Ugly accusation against Kucinich in 1978 Cleveland Magazine article

[BurtWorm]

I just had this article pointed out to me in the "Why Is Kucinich Unelectable?" thread. It's the kind of political article that local media frequently do on local politicos, especially when they're losing their popularity, as Kucinich was when he was mayor of Cleveland during very difficult years in the late 1970s. The title says it all: "Kucinich on the Couch"--it's an article-length psychoanalysis of the mayor, featuring commentary by Cleveland psycholoanalysts who asked that their names not be published.

I always take articles like this with a grain of salt. But there was one section I had to read several times before I understood what was being asserted, because the behavior sounds so unlike the Kucinich running for president today. The author of the piece, Frank Kuznik, who, I think, now edits an alternative paper in Cleveland (at least he did in 2000), was discussing Kucinich's apparent fascination with comic books and their stark view of the world as an ongoing battle between good guys and bad guys. Then there's this exposition of how Kucinich campaigns put this comic book theory, if you will, into practice:



http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/editorial/thismonth_features.asp?docid=362



Every rung on the Kucinich ladder to success has been another bad guy, from old Ward 7 Councilman John Bilinski ("nigger lover," Kucinich supporters called him in that vicious 1969 council race) to the Illuminating Company (CEI). Dennis' need to be a hero means, of a course, that his opponents must be villains - which may explain why a he has used smear tactics in almost every campaign he has ever been involved in.

The literature portraying Councilmen Michael Climaco (Ward 5) and Mary Rose Oakar (Ward 8) as pawns of George Forbes circulated on the lower West Side in 1973; the leaflets passed out in all-white Parma accusing Congressman Ron Mottl of supporting a Martin Luther King national holiday when Kucinich ran against him in 1974 even the cheap "slum landlord" shot directed against mayoral candidate Edward Feighan last year through Kucinich protege Benny Bonnano -- those are just a few of the products turned out by the Kucinich propaganda machine over the years.

The psychiatrists say that the in ability to see beyond heroes and villains, beyond black and white, into the gray complexities of the real world is considered another mark of immaturity. That Kucinich has chosen to divide the world into two simple parts ("If you're not for me, then you're against me," he has told opponents and supporters alike during his career) is due, more than anything else, to the influence of one man dominating his life - Sherwood Weissman.


(Footnote: Weissman, the article goes on to say, was Kucinich's mentor in politicking, his campaign adviser, and his teacher, of sorts. He was a former communist "colonizer," the intellectual who works in the factories to recruit members, and a subsequent union organizer for the UAW. Kuznik suggests that Weissman taught Kucinich "toughness" and an ends-justifies-the-means ruthlessness.)

If this account is true, this is really, really disturbing. Has anyone heard this about Kucinich before?

[Abe Linkman]

1. Why bother with this kind of thing? DK isn't a factor.

He blew it right from the get-go when he chose to be the "anti-war" candidate, rather than the "more higher-paying jobs for Americans, and more of the things to make life better for more AMERICANS".

The public doesn't care about War and Peace.

So, why bother digging all this stuff up and taking up space here? The boy is history. And, he isn't gonna bounce back. Stop worrying about Dennis Kucinich.

[wtmusic]

3. 'Taking up space here'?

Come down off your high horse. Kucinich is seeking the Democratic nomination for President. This is Democratic Underground. Get it?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Uhh...

he IS the "more higher-paying jobs for Americans and more of the things that make life better for Americans" candidate.

Or so you would know if you had actually read his platform.

The corporate press sure isn't going to tell you.

[BurtWorm]

5. Why bother digging this up?

Because the accusation, against a leader of the left-wing of the party, regardless of how he does in the run for the presidency (which I've never thought would be very well), is extremely serious: that he used race as a wedge in his early campaigns, not once but twice. I'd like to know if this is true, because if it is, he needs to explain it and apologize for it. If true, this is not something you want in the background of a Democratic leader. Byrd has dealt with his membership in the Klan; whether or not his manner of dealing with it was truly satisfactory, it's on the table. If this is true about Kucinich, it also needs to be on the table.

[Abe Linkman]

9. You think his public record for the past 20-25 years is tainted?

Can you point to any statement, any legislation, any political action, any speech, any alliances made, any campaign funding received, or anything else about Dennis Kucinich that seems inconsistent with his reputation as an honorable politician of high intelligence and genuine concern for making life better for all of God's children?

[dsc]

11. He authord a resolution

by the Cleveland City Council opposing busing for the puposes of desegregation. Admittedly it was symbolic in that the Federal courts were dispositive but it certainly wasn't terribly friendly to some of God's children.

[maha]

52. Pretty much all of it, actually.

Go here and start reading. It's not pretty.

http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/editorial/thismonth_features.asp?docid=361

[RichM]

19. ?? You don't see the connection between opposing the war, and

making life better for more Americans?

Has it occurred to you that when hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on a war, that they're no longer available for Medicare, Soc. Security, infrastructure improvement, & housing & education & healthcare programs? Has it occurred to you that shifting the tax burden away from the rich, essentially makes EVERYONE ELSE pay for the war -- more or less in perpetuity?

Opposing needless wars goes hand-in-hand with "making life better for more Americans."

It's remarkable that this thought has never occurred to you.

[maha]

50. That has occurred to many of us.

Are you saying that Dennis Kucinich is the ONLY Democratic candidate who is opposed to the Iraq War?

[charlie]

53. Nope

No matter how I stretch, tilt, or rearrange Rich's post, I can't even find the implication that DK is the only one.

[maha]

57. I DO see the implication.

But I was asking Rich.

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RichM]

80. No, you DON'T see any such implication.

I wasn't even speaking to the question of "which candidates opposed the war."

I was simply responding to Mr. Linkman's suggestion that the 2 things he wrote about (opposing the war, & making life better for Americans) were unrelated.

[Ardee]

58. My goodness, are you certain

of your assessment of the wants and needs of the american people? You are ,indeed, mistaken about the Kucinich campaign planks so how correct might you be about other things?

[burythehatchet]

2. cool

maybe I'll support him

[BurtWorm]

6. Which is the "cool" part?

[no name no slogan]

7. I've heard this before

and yes, it did concern me, but I also have to say that Dennis has also changed quite a bit over the years, too. In 1978, he would have only been 32 years old, which is still pretty young if you think about it.

Back in 1978, Dennis Kucinich was possibly the most hated person in Cleveland; largely because he pissed off the very complacent "old boys club" that was city hall. He also opposed the sale of Muny Light, which all the big players in Cleveland supported, and which also caused the city to default on its credit. The local media was all over him, criticizing his every move, and not giving him any slack at all.

Dennis was so hated that he had to wear a bullet-proof vest when he threw out the first pitch of the season for the Cleveland Indians-- something no other mayor ever had to do before.

However, time has aged and mellowed him, IMHO. He is still very idealistic and willing to fight for what is right, but he's not nearly as divisive as he was twenty-odd years ago. Even his most bitter political opponents now say he's a very nice guy and easy to work with.

Yes it was concerning, and I still don't agree entirely with everything Dennis has voted for in the past (anti-flag-burning, anti-choice). However, I honestly believe he is the only candidate who is willing to speak up on the tough issues that none of the so-called "major" candidates are bothering to address, and the only one with electoral experience to truly make a difference. And that's why I support him.

[BurtWorm]

12. I hear you. I do believe people change and mature.

And as I wrote in my first post, I take articles like this with a grain of salt, knowing full well that even alternative media love to cast stones at "giants," especially when they're vulnerable. I imagine and hope that Kucinich has outgrown all this shit, that all this shit is part of his own irresponsible youth.

But let's say he were to suddenly turn on huge chunks of Dean, Kerry, Clark and Gephardt supporters, or to suddenly draw significant numbers of Kucinich Democrats into the party and become a real contender. This is a vulnerability. I can imagine that it reflects more of a youthful ruthlessness than real racism, and I suppose that would be a mitigating factor, for me anyway. But what a profoundly unfortunate way to be ruthless as a politician. Especially one of the left.

[maha]

49. It's a lot worse than that.

Cleveland magazine online has a series of articles written about Kucinich over the years available in an archive called "The Complete Kucinich." Kucinich didn't just piss off an "old-boys network." He and his groupies managed to piss off everybody in Cleveland. Read, for example, The Prince and the Power." The subtitle: "Few have escaped the wrath of the new mayor and his army of loyal, arrogant courtiers as they wage holy war from City Hall. But are palace skullduggery and management by media helping anyone but Dennis?"

His modus operandi was to present himself to the voters as a great reformer, someone who would sweep out all the corruption and waste. But when he couldn't deliver on his promises (mostly because he refused to work with people, including people he claimed to be helping), he and his groupies circled their wagons and waged a holy war on everybody in Cleveland they identified as an "enemy," which was everyone in Cleveland who was not slavishly devoted to Kucinich.

Apparently there was an attempt to recall him after only six months, which failed. But after his two-year term was up the voters of Cleveland couldn't wait to bounce him. It appears he was undone not by an "old boys' network" but by the arrogance and incompetence of his own staff. From "Kucinich's Final Days":

Any attempt to sift through the ruins of Kucinich's shattered mayoralty can uncover evidence of why they lost, of where they went wrong, of what they did - and did not - accomplish during the most turbulent 24-month period in memory. There are few clues, however, to explain why they acted as they did; why they systematically attempted to destroy the spirit of other human beings, why they favored ridicule, persecution and harassment over sympathy, compassion and conciliation.

In a sense their personalities obstructed and warped their principles. As a result, the noble themes articulated by Kucinich following his 3,000-vote victory over Edward Feighan in the 1977 mayoral runoff election became obscured by twisted logic applied to government by the likes of Bob Weissman and the Grdinas. Why Kucinch permitted them to drag him into political obscurity may never be known. How it happened will become a large part of the Kucinich legacy.

Bob Weissman was Kucinich's political mentor and right-hand man. The Grdinas were two sisters named Tonia and Betty Grdina who held prominent positions on the Kucinich team and who managed to alienate just about everyone they came into contact with.

This was twenty years ago, so we can assume Kucinich himself has grown and learned since then. But the people who support him today come across as being just as cultishly devoted as his 1978 Cleveland crew, so I am not reassured.

[cosmicdot]

8. first came to national prominence in 1977 at 31

psychoanalyzed at 32
:shrug:

what's the ugly accusation?

perhaps more info on Mr. Kuznik might be in order
... from a quick google ... I see some people put quotation marks around "alternative" in re Mr. Kuznik's magazine ... a quick google is hardly rocket science research, but it is curious just the same

there is good vs evil in the world

"If you're not for me, then you're against me" reminded me of Bush.

"the Kucinich propaganda machine" ... sounds HUGE

who are you currently supporting???

[BurtWorm]

13. I'm currently for Dean, but ABB.

I don't think of Kucinich as a threat, but of course if he were nominated I would vote for him. I did not post this to hurt Kucinich or his supporters, but to ask what the fuck it means and why haven't I heard about it before.

You didn't see an ugly accusation in there about his campaign calling his opponent "nigger lover?" Or "smearing" another opponent with the charge that he supported making MLK's birthday a holiday? That's not ugly?

[ThirdWheelLegend]

14. I remember reading more about this, but

I don't know a link to it right now..
If I remember correctly, the opponent was connected/supported to/by the corporate interests that DK was fighting against. Althought I can't refute that DK may have been a toughguy at times during the whole deal, you and I know how people with power would try and make their enemies look bad. (We see it every day from our big brother)

If I can find it I will post it, but I am not the best googler.
Any of the DK people have this info?

TWL

[BurtWorm]

16. You're right. Context in a case like this is extremely important.

Being a white guy, I can think there might be mitigating circumstances. I don't know if an African-American, however, would be satisfied by any context to explain or excuse using race this way in a campaign.

[charlie]

21. A nitpick

It said "supporters", not campaign. I could call you a ******-lover right now and you'd rightfully be able to say that a racemongering Kucinich supporter threw some hate at you, but I don't get directives from the campaign.

[BurtWorm]

26. That's not a nitpick. You're right.

And it is a significant distinction.

I'm doing more reading into Kucinich's early career and getting the sense that for a time, he was a major opportunist with gigantic ambition. And he apparently did make himself attractive to the "ethnics" alienated by Carl Stokes's mayoralty.

Here are some pieces from a 1972 Cleveland Magazine article called
"The Kid"

http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/editorial/thismonth_features.asp?docid=267



John Metcalf, a copy reader and Plain Dealer employe for 25 years, also used to drive Kucinich home. Metcalf, a campaign worker in Kucinich's three council races, is assisting him in the congressional campaign. The Lakewood resident is particularly fond of three things: chocolate sundaes, Cuban cigars smuggled into the country from Canada and a kind of candor that drives some people wild.

"Denny has gotten a lot smarter in the last couple of years," says Metcalf. "He learned to play dirty pool. Hell, there are a lot of ethnics out there who want to keep the niggers on their side of the river. It's a racial issue. There are a lot of bigots in that district and someone has to represent them, let's face it."

...

"I watched that boy since he used to appear before the committees-before he made the run for Council," said <City Council Leader George L.> Forbes <an African-American lawyer>. "He was perhaps one of the most liberal young men you would want to see. There was a feeling of, not the radical student movement, you know, but it was a liberal point of view that really was refreshing.

"He used to come down on guns and he advocated gun control. Now he is against it totally ... totally."

"And look here," says Forbes, "he's against public housing. As I recall it, Dennis took a stand for the downtrodden. Now he talking about the forgotten people. He's talking about the ethnic downtrodden, if we can use such a term: the ones who always done it by the muscle, and came over on the boat, and did their thing; because, let's face it, there is a vast reservoir of these people out there. They need somebody to champion their cause.

"It's a take-off on the Nixon type of appeal to the hardhat and the Perk type of appeal to the ethnic group, and he has found that this is a very good group to go after. They are coming into their own, and he wants to be in the forefront."

...

[Devlzown]

29. Well I don't want to hear anyone else say

that Dennis doesn't know how to compromise.:evilgrin: He's a POLITICIAN. They are willing to sacrifice things the rest of us won't in order to win. There does seem to be a method to Kucinich's madness, however. The higher his political star rises, the more inclusive his campaign seems to become. Do you think, for instance, that he would've been an advocate for gay marriage when he was running for mayor of Cleveland? A lot of politicians make deals with the devil in the short term, hoping for a payoff in the end.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

30. supporting gay marriage is a deal with the devil???

erm?

TWL

[Devlzown]

32. Of course not.

:eyes: Playing some racially divisive politics in the '70's was a deal with the devil. I'm saying he did those things in the past so that he can be where he is today -- trying to accomplish some good.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

39. ok see your meaning now..

sorry, for a second all I could do was go "erm?" as you may have seen. :)

Although as far as this article goes, it is written without named sources and his opponents are claiming this when his oppenents were connected to the coporations and banks that Kucinich was defying.

There may have been some hardball there but Kucinich did not compromise. Hence the fact that they nearly destroyed his career.

He seems like he was just as feisty then as he is now. Very honest and motivated to do what he thinks is right for the people and his job.

TWL

[BurtWorm]

33. No, that's not what devlzown was saying.

Kucinich circa 1969-1972 made deals with the devil to be able to advocate gay marriage as a Congressman and presidential candidate in 2004.

[Devlzown]

35. You're closer, but not quite right either.

That was merely an example of a progressive cause. I don't think the culmination of his career entails advocating gay marriage in a Presidential election.

[BurtWorm]

37. Of course not.

I did get what you were saying. (I don't look at Kucinich and think "gay marriage," and not just on account of I am straight. ;) )

[ThirdWheelLegend]

41. hehe...

Definitely not, but one of many many issues that he truly believes in and supports.

Cheers dev

TWL

[BurtWorm]

34. Is that how you feel about Kerry's IWR vote?

Was that a deal with the devil?

[Devlzown]

38. One of many.

All politicians make them. You play ball or you sit on the bench. The deals only differ in terms of degree. I don't think Kerry is a bad candidate, I might add. He has a very good record in the Senate.

[BurtWorm]

40. I agree with you there.

I have to say that reading about early Kucinich made me think he's much more of a natural politician than I gave him credit for.

[maha]

51. Does this explain the abortion flip flop?

Nobody every flops from being 100 percent anti choice to being 100 percent pro choice. But then there's Dennis ...

[Lydia Leftcoast]

67. Sorry, I made that "flip-flop"

It's easy to be anti-choice when everyone around you is and when you yourself have never faced the possibility of unwanted pregnancy.

I never had to make the abortion decision myself, but input from friends and relatives gradually brought me around to the realization that I could be anti-abortion for myself while respecting other people's decisions to have abortions.

I heard about the anxieties of a friend with a wanted pregnancy, and her admission that she sometimes woke up in a panic realizing that her life would never be the same and being afraid that she wouldn't be able to cope. She asked me to imagine what it must be like for a woman who didn't want to be pregnant.

I heard my brother's story of delivering the baby of a thirteen-year-old, whose mother stood by her during labor calling her "a little whore" and telling her that she was "getting what she deserved." What kind of future does that baby have? he asked.

I heard my grandmother tell of friends of hers who had had illegal abortions during the Depression, because they could barely feed the children they already had.

I heard from a friend who became pregnant as the result of rape.

I began to realize that the "pro-life" position, even the "seamless pro-life" position that also rejects war and capital punishment, was overly simplistic and that you couldn't make a hard and fast rule.

So yes, it is possible to flip-flop on this issue.

[no name no slogan]

85. So What? Al Gore was anti-choice too

I worked for Dukakis in 1988, and it was well known that Al Gore was anti-choice for most of the 80s. So was Dick Gephardt. Hubert Humphrey spoke about his anti-abortion position in the 1972 primaries, as did George McGovern.

So once again what is your point? I could bring up the numerous flip-flops of every candidate here (including yours), but that's been played ad nauseum so why bother.

[thebigidea]

25. gee, I dunno

"and why haven't I heard about it before."

probably because its a minor article from a minor magazine from over 20 years ago.

Hey, didja catch that great piece in THE PLAINS DEALER back in 78? They had a HILARIOUS malaise cartoon.

[BurtWorm]

28. Let's drop that silly Bush AWOL thing while we're at it too!

It's ancient history!

[thebigidea]

31. Interesting logic

you're comparing going AWOL to anonymous psychiatrists pontificating.

Interesting priorities, good luck with them.

[BurtWorm]

36. Just so you don't get your feelings hurt

I won't be responding to willful, or just helpless, misreadings of my points, okay?

:hi:

[thebigidea]

44. feelings? I sold those to buy more film years ago. Good luck finding 'em

Would love to see you try, though.

[BurtWorm]

66. You do a pretty good job of hiding them.

Can't wait to see a reply from you making some sarcastic reference to UN inspectors!

;)

[ThirdWheelLegend]

10. That would be the same magazine that posted this article?

http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/editorial/30_return.asp?Person=9

with:
Ryan: �Dennis was willing to risk a bright future in politics for cheap electricity. He showed me, as a young man, he was willing to stand up to incredible powers and put his own personal life in jeopardy in the interests of people he by refusing to sell Cleveland Public Power. Think of what he really did give up: all those years of political life when he was almost exiled.�

and this:
Cimperman: �There�s people from a generation that will never change their opinions about him, both positively and negatively: the older neighborhood core and the older corporate core. The more people my age, in their 30s and 40s, get to know him, the more they�re like, �This guy stands for things that are important to me.� At the Tremont arts and cultural fair in Lincoln Park , I was walking with him and it was unbelievable how many people said, �Keep the peace. Don�t let us go to war.� �


snip>


Interesting that the NEGATIVE opinions seem to be held by the corporate core. OH MY HOW UGLY, Dennis is not a friend of the corporate core! He sucks and is unelectable and is not an OPPONENT! Because I have learned today that '...the best MY opponents could do is ask questions today, that they should have asked before they supported the war."

So obviously he is not an opponent. Man and to think I almost voted for the best candidate. PHEW!! Saved again.

:)

TWL

[Devlzown]

15. People who run for office

are a bit more driven than your average underachieving slacker American. The conclusions these "doctors" come to aren't really all that surprising when you consider the obstacles Dennis had to overcome to get where he is. What would a psychoanalysis of Clinton or Kennedy or Truman reveal?

[BurtWorm]

18. I agree with you.

I'm impressed by a lot in Kucinich's biography, let alone by a lot of what he stands for. But this kind of accusation makes me uncomfortable nevertheless.

[Mairead]

55. I can appreciate your discomfort. I felt the same when I read about that

When I found the Forbes quotes and Dennis's statement about learning from the past (see my post 47), I felt reassured. The fact that it happened a generation ago, that Black folk remember him with fondness rather than repulsion, and that George Forbes dismisses the whole thing as mere playing-the-game says to me that it was an expression of where some of his political thinking was at that time of life, but not an expression of who he was or is. I still don't like it, but if those who were on the receiving end are okay with dismissing it as unimportant and not an expression of 'real Dennis', then I don't see why I shouldn't do the same.

[Zorra]

17. lol, that article is the worst piece of corporate smear journalism that

I have ever seen. Unnamed officials (whoops, I mean psychiatrists) have announced that DK is Loony Toons.

Dennis was involved in a major struggle with corporations and banks exactly at that time in 1978. Check out this excerpt from Wikipedia:

Mayorship
In 1977, Kucinich, at the age of 31, became the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, the youngest mayor of a major US city, after running on a ticket promising to cancel the sale of the cities publicly owned electric company, Muny Light to a private electric company, the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (CEI). CEI had been responsible for numerous violations of federal antitrust law in its attempt to put Muny Light out of business. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in an extensive investigation, determined that CEI blocked Muny Light from making repairs to its generator by lobbying the Cleveland City Council to place special conditions on Muny Light Bonds which made the bonds more difficult to sell, thereby depriving the city of revenue it needed to repair its generators in order to provide its own power. The delay in repairs to the generators caused Muny Light to have to purchase power. CEI then worked behind the scenes to block Muny Light from purchasing power from other power companies. CEI became the only power company Muny Light could buy from. At that point, CEI sharply increased and sometimes tripled the cost of purchase power to Muny Light. And, as a result, Muny Light began to lose money. The mayor of Cleveland, against the will of the people, gave in to pressure from local business interests and agreed to sell Muny Light to CEI.
Kucinich won the election and quickly canceled the sale. CEI immediately went to court to demand that the city pay 15 million dollars for power which it had purchased while CEI was running up charges to the city. The previous mayor had intended to pay that light bill by selling the light system and simultaneously disposing of a 325 million dollar antitrust damage suit. Kucinich's election not only stopped the sale, but kept the lawsuit alive. CEI went to federal court to get an order attaching city equipment as a means of trying to destabilize city services as still another desperate effort to try to try to create a political climate to force the sale. Kucinich moved quickly to pay the bill by cutting city spending. The Muny Light issue came to a head on December 15, 1978, when Ohio's largest bank, Cleveland Trust, the 33rd largest bank in America at that time, told Kucinich that they would not renew the city's credit on 15 million dollars worth of loans taken out by the previous administration unless Kucinich would agree to sell.

Concerned about skyrocketing bills to the City and the Cities poor, he said no again to the sale of Muny Light to CEI. At Midnight on December 15, 1978, Cleveland Trust put the City of Cleveland into default. Later, it was revealed, that Cleveland Trust and CEI had four interlocking directors. Cleveland Trust was CEI's bank. Together with another bank, Cleveland Trust owned a substantial share of CEI stock and had numerous other mutual interests. Public power was saved in Cleveland but Kucinich lost the election in 1979 with default as the major issue. CEI was aquired and is now First Energy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Kucinich

You don't think those nice people at the bank and CEI would do anything to deliberately to smear Dennis's name or ruin his career, do you?

What a classic piece of propaganda! Thanks for the post, I love a good laugh.

[BurtWorm]

20. What if it's true?

What if his campaign did do these things? Has Kucinich himself addressed the charges?

I'd be very happy (and not too surprised) to learn this was nothing more than a baseless smear organized by his corporate opponents. I don't think it can be dismissed, however, without more information.

[Zorra]

23. I've already researched it extensively. If you are concerned

by all means, check it out. I could not find a single verifiable fact of any real import in that article through research. Please let me know if you find something.

Unnamed psychiatrists analyzing someone they have never spoken with for a magazine article? Any psychiatrist (and I seriously doubt there ever were these "psychiatrists") who did something like that would be committing a serious breach of ethics. It's an obvious smear job; real journalists use verifiable sources when they write.

[BurtWorm]

27. Look at Post #26

There's a little more detail about Kucinich's early campaigns.

And you're absolutely right about the fishiness of using anonymous psychiatrists to analyze a public figure. The author is asking an enormous favor of his readers using such a tack, to trust that he isn't pulling a Blair or a Glass and imagining the psychoanalyses as he's writing his article.

[Zorra]

42. Yeah, I read all that stuff a long time ago

and take it all with a grain of salt. If it came from another source other than Cleveland Magazine 30 years ago, I would pay more attention to it, but it still does not seem like any big deal. Inner city politics is dirty business, and I'm sure Kucinich did some streetfighting. George Forbes, who was always dissing Dennis in the 70's is buddies with Dennis now. But still, you have a lot of people doing nothing but expressing opinions in that piece.

George Forbes in 2003:

Perhaps, the most remarkable aspect of his political re-ascent is the fact that he spends almost nothing on television and radio ads, instead relying on grass-roots, door-to-door campaigning, a sea of yard signs, and a nonstoppublic appearance schedule. He also has mended fences with long-ago critics. ''He's just not making waves to be making waves,'' said former Cleveland City Council President George Forbes, who talks regularly with Kucinich. ''For lack of a better term, he is a populist candidate. He clearly understood the people of Cleveland.

He is very popular with the people. The question is, Can he parlay that nationally?'' asked Forbes. Forbes says Kucinich, who was viewed as bombastic, confrontational, uncompromising and anti-business, has mellowed with age. Kucinich, who probably wouldn't admit to mellowing, does admit his approach has changed. ''I have become more reflective.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/starbucks/021903_fair_trade.cfm

There two rags in Cleveland, Cleveland Magazine and Cleveland Scene,thatseem to hate Dennis, although Cleveland magazine changed it's tune in the90's. I suspect that they are owned by republicans, and I think one of them went bankrupt for some unsavory reason. Anyway, here's another piece of propaganda about Dennis from Cleveland Scene. I think it's written by a republican, but I'm not sure. It's a smear job, and you really have to consider that Dennis is the corporate enemy. Anyway, enjoy! Here's an excerpt first:

Last month, after spending a week on the hustings in Iowa, Kucinich returned to Washington and appeared on Meet the Press. During the broadcast, host Tim Russert called the congressman on comments he made during a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in Lakewood. "Why is the administration targeting Iraq? "Oil," Kucinich had said.

"What do you base that on?" Russert asked.

"I base that on the fact that there is $5 trillion worth of oil above and in the ground in Iraq, that individuals involved in the administration have been involved in the oil industry, that the oil industry certainly would benefit from having the administration control Iraq, and that the fact is that, since no other case has been made to go to war against Iraq, for this nation to go to war against Iraq, oil represents the strongest incentive."

No doubt, the Bush administration is up to its ears in super unleaded. But to say no case has been made for an invasion is absurd. Serious people have made serious arguments for a strike against Iraq. Even a progressive like Vanity Fair writer Christopher Hitchens has taken to stirring his gin-and-tonic with a saber since 9-11. Kucinich may not agree with the arguments, but the arguments have been made. In a sense, his reductionism seems no more intellectually honest than hawks questioning the patriotism of protesters. After watching the exchange, Washington Post writer Richard Cohen was led to wonder how NBC let such a "fool" in the studio.

http://www.kucinich.com/Hollow%20Man.htm

Like I said, take it with a grain of salt. The author is a little, uh, "slanted".

[no name no slogan]

83. Nice referrence to Christopher Hitchens, btw

He's become the conservatives' new darling since he came out pro-Iraq war and resigned from the Nation.

Hitchens is little more than a clown these days. He blew most of his credibility in his Cliton witch hunt, and then finally lost the last of it when he resigned from The Nation and called them all a bunch of spies for the CIA or some such nonsense. I have a feeling that he may have fallen down the stairs one too many times after one too many drunken benders in Georgetown.

[diamondsoul]

75. From all I've been able to find out,

the Campaign itself did not use racially divisive terms. Now what they DID do was appeal to the African-American residents differently than they did the caucasian residents they were courting. That to me is politicking, not bigotry. You speak to different people on that groups terms, if that makes sense? For instance, as a military spouse I'm not disturbed by the mention of cutting the Defense budget. If you look around and listen to them, you'll see that most enlisted folk in the military are not bothered by that. Civilians, OTOH, are very much bothered by it.

Cleveland at that time was a very racially divided city, (still is to a degree from what I hear) and we're speaking of a man who was trying to gather all the votes he could get from even people whose world-views he disagrees with on principle. Tensions were high and he spoke to each of these groups about what THEY wanted from their Mayor. One thing I can't find is any indication he ever once misrepresented himself or lied to gain votes. He went out there and he convinced all of those people he was the man they wanted in the Mayor's office. Whether I like what he may have said to do that doesn't change the fact that this is how elections are won. That's politics, sometimes a not so warm and fuzzy buisness to be in.;)

[maha]

59. Where's the "corporate"?

Which corporation is behind Cleveland magazine? Maybe there is one, but maybe there isn't. You seem to have a knee-jerk reaction to all critism of Kucinich that it's evil corporations after him. Well, they're after all of us; DK should get in line. His poll numbers --he's been holding steady at 1 percent in the Dem candidate polls all along -- are proof he is not worth the "corporations" special attention for a smear job.

Further, what's fascinating to me about the "couch" article is not what it says about Kucinich in 1980, but how much of it still rings true. I noticed this paragraph, for instance:

"What I've always been suspicious of," one psychiatrist says, "is quick problem-solvers. If someone isn't smart enough to realize that there have been plenty of smarter people before him who would have found the quick answers, realize that knotty problems take a long time to solve, that quick answers are bullshit - then that person has a problem.

"Of course," he adds, "it's human to be uncomfortable in a state of indecision - and being able to exercise caution, to live with indecision, is one measure of maturity. But our society seems to be responding more and more to anyone who promises shortcuts and quick answers."

That pretty much sums up my discomfort with Kucinich today. I go to his web site and read his ideas, and they are too damn simple. I realize that Kucinich supporters can't see that, but I sure as hell see it.

[hippywife]

64. These arguments don't hold water at all

"What I've always been suspicious of," one psychiatrist says, "is quick problem-solvers. If someone isn't smart enough to realize that there have been plenty of smarter people before him who would have found the quick answers, realize that knotty problems take a long time to solve, that quick answers are bullshit - then that person has a problem.

What Dennis did in Cleveland was hardly a quick solution to a problem. The decision he made and its results have proven that his vision is far-sighted and far-reaching. He knew the short-term reaction to this decision wasn't going to be easy, but he saw what was right and did it. If he feared what people would say about him and what the outcome was for himself politically he would have caved on his promise to the poor of his community.

He has continuously worked to make his district a better community. He has personally intervened to keep a steel plant open and jobs there intact. He marched to keep one community hospital open, and to reopen another one which was already closed and the equipment moved out.

I think what has happened is that 1) people are very impatient. They want immediate gratification in all areas, and 2) we've gotten so used to the fact that our polical leaders vascilate that we expect them all to do it.

It amazes me that people will even read this article and give credence to what a bunch of likely-fictional,so-called psychiatrists have to say about someone who is not their patient and had no intimate experience with which is key to psycho analysis.

[maha]

69. Not really what I'm talking about.

I'm sure he's done lots of good things in his career, although as the Cleveland magazine articles reveal, he's done some nasty things, also.

My point, however, is that BEFORE I READ THE CLEVELAND MAGAZINE ARTICLES I was extremely not impressed by the policy positions of Kucinich and his followers (and yes, I've read his positions on his web site). Too quick, too glib, utterly unconscious of the complexity and knottiness of some issues.

Kucnich supporters are oblivious to complexity and the reasons behind the positions of other candidates. Frankly they aren't smart enough to realize that there have been plenty of smarter people before Dennis Kucinich who would have found the quick answers if quick answers would have sufficed. Smart people realize that knotty problems take a long time to solve, that quick answers are bullshit.

I thought the comments by the psychologist in 1978 were right on the money TODAY.

Kucinichistas do not like complexity; they like simple and absolute and black and white. But the world isn't like that.

[Desertrose]

82. so....we are oblivious to complexity as well as stupid???

my my...when all else fails there is always name calling for you to fall back on...and then you turn around and have the arrogance & chutzpa to paint us with your "black & white only" brush??
charming...just charming.....

Kucinich supporters are many things-certainly intelligent enough to see through your spin job...but glib we are not ...remember maha-they do say it takes one to know one. I have found most of your statements reflect much more about you dear, than anyone else.....

Nope, the world is not black and white...thank you so much for pointing out the obvious...where would we be without your helpful comments. I can see that your charm & grace will certainly sway many to your way of thinking.........

Peace
DR

[Zorra]

77. Well.......

Do you honestly think that Cleveland Trust(the nations 33rd largest bank at the time, which is pretty big) and CEI had any great love for Dennis, and would not attempt to smear him? And yes, the corporations are after all of us, but not all of us have the political power to bring the problem of corporate intervention in government to light that DK has. And he does bring it to the forefront, right on his webpage. And he has undeniably been considered an anti-corporate populist for his entire political career. Reposted from wikipedia:

Mayorship
In 1977, Kucinich, at the age of 31, became the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, the youngest mayor of a major US city, after running on a ticket promising to cancel the sale of the cities publicly owned electric company, Muny Light to a private electric company, the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (CEI). CEI had been responsible for numerous violations of federal antitrust law in its attempt to put Muny Light out of business. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in an extensive investigation, determined that CEI blocked Muny Light from making repairs to its generator by lobbying the Cleveland City Council to place special conditions on Muny Light Bonds which made the bonds more difficult to sell, thereby depriving the city of revenue it needed to repair its generators in order to provide its own power. The delay in repairs to the generators caused Muny Light to have to purchase power. CEI then worked behind the scenes to block Muny Light from purchasing power from other power companies. CEI became the only power company Muny Light could buy from. At that point, CEI sharply increased and sometimes tripled the cost of purchase power to Muny Light. And, as a result, Muny Light began to lose money. The mayor of Cleveland, against the will of the people, gave in to pressure from local business interests and agreed to sell Muny Light to CEI.
Kucinich won the election and quickly canceled the sale. CEI immediately went to court to demand that the city pay 15 million dollars for power which it had purchased while CEI was running up charges to the city. The previous mayor had intended to pay that light bill by selling the light system and simultaneously disposing of a 325 million dollar antitrust damage suit. Kucinich's election not only stopped the sale, but kept the lawsuit alive. CEI went to federal court to get an order attaching city equipment as a means of trying to destabilize city services as still another desperate effort to try to try to create a political climate to force the sale. Kucinich moved quickly to pay the bill by cutting city spending. The Muny Light issue came to a head on December 15, 1978, when Ohio's largest bank, Cleveland Trust, the 33rd largest bank in America at that time, told Kucinich that they would not renew the city's credit on 15 million dollars worth of loans taken out by the previous administration unless Kucinich would agree to sell.

Concerned about skyrocketing bills to the City and the Cities poor, he said no again to the sale of Muny Light to CEI. At Midnight on December 15, 1978, Cleveland Trust put the City of Cleveland into default. Later, it was revealed, that Cleveland Trust and CEI had four interlocking directors. Cleveland Trust was CEI's bank. Together with another bank, Cleveland Trust owned a substantial share of CEI stock and had numerous other mutual interests. Public power was saved in Cleveland but Kucinich lost the election in 1979 with default as the major issue. CEI was aquired and is now First Energy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Kucinich

Cleveland Magazine is apparently considered by some to be a business magazine.

Links Directory > Cleveland Media > Magazines > Business Magazines
Business Magazines

7 links
show 10 20 30 40 50 links, ordered by newest last edited title rating votes hits out hits in comments ascending descending

Submitted 07/13/03 | Edited 07/13/03
Cleveland Magazine
Cleveland magazine has its eyes and ears focused on Cleveland.

Rating: (0/5)
Votes: 0 | Hits Out: 6 | Hits In: 0
Rate | Report | E-Mail | Bookmark | Details | Comments (0)

http://www.allstarchat.com/link/index.php?action=displaycat&catid=60

And is affiliated with:

Visit our affiliates at Ohio Magazine and Inside Business

http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/editorial/thismonth_main.asp

Which corporation is behind Cleveland Magazine?

The Publisher of Cleveland Magazine, Great Lakes Publishing Co. produces Cleveland, Inside Business, Ohio, Ohio Business, and Ohio Enterpreneur magazines.

This is who currently publishes Cleveland Magazine. I can not find info on who published it in the 70's.

http://www.glpublishing.com/

And if you put any credence in that "Kucinich on the Couch Article",
you may want to consider taking a course in identifying propaganda. Here's a link:

OBJECTIVES
Students will:
Learn about the various forms of media used in a political campaign.
Compare the different media formats as vehicles for distributing political messages.
Analyze the effectiveness of the candidate's use of different media in appealing to voters.
Evaluate the role of the media in influencing voter decisions.
Teach others how to be critical viewers of the media.

http://www.turnerlearning.com/cnn/election/lesson4.html

[caledesi]

22. However superficial is may be...Dennis doesn't have the "IT" factor.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

24. which factor is that?

The ability to lie or misspeak and have your supporters blindly accept it and put the blame elsewhere?

:)

TWL

[loyalsister]

43. I have noticed

some of the traits mentioned, myself. He is a black and white thinker, and I have found it disturbing, myself. I am very surprised that so few people have been concerned. He just happens to think in black and white on the left end of the spectrum- with some exceptions. Of course, abortion being one. Why? Religion. He's an admitted doctine follower. Every sperm is sacred.
He says he finally gets it, but that lesson certainly took an awfully long time! Are we dealing with someone who has just now matured enough to see gray in areas other than women's rights?
Flag burning. The nuances of free speech apparently escaped him.
Listen to his language and how black and white things appear to him.
NAFTA can't be reformed, it must be repealed, etc.
Black and white thinking isn't any prettier on the left than it is on the right. Both have authoritarian, and in this case, overly theological overtones.

[Mairead]

45. And I have noticed

that your political credibility is shaky, to put it as charitably as possible. You were the one putting out the GOP talking points here recently about how Florida2000 was 'a statistical tie' and that 'Bush and Gore both won'. Who would want to put out and argue for GOP talking points at DU?

[maha]

62. That's the pattern.

In Cleveland he got into office promising to be a reformer, then decided he was God.

What it turned out to be were two years where low-level city employees were intimidated because their politics differed with the mayor's, were harassed because they refused to spend weekends campaigning and were fired for trumped up reasons. It turned out to be two years where any significant accomplishments of the administration were overshadowed by the public firing of a police chief, the banning of the Little Sisters of the Poor from City Hall, the midnight raiding of the city commissioner's office, the vindictive attempts to punish political enemies, the arrest of a seven-year-old boy for playing ball inside a swimming pool, the refusal of the mayor to walk across the street to meet with senior citizens, the appointment of countless top officials to city jobs based on their loyalty and not their qualifications and the needless alienation of various neighborhood groups. (Link)

This wouldn't matter too much (he's got a snowball's chance in hell at the nomination) except that it's just too weird that his followers today are so much like the true believers of yesterday. They have a cultish devotion to DK -- he is pure, he's the only candidate who's (pick as many as apply .. really against the war, really for health care reform, really liberal). And if you disagree with them, they assume you are part of a conspiracy, probably financed by corporations. The fact that as an individual you might just plain disagree with Kucinich just doesn't compute with them.

[no name no slogan]

84. No he's not.

You can't be a "black and white" thinker and get reelected to the US House three times. "Black and White" thinkers typically don't do too well in a situation that requires compromise on a daily basis, and are sent packing at re-election time.

Dennis Kucinich has done remarkably well as a legistlator, and he is well-liked on a personal level by his colleagues, even though they may disagree on policy.

And, if you're going to compromise with conservatives, doesn't it make sense to start from the left, instead of in the center?

[Cronus Protagonist]

46. I need to send him more money. If that stuff is true, he can WIN!

Go dennis Go!

http://cronus.com/prayer

Click Here To See Fair & Balanced Buttons, Stickers & Magnets

[Mairead]

47. Some more information on the racism charge

From George Forbes again, quoted in Cleveland Scene Mar 19, 2003 (a real poison-pen piece!):

Forbes had been the president of city council {during Kucinich's time} as mayor in the late 1970s. Once rivals, the two are now friendly. ... He {Dennis} hadn't campaigned on the {racially-mixed} East Side in years. Yet at McDonald's that day, Kucinich showed he could still light the room. "Everybody in the damn restaurant came up there and shook his hand and hugged him," Forbes says. "They still think he's a little boy. And he swears I set it up, but these were nothing but black people. They remember him."

...

Forbes seems to have a more honest understanding of what took place {during the 1971 mayoral contest in which Dennis supported pro-working-class white Republican Ralph Perk against a wealthy Black Democratic candidate favored by Carl Stokes}. "He played to his constituency, and I played to mine," he says of Kucinich. "But out of all that, I can tell you right now that he was not a racist."


And, on a more general note, a quote from the Cleveland Magazine article already cited:

Standing in a parking lot late at night after a full day of campaigning, Kucinich says he wouldn't change a thing about his past. "You've got to learn from what you do. If you start saying, 'I would have done it differently,' you nullify your experience. I've learned a lot from all this. But as with most knowledge, it comes with a certain amount of pain." (emphasis added)

[diamondsoul]

76. You found a quote I would have gone hunting for myself-

Standing in a parking lot late at night after a full day of campaigning, Kucinich says he wouldn't change a thing about his past. "You've got to learn from what you do. If you start saying, 'I would have done it differently,' you nullify your experience. I've learned a lot from all this. But as with most knowledge, it comes with a certain amount of pain."

Above is one reason Kucinich resonates with me so profoundly. Everything I've ever faced, done, suffered, etc. in my life has taught me something. Absolutely NOTHING has ever been a total waste or loss. Dennis recognizes that the same way I do. There have been situations that it took me years to figure out what I needed to take away from the experiences, but by heaven I figured it out eventually.

That's why this assertion he uses "black and white thinking" strikes me as pure bunk. Look the solutions may appear simple, but Dennis and his supporters know they won't be simple to implement. He isn't stupid for pity's sake! Right, folks, it's just going to be a snap to talk the UN into taking over Iraq reconstruction or implement truly Universal Healthcare.:eyes:

The point is not that his solutions are so simple they should have been used already, the point is we finally have a guy willing to put in the blood, sweat, tears and TIME it will take to get the job done. That's the one thing I hear from every other candidate, and a whole lot of non-Kucinich people- "This candidate, plan, etc. has a better chance..." IOW, it'll be easier and faster to do this than do what we all really want and know is the RIGHT thing.

The way I see it we have a choice to make, take the easy road and don't change much of anything, or take the hard road and change a whole lot. The hard road will take longer, but consider whether the changes we can make are worth it. To me they are.

[ShaneGR]

48. As a native Cleveland, a lot of this stuff is true

NOTE: I suppose he has changed a lot.

Cleveland has been, and currently still is, a segregated town. The white populace (for the most part) lives on the west side. The black population lives on the east side. Kucinich, a westsider, relentlessly played the race card to his white constituents on the west side to gain support for races against the black politicians from the east side.

This is not opinion, it is simply fact. Kucinich, as the boy mayor, was a ruthless power broker. It's probably why Kucinich would have a hard time becoming the mayor of Cleveland again, let alone Senator of the State. Or President.

[Mairead]

54. "Kucinich, a westsider"

A more complete picture would be that, while he might live on the west side now, he was born and--because it was cheap--largely brought up on the east side.

[ShaneGR]

60. Throughout his political career, he has always been westside

Whether he was born on the east side is of no consequence, he made his name in Cleveland as a west side politician. You have to keep in mind, as Kucinich was emerging, Cleveland was mostly controlled by black politicians from the East side. This is probably why he played race politics. Hey, he was successful at it until the city collapsed.

[Mairead]

73. Why do the eastsiders like him, then?

[Zorra]

81. Why does he keep getting re-elected to Congress,

if, as you insinuate, people won't vote for him?

As per your statement:

"This is not opinion, it is simply fact. Kucinich, as the boy mayor, was a ruthless power broker."

Do you have a link to a credible source to back up your opinions? Here is an explanation of the situation you are referring to, from the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2003:

Forbes at the time called Kucinich "a racist, a man who lacks compassion and a political opportunist who has split the city and will do anything to further his career," according to newspaper accounts.

In an interview last week, Forbes explained why he made those charges. He cited a piece of Kucinich literature from an unsuccessful 1974 bid for Congress. In it, Kucinich criticized rival candidate Ron Mottl for voting to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. with a legal holiday when Mottl served in the Statehouse.

Kucinich said last week he didn't recall that literature. But he told reporters in the 1970s that it was an effort to demonstrate political hypocrisy by Mottl, who was leading local crusades against school busing for desegregation. Mottl was trying to appeal to West Side voters as a conservative Democrat. But his support for the King holiday, as well as his sponsorship of a bill to teach black history in schools, showed he was not that conservative, Kucinich said during the fight to capture the same voters.

Mottl says he does not remember the issue or race playing a role in the campaign.

As a city councilman, Kucinich, too, voted to establish a King holiday. But Kucinich opposed busing.

"They could have put the money into quality schools in the neighborhood schools and not into transportation," he says. "That's what I said then, and as you look at how it turned out, I may very well have been absolutely right.

"But it was never about race. I acknowledged inequities that existed in the educational system and understood that alternatives had to be developed so we could solve the problems of everyone who was underprivileged - which included children of all races."
-------snip-----------
Forbes puts the harsh attacks of the 1970s in the context of Cleveland's civil rights history, when many white voters were alarmed by blacks' political rise around the country. Race, he says, "was more part of the political climate in those days."

"Is he a racist?" Forbes asked of Kucinich. "No, he is not...."
----------------snip-----------------
Kucinich, always politically savvy, was building bridges by the time he ran for mayor in 1977. He had supported Arnold Pinkney's unsuccessful mayoral bid in 1975, and black political powers including Pinkney, former Call & Post publisher W.O. Walker and former Rep. Louis Stokes, Carl Stokes' brother, supported Kucinich's successful 1977 bid. Kucinich - then running from his post as clerk of Cleveland municipal courts - won a significant slice of black votes.

Soon thereafter, a federal judge ordered Cleveland schools to use busing to integrate. Despite anger among whites, Mayor Kucinich kept the peace.

"The thing that people have never given Dennis credit for was the desegregation," said Esther Weissman, who was a lawyer for the court clerk's office and campaigned for Kucinich for mayor. "There was never any problem, in contrast to Boston, in contrast to other major cities."

Pinkney, a former political strategist for Carl Stokes, says that while Kucinich frequently criticized Stokes "to make himself visible and to build his base among whites on the West Side," Kucinich today is popular among Cleveland's black voters because of his fights for the disadvantaged and blue-collar workers.

Louis Stokes says that when Kucinich was mayor, he gave many jobs to blacks and eventually healed his rift with Carl Stokes. The two often met for breakfast at Shaker Square before Carl Stokes died in 1996.

http://www.cleveland.com/kucinich/index.ssf?/kucinich/more/104747092810861.html

Rep. Conyers, founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, called Kucinich "one of the most exciting candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination," and referred to his "exemplary record when dealing with issues facing the African American community."

DENNIS KUCINICH FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

For Dennis Kucinich, protecting each and every person's Civil Rights is a priority, and his legislative record as Representative for Ohio demonstrates his commitment. When you make Kucinich President of the United States, he will make sure that everyone is treated as an equal. There will be no tolerance of racial profiling or of any forms of discrimination. Kucinich understands that discrimination against anyone is harmful for everyone. Every person deserves to be treated equally by landlords, employers, the government, educators and health care providers.

Kucinich is co-chair with Barbara Lee of the Progressive Caucus of the House of Representatives; members include Maxine Waters, Lynne Woolsey, Jesse Jackson, Jr., John Conyers, Xavier Becerra, Hilda Solis and Diane Watson. Dennis Kucinich and Barbara Lee joined 110 Members of Congress in signing a “friend of the court” brief supporting the University of Michigan's Affirmative Action Program.

2002 On the votes that the Human Rights Campaign considered to be the most important in 2002, Representative Kucinich voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2002 Based on legislative votes, sponsorship of legislation not voted upon, and endorsements of special "dear colleague" letters that the Arab American Institute considered to be the most important in 2002, Representative Kucinich supported their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2002 On the votes that the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda considered to be the most important in 2002, Representative Kucinich voted their preferred position 91 percent of the time.

2001-2002 On the votes that the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights considered to be the most important in 2001-2002, Representative Kucinich voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2001 On the votes that the Human Rights Campaign considered to be the most important in 2001, Representative Kucinich voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2000 On the votes that the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda considered to be the most important in 2000, Representative Kucinich voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2000 On the votes that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People considered to be the most important in 2000, Representative Kucinich voted their preferred position 93 percent of the time.

1999-2000 On the votes that the Human Rights Campaign considered to be the most important in 1999-2000, Representative Kucinich voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

1999-2000 On the votes that the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights considered to be the most important in 1999-2000, Representative Kucinich voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

Dennis has a record of working to provide an equal playing field for all people. Among many of the bills he has sponsored in Congress are:

The Voting Restoration Act: A bill to give ex-offenders the right to vote in Federal elections once they have completed their sentences, including probation or parole.

The Preservation of Civil Rights Protection Act of 2001: This bill would prohibit employers from forcing workers to give up their rights in court.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2001: This bill extends federal employment discrimination protections that are currently provided based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age and disability, to sexual orientation.

The Voter Registration Protection Act of 2001: A bill that would prohibit any state from refusing to register an individual who has been convicted of a federal crime, except for individuals in custody, under parole or probation.

The End Racial Profiling Act: This bill would prohibit racial profiling.

The Secret Evidence Repeal Act: This bill prohibits the use of secret evidence against non-citizens in immigration proceedings.

The Violence Against Women Act of 1999: A bill to prevent violence against women.

The Hate Crimes Prevention Act: This bill allows federal authorities to be involved in hate crime cases based on gender, sexual orientation and disability in addition to cases based on race, religion, or national origin.

The Permanent Partners Immigration Act of 2001: A bill to redefine the definition of family in current immigration laws to allow the sponsorship of “permanent partners” for U.S. residency.

The Secret Evidence Repeal Act of 1999: A bill to ensure that no alien is removed, denied a benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act, or otherwise deprived of liberty, based on evidence that is kept secret from the alien.

The Civil Rights Procedures Protection Act of 1999: A bill to make arbitration contracts unenforceable unless agreed to after a discrimination claim had arisen. It prevents the involuntary application of arbitration to claims that arise from unlawful employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability, and for other purposes.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 1999: A bill to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

The Traffic Stops Statistics Study Act of 1999: A bill to require the Attorney General to collect data and make an analysis of past and current traffic stops allegedly motivated by race or other basis.

The Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1999: A bill to amend federal law to make it easier for federal law enforcement officials to investigate and prosecute cases regarding racial and religious violence. The bill also permits prosecution of violence based upon prejudice against sexual orientation, gender or disability.

The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act: This bill extends basic federal benefits (health insurance, life insurance) to same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners of federal employees.

Rep. Conyers, founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, called Kucinich "one of the most exciting candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination," and referred to his "exemplary record when dealing with issues facing the African American community."

http://www.friendsofkucinich.com/civilrights.htm

[JasonBerry]

56. Clark people all through this thread

What's up? It looks the old Clark operation really cranked it up on this thread. Look at the names - all the old Clark "regulars." But wait, aren't these the same people who are so "disgusted" about having to talk about "old news" with Wesley Clark? Aren't they the same posters who have complained the loudest about "candidate bashing?" This group - right here in this thread - the same people. The only one missing (nameless) is a supposed Dean supporter who usually makes their way into a thread like this defending Clark against "attacks" --- but is conspicuously missing about "attacks" on Kucinich. However, DK is big enough to handle things like this. He has addressed these issues and has talked of his own personal growth. Contrast that with the good general. Wesley Clark thinks he has never done anything wrong in his life! Of course, to admit that, would be to go against everything his background in the authoritarian system of the military has taught him.

Interesting crowd in this thread, indeed.

[maha]

61. Yes, that's it. It's a conspiracy by "Clark" people.

'Course, I'm a "Dean" person, too, and I have been known to say good things about Edwards and Mosley Braun as well, but never mind. The ONLY REASON I might find Dennis Kucinich alarming is that I'm a CLARK person. Yeah, that's it. Must be.

"Us" versus "them" thinking is a consistent pattern among Kucnich followers going back to this days as mayor, according to the articles.

[Terwilliger]

63. Your spreading your Dem support is admirable if new

however, you employ a lot of "us vs. them" philosophy yourself "If you like Kucinich, you must be a cultist"

That's the same black and white thinking that has done our country such great damage and led to failed efforts at ousting pinhead tyrants.

Good luck with the rest!

[hippywife]

65. Someone who claims to be a Dean supporter

has been spamming this piece of crap and others into the email accounts of every state director and regional coordinator on DK's website.

Nice try, no buy.

[IndianaGreen]

70. I doubt that the poster is truly a Dean supporter

Real Dean supporters are focused and follow the guidance from the Dean campaign, not try to subvert Dean's candidacy by making enemies with our natural allies, which is what the Kucinich supporters are.

There is one poster in particularly who is currently using a Dean avatar, but even a cursory reading of his/her posts makes clear that this poster is not a Dean supporter, and his views of issues such as the war an occupation of Iraq and the Middle East conflict makes it clear that the poster is far from being a liberal.

[BurtWorm]

78. This thread is not about making enemies, or even attacking Kucinich.

It's about finding out what the truth is. I came upon this information, which I found disturbing, and had a choice to sit on it or take it out and deal with it with Kucinich supporters. I think most of them have been admirable in this thread, doing just what I was doing: taking the information seriously and trying to understand it.

No true Dean supporter would have posted this? That can't be true, because I am a Dean supporter. And you've committed the No True Scotsman fallacy.

[bloom]

68. It makes Kucinich look like more of a contender to have people

Posting things like this.


Not even God gets a free pass.

(I think you should try to come up with something better, though. UNNAMED psychiatrists - You've got to be kidding).

[the_real_38]

72. You have to remember ...

.... that that was 25 years ago, that he got voted out then, then came back and was elected to Congress 4 or 5 times.

One of his 'childish' decisions from which he would not back off was to not sell the City's utility company to private interests when the city was facing bankruptcy. 20 years later, he was heralded as a hero for taking that stance, saving the company millions of dollars.

[Mairead]

74. Nice point

Yes, it's worth remembering that all or most of the so-called 'intransigence' and 'unwillingness to compromise' of those years was in fact his refusal to go along with entrenched elite interests and their business-as-usual. He shifted money from the wealthy elites to the poor and the elites screamed.

[John_Shadows_1]

79. Do you have any links on...

... Kucinich's congressional campaigns. I'm very interested in knowing how he got elected to congress - I mean, how he defeated the incumbent Repbulican and subsequent challengers. The issues and the like.