Deranged demagogue Dennis Kucinich.
Item:
- A federal judge yesterday threw out a lawsuit that sought to bar President Bush from launching an attack against Iraq without a congressional declaration of war.
.... U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro ruled the case could not go forward without "clear, resolute conflict" between the executive and legislative branches. U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland, one of the plaintiffs, said he was disappointed in the decision and plans to appeal. [Cleveland.com]
Item:
- He thinks he is running for president. And he made his intentions official Wednesday, filing a "statement of candidacy," 24 years after a tumultuous two-year term as mayor of Cleveland left his political career in ruins.
In Iowa, he captivated some Democrats and bemused others with his passionate stand against war with Iraq and his populist social agenda reminiscent of the Great Society.
....Kucinich preached "new deal economics": government-sponsored public works programs to create jobs, a single-payer national health insurance plan, and protection of Social Security from Wall Street overtures. His first act as president, he said, would be to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement and quit the World Trade Organization.
....To an audience member who asked whether he was leery of resorting to class warfare, Kucinich replied jauntily: "If this is class warfare, then, folks, we lost it."
....He told questioners his thinking had evolved on abortion where, he said, his six-year record in the U.S. House generally "can be described as pro-life." He said he would still work to make abortions less likely, but as president would support a woman's constitutional "right to choose." [Cleveland.com]
But much worse than any given misbegotten policy, is his willingness, indeed eagerness, to pander to his perceived constituency. For someone this liberal to have been pro-life until about five minutes ago, his policy most likely derived from his Catholic faith - a fundamental touchstone one might think. But no, since most old school liberals are staunchly pro-choice, he just tossed that inconvenient little notion out unceremoniously and said his thinking has "evolved."
But if forsaking one's religion for the sake of expediency isn't bad enough, his dissembling, incoherent stance against war with Iraq is the icing on the crapcake, as noted by Richard Cohen in the Washington Post:
- it was particularly shocking, not to mention refreshing, to hear Richard Perle on Sunday call Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) a liar to his face.
Article comments
1 - Katie and chris
Hey father that article was wonderful. we are sitting in social studies completely bored.The govenor from ohio is a deusch. Mr. Snider is a deasch also. We are hoping this will pass the time. Abused & Neglected Snowman Society Incorporated. What is happening both Glenn's
2 - Eric Olsen
Well thanks, I believe douche is spelled "douche" - hope you feel better Chris!
3 - George Hunter
Richard Perle is a proven liar. Who is the idiot who wrote this commentary?
4 - michael
Note that Pearle simply refuses to reply to Kucinich's oil criticism. Even Bush, himself, has often mentioned that the natural resources of the region are an "American interest." Oil is an important part of the Administration's desire for war, but there are also other crucial factors. Pearle is a liar for not acknowledging this fact and he cannot be trusted.
5 - CLEVELAND (OHIO)
The Worst Mayors (1820-1993)
Next, and seventh, is Cleveland's Dennis Kucinich (1977-79). Only thirty-one years old when elected, Cleveland's "boy" mayor had failings that were not the sins of venality or graft for personal gain, but rather matters of style, temperament, and bad judgment in office. Kucinich earned seventh place the hard way: by his abrasive, intemperate, and confrontational populist political style, which led to a disorderly and chaotic administration. He barely survived a recall vote just ten months into office, then disappeared for five weeks, reportedly recuperating from an ulcer. When he got back into the political fray, his demagogic rhetoric and slash-and-burn political style got him into serious trouble when he stubbornly refused to compromise and led Cleveland into financial default in late 1978"the first major city to default since the Great Depression. That led also to Kucinich's defeat and exit from executive office. Out of office, he dabbled in a Hollywoodesque spirit world and once believed he had met actress Shirley MacLaine in a previous life, seemingly confirming his critics' charges that he was a "nut-cake." After that, he experienced downward mobility, losing races for several other offices and finally ending up with a council seat; but more recently, he climbed back up to a seat in Congress. Bad judgment, demagoguery, and default also spelled political failure in the eyes of twenty-five of our experts, who ranked Dennis, whom the press called "the Menace," as seventh-worst.
The American Mayor
The Best & The Worst Big-City Leaders
By Melvin G. Holli
The Pennsylvania State University Press
6 - cLEVELAND (OHIO)
Excuse me, but Dennis Kucinich as a presidential hopeful? How outrageous a notion. This is the man, the mayor, who brought Cleveland to its knees financially. Under his "leadership," the city went into default. We were broke by the time George Voinovich took over.
Voinovich brought the city back by working with corporate CEOs and visionaries in a consortium that helped bring renewed vibrancy to the city in terms of companies investing in real-estate development and manufacturing, revitalizing downtown after years of decline under Kucinich.
I can't believe Kucinich's constituents have been so gullible as to elect him for four terms as a congressman. What has he done for them - in Congress or as mayor?
Think back. The city had no money. Standard & Poors downgraded Cleveland's bond rating during Kucinich's outgoing year.
This man is to be considered to lead our great country? Get a grip, all you blue-collar workers and voters who cling to the hope that Kucinich is the answer. Forget it. He doesn't know how to lead or to bolster an economy.
Laura Carrabine
Cleveland, Ohio