
The speculation already has a state newspaper referring to Kucinich as a “carpetbagger” and has state Republicans snarling.
“This, apparently, is his final meltdown,” said Washington State GOP Chairman Kirby Wilbur. “I would love to have him on the ballot out here. We welcome him with open arms. He is so far left, I could beat him with any Republican candidate.”
If Kucinich stays in Ohio, he would already have competition: Cuyahoga County Republican Chairman Rob Frost recently announced his campaign, suggesting the Comedy Central stint may have “subconsciously” had something to do with it. Kucinich won his seventh term with 53 percent of the vote in 2010.
“It’s possible, subconsciously, that that interview started the seed of the idea for me,” Frost said. “Sideshow Dennis. It’s hard to say what’s odd for him anymore. I don’t plan to attack him because I think he’s drawn his own criticisms.”
The reliable liberal irks Democrats, too, even in his home state.
“I hope at some point Dennis would pick up the phone and tell us something,” said Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chairman Stuart Garson, who expressed frustration over rumors that the congressman may leave the state. “I guess it’s the culture we’re in. Nobody trusts anyone to keep a secret anymore.”
Over the years, Kucinich has been associated with a number of peculiar stories, including when he said during a 2007 presidential debate that he had seen an unidentified flying object.
Most members of Congress have refused to give interviews about Kucinich’s more recent antics. Even members of his own delegation won’t discuss the potential redistricting matter.
“Congressman Jim Renacci is focused on his own district and doesn’t have a comment on the political decisions of other members of the delegation,” said Karin Davenport, spokeswoman for the Ohio Republican.
Kucinich is no stranger to unpopular moves. Earlier this year, he was a lone voice in the wind when he called the president’s decision to bomb Libya an “impeachable” offense.
“He’s a special kind of irritant to the GOP and sometimes his own party because he’s not afraid to tell the truth,” said David Kelly, a longtime friend and former gubernatorial running mate of Kucinich.
Even some of his closest friends on the left worry about the vote he cast in favor of Obama’s health care plan, especially after he spent years fighting for a single-payer system.
“He did take a hit when he voted for the health care bill. I think a lot of base was upset,” said Vin Gopal, Kucinich’s 2008 deputy campaign manager.
Kucinich said he weighed the risk.
“I went to the Capitol and sat in the rotunda thinking about the decision,” he said of the day before the health care vote. “I was determined that the only hope for fundamental reform was to look at this as just a first step, no matter how flawed it may be.”
In an interview with POLITICO, Kucinich denied that his current situation adds up to a bad year, even though the infamous olive pit incident was “a nightmare.”
“The difficult year was over a period of a couple years, dealing with endless visits to dentists to try to save a tooth,” Kucinich said. “Occasionally in life, I have [had] to take a stand for myself. I was acting not as a member of Congress but [as] a private citizen. I don’t give up my rights because I’m a member of Congress.”
As for the Comedy Central appearance with a puppet — Kucinich says his critics are simply political “stiffs.”
“To analyze that in terms of long-standing political impact is to miss the joke,” he said. “If people in public life don’t have a sense of humor, this is a pretty dark and dismal place.”
Hopefully, the road will hit back.
How ‘bout North Korea ? Kim’s about to buy the farm and they need another garden gnome Communist dictator. Dennis the Menace fits the bill.
Only as long as there's a Democrat in the Oval Office.
Get outa Cleveland Dennis! But leave your wife with me!
He doesn’t have far to fall...scrapes and bruises maybe..
Poor Gollum has to try to stay relevant so Galadriel doesn’t leave him.
When you reach the Pacific, keep on going.
Stay out of WA state, Dennis, we’ve enough liberal Kooks here already.
He’d like London...socialized medicine and nobody cares if your teeth are bad.
As an Ohioan, I say, “Dennis, please leave and don’t come back. You are an embarrassment!”
Does he need help packing or moving boxes?
Good riddance. Now if only the GOP’s equivalent kook Ron Paul would leave.
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i’m sure there’s some hippie district here in california that would love to have him.
Is this where we cue the ‘Twilight Zone’ or the ‘Outer Limits’ theme?
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