Voinovich and Cleveland PD take aim at Kucinich

[OzarkDem]

They hate his opposition to the Iraq war so much, they'll say or do anything to hurt him. Voinovich even has one of his "former staffers" running against him. Of course, they're playing the pro choice card to the hilt.

Kucinich rivals take aim at record, views on abortion, war

...

Opponents jockeying for the Democrat's job in May's primary election say Kucinich is more in sync with the West Coast liberals he cultivated during his presidential run than his socially conservative constituents on the West Side of Cuyahoga County.

While Kucinich presents himself as a fighter for local concerns, his challengers say he's out of touch. They say voters they've met at ward meetings and bingo halls are peeved with the incumbent's flip-flop from anti-abortion to pro-choice, ag gravated by the congressional votes he missed while campaigning for president, annoyed by his opposition to the Iraq war and unimpressed with his legislative record.




http://www.cleveland.com/world/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1145729863279110.xml&coll=2

[PSPS]

1. All public policy should be decided by people in bingo halls

[MuseRider]

2. Seems to me that will be a hard

record to smear since he goes out of his way to explain himself and has stood honestly through out. I don't recall but I seem to remember he missed few votes while campaigning. He was wearing himself out going back and forth just to be there for the votes.

[OzarkDem]

3. They'll make it hard for him to get his message out

I'm actually surprised they printed his response, they usually don't. They're also trying to get a lot of mileage out of the candidacy of the loony woman who is running as a Dem against him (she ran as an independent last time).

Kucinich will prevail, but no doubt they're really putting the pressure on him to keep him from speaking out against the war and Bush crimes. Seldom does the local cleveland news media give serious coverage to anything Dennis says, the usually ignore him or ridicule him. He gets better coverage in the national news media. They know it works to a degree because most of his base of support in his district are poor or elderly or both and don't have access to other news outlets.

[MuseRider]

6. HE GETS MORE COVERAGE

NATIONALLY? Holy crap, do they ever even mention him in Cleveland? LOL, that is really really bad.

Just from what I know of him they can pressure him all they want, he is not going to back down. He is mature enough to know when he has made a mistake and reconsider and change but he will never back down on this issue. He knows he is right about this.

I heard here that the woman (Dem) running against him is getting support from the Republicans. :eyes: There is simply no hope of getting someone into a national office anymore who is totally honest and not bought and paid for is there? Well, not without a lot of heartache anyway.

[OzarkDem]

9. Ferris (his primary opponent) is shifty

She blew into town a couple of years ago and tried to make friends with Dem women leaders, lots of charm, etc. She encouraged some women to say they would support her if she ran for office (they actually were supporting a number of women to run). At the last minute she switched races, said she was running against Kucinich and listed all these women as Dems who endorsed her campaign.

Needless to say everyone dropped her like a hot potato. She's incredibly dishonest. We still don't know where she came from or what she was doing before she came to town.

I have no trouble believing she's taking money from the GOP. She also has a number of relatives with the same last name who are active in the Cleveland blogger community, ostensibly as "progressives" who do nothing but bash Dems.

[Aaaargh]

8. Predictable as the sun rising in the east

The PD has always tried to undermine Kucinich. It's no use, he'll stomp his primary opponent and be re-elected easily. But isn't it nice, actually HAVING primaries? That way, popular-but-embattled candidates can demonstrate their strength with voters prior to general elections. Plus, local party-members get to decide who their nominees will be, rather than corrupt operatives from out-of-state deciding for them.

Kucinich takes care of people in his district, and his constituents know it. As for 'message,' he won't back down at all on his position on the war -- unlike some other prominent Democratic candidates in Ohio.

[OzarkDem]

10. Good primaries are ok

But staged ones with opponents who are on the GOP payroll and use up a candidates hard earned campaign funds with nasty negative campaigns aren't helpful to anyone except the GOP.

[blm]

5. And Kucinich's voters know he is out there WITH them out of LOVE, concern

and true compassion for their lives and the lives of their families. They know Dennis a LONG time and trust him. This attack on him sounds desperate.

[MuseRider]

7. Yes it does.

I would die to live in a district of his or even a Democrat! Even a DINO would be nice although it would probably frustrate me just as much as Ryun does. I am going to meet with his (Ryun's) competiton tomorrow.

[partylessinOhio]

4. PD is full of sh!t !

PD is a republican paper and they have always supported republican candidates.

They can't touch Dennis.

The PD should be talking about Cleveland being a crumbling city with increasing poverty. A government that shuts down a fire station in a working class neighborhood in spite of large citizen protests. A city board that voted to take the old businesses and parking lots in the flats by eminent domain and hand it to a rich developer for condos.

The PD has a full plate of issues but they would rather pick on the dessert item!

[OzarkDem]

11. PD responsible for Cleveland's failure

They would rather play kingmaker and make their rich friends happy than see the city revitalized. Their corruption has infected all of northeast Ohio and is largely responsible for the current monopoly on Ohio government by the corrupt GOP.

They've also lead the way in trying to cover up the corrupt voting process in Ohio.

[HughBeaumont]

12. Doesn't surprise me, it's run by a schmoozing, sleazeball BushBot.

http://freetimes.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=3005

Asschaskee's paper didn't support a candidate in 2004. Reason? He adamantly stated "The Plain Dealer WILL endorse Bush or no one at all". I guess "no one at all" won, because his editorial board favored to endorse Kerry. This fat pig can't leave soon enough and I hope Bucky O'Brien goes with him.