Kucinich shreds Democrats for betraying the promise of change

[AllHereTruth]

http://rawstory.com/2010/01/exclusive-kucinich-shreds-democrats/

In an explosive interview, progressive champion Dennis Kucinich eviscerates Obama and Democrats for failing the American people on their promises of change.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) on Wednesday said the Massachusetts election was a "wake up call" for Democrats and that his party had better change course or it could suffer devastating losses come November.

"People elected Democrats in 2008 to change the country's direction," he told Raw Story in a nearly hour-long interview.

"And the same entrenched interests that George Bush could not shake, this current White House is having great difficulty in shaking. One could suggest they might be more entrenched than ever."

Kucinich staunchly defended liberalism but alleged that Democrats are not behaving like liberals.

"There's nothing liberal about the bailouts. There's nothing liberal about standing by and watching banks use public money to get their executive bonuses. There's nothing liberal about giving insurance companies carte blanche to charge anything they want for health care... Since when did that become liberal?"

"There's nothing liberal about letting coal and oil write climate change legislation," he added. "Are you kidding me?"

The 13-year congressman lamented the lack of change in economic policies, tying it to the major problems Democrats are facing.

"The minute the president appointed Tim Geithner and Larry Summers to key policy positions, and the minute that Bernanke was named to head the Fed again, we're looking at people who participated in the decline of the economy," he said. "This group has done us a disservice."

"Every area of the economy is still about taking wealth from the great mass of people and putting it into the hands of a few. If you don't have a economic democracy, you don't have a political democracy."

"We have to be more defined as being on the side of the people and not on the side of interest groups that are so entrenched," said Kucinich, who is widely regarded as a champion on progressive issues.

...

http://rawstory.com/2010/01/exclusive-kucinich-shreds-democrats/

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. Congress needs to change especially the Senate

the Supreme court is not going to change
Obama's hands are tied - perhaps he needs a cabinet reshuffle?

[DCBob]

2. Bush never tried to shake "entrenched interests".. in fact he created and embraced them..

Why all this Bush-loving from the progressives lately? Dean said a few days ago Obama needed to be more like Bush. WTF?? Furthermore, not all Democrats are flaming liberals. The vote in 08 was not for a hard shift left... in fact it was more for ending divisive politics. Obama has not delivered on that yet, but he still has 3 years. I think he can do it.

[AllHereTruth]

3. FTA: Special interests 'more entrenched than ever'

Kucinich lamented Democrats' growing camaraderie with big moneyed interests, claiming it's hurting the party.

"You ask the banks to reform banking?" he said. "Put the insurance companies to reform insurance. Call in nuclear to reform energy policies? Are you kidding me?"

"These problems, lest we forget, did not start with Barack Obama," Kucinich said. "It was George Bush drove the economy over the cliff with a trillion dollar tax cut and a war based on lies, and an expanding trade deficit."

"And we can't do that by playing patty-cake with Wall Street, by caving into the demands of big banks, by playing footsie with insurance companies and by jumping in bed with the pharmaceutical industry.

"Americans are really skittish about the economy, and they have every right to be," he said. "This isn't a left-right argument; this isn't a liberal-conservative argument. This is about down or up."

"We have a really deep recession, and the only way to bring it back up is to have a massive jobs program," he said. "I don't see any evidence" that Obama's economic team is standing behind that.

"We have to listen to what the message is from Massachusetts. We better listen carefully."

In my opinion this is the point of the entire article/interview.

[DCBob]

4. My point is Bush never tried to shake "entrenced interests"..

At least Pres Obama is trying. Kucinich gives him no credit for that at all.

[old mark]

6. Obama is certainly not trying very hard - He is a Republican lite. nt

[Lorien]

21. Outside of rhetoric, how is he "trying"?

This really does seem like a case of "do or do not, try is not enough." Wasn't he supposed to shut his door on the special interests instead of allowing them to write policy? Why did he START HCR with a compromise to special interests? It looks like the lobbyists are just as in control as they ever were.

[verges]

8. It takes two to end divisive politics.

Obama has shown good faith. But the Repubs will not co-operate. They still play: "Do it my way or else..." theu do not understand the concept of compromise. This cannot be resolved. In fact, I feel that partisanship is even worse now! I think it's highly unlikely that divisive politics will end this term.

[Raster]

10. It was the "entrenched Interests" that help put cheney*/bush* in the White House

[Lorien]

20. Where is there any Bush loving? The whole point is that Obama's policies have

not been change enough from those of Bush. What Dean meant; Obama needs to get tough and stop the bipartisan BS to get legislation that HELPS THE PEOPLE get done. No more spineless excuses. He wasn't voted into office to play footie with the GOP. Bush ram rodded crap through that brought us to this point, Obama will need to ram rod counter measures through to save us from the mess BushCo made.

[AndyA]

5. Geithner, Summers, and Bernanke are the beginning of Obama's mistakes.

Those three men should have had NO PART of the Obama Administration. Obama is a smart man, but this was a dumb decision on his part. A bad decision that he should have known better than to make. But he kept them inside the inner circle. Why?

How did he plan on bringing about change we can believe in when he keeps the same people in place that contributed to the big problems? It's the same as keeping Dick Cheney as Vice President, only on a slightly lower level!

I think Obama exposed his true colors from the very beginning.

And now the change being forced upon America is the most destructive we've ever seen. It's going to kill our democracy if it isn't addressed immediately.

Obama needs to seriously get his shit together (for a change). There is no chess game being played here, it's the American people who are being played, and Obama's doing it.

[midnight]

7. Thanks Dennis...

[greenspaceguy]

9. Plan to pay for public option w/o new taxes shared w/ Cong Kucinich

The government already has the money to pay for universal health and at the same time reduce the carbon footprint of office buildings by 50%.
The Federal government pays for almost one billion square feet of office space. Most office space sits unused 70% of the time because most white collar work is scheduled for only one shift per day or only 45 hours out of a 168 hour week. 30% efficiency is completely unacceptable in today's economy. We could schedule 2 shifts of white collar workers, thus increasing our efficiency by 100% and reducing our carbon footprint by 50%. We could cut the cost of overhead for each employee by 40 to 50%, half as much infrastructure, half as much office space, half as many computers and supplies. With the overhead for each of our 2 million Federal workers approaching $30,000 per year, the potential savings could be $30 billion per year, enough to pay for health care reform.
If extended to private industry, this simple plan will:

•Save federal gov a trillion dollars in next 10 years
•Exactly amount needed for universal health care
•Reduce white-collar overhead costs by 50%
•Reduce carbon footprint of office space by 50%
•Reduce budget deficits for most state governments
•Reduce our dependence on foreign oil
•Make workers competitive in the global economy
•Improve profits for all businesses and
•Increase tax receipts for state/fed governments
•Businesses can hire more employees & lower prices
For details and comments see:
http://whitecollargreenspace.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/greenspaceguy

[showpan]

11. Dennis is right

And Obama is a Bushco lite that has only advocated neocon policies since he's taken office. More wealth has been transfered to the extremely wealthy and Obama has done nothing but help. The denial factor here sounds as bad as those who still support the failed Bushco policies. I thought it was sickening how Clinton and the dems sold us out with NAFTA but now Obama has really outdone them.

[jonathan_seer]

12. Dennis deserves the Attn. Bernie is getting for speaking the truth

His credentials in terms of "ACTION" are impeccable.

This strange habit of progressive/liberals to fly haphazardly to the latest personality that captures their Attn. and overlook someone like Dennis is a fatal flaw.

[bertman]

13. Dennis is a patriot who speaks truth to power. Too late to rec. Kick. nt

[winyanstaz]

14. Kucinich is one of my heros.......

Once again and yet again...he steps up to the plate.
He and his wife look very happy together. She is a striking beauty and has such a bright aura. She is a good and loving and caring soul.

[Jefferson23]

15. I love this guy, a man for the people.

[MissDeeds]

16. DK speaks the truth, as usual

Kick

[Dr.Phool]

17. Kick & Rec!

Dennis is the man!

[LoZoccolo]

18. Of course, Kucinich has been able to promise all manner of things during his presidential campaigns.

He uses these promises to trash the other Democrats, knowing full well that there is almost no chance that he'll have to deliver on any of them.

[Lorien]

19. "Every area of the economy is still about taking wealth from the great mass of people and putting it

into the hands of a few. If you don't have a economic democracy, you don't have a political democracy."

Excellent quote. It sums up this Country's biggest problem perfectly.

[SoapBox]

22. Go Dennis Go!

...oh for more like you Dennis.

You are an All-American.