Kucinich for HHS?

[dem629]

I think we need someone in there who will be a bulldog on health care. Or is he too far from Obama's vision of the plan? Thoughts?

[Mudoria]

1. No

Howard Dean please

[dem629]

3. Wouldn't be as effective.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

11. Because Kucinich has been so effective as a congressman?

I'd love to see a list of accomplishments that Kucinich has actually gotten done and not just proposed/pontificated about.

[phleshdef]

The people in his district feel like he has been effective for them.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

24. That still doesn't mean he's gotten anything done.

It just means that he's accomplished getting his constituents to like him. Jim Jones accomplished that too.

[SuperTrouper]

2. No

[mikelgb]

4. I'm all there but I'd much rather a Peace Depmt with him at the head

bring on the he's too short haters...

moonbat kucinich!...

[dem629]

7. The State Dept. is supposed to be the "Peace Dept."

[mikelgb]

12. no, not really

not as to what Dennis has laid out

Peace Dept would have foreign as well as domestic tasks to promote non-violent principles and conflict resolution

[PBS Poll-435]

5. No

nt

[Uzybone]

6. Hilarious.

[dem629]

8. Why do you hate short people?

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. Dennis certainly has the right ideas on health care

But I don't think we need to be taking him (or anyone else) out of Congress right now.

[Kittycat]

10. No. Didn't we learn from Clinton on Healthcare...

We don't need, nor can we afford another hyper partisan. We need someone that can do the job, without ruffling too many feathers by being so brash about it.

[mikelgb]

13. Clinton = Kucinich?

[Kittycat]

14. Hyper Partisan = Hyper Partisan

Kucinich represents the far left wing of our party, and we all know and respect him on that. However, we need someone that is far left on this issue, but comes off as not only an expert, but a moderate on some other issues.

[mikelgb]

16. they both claim to be in the same party...

how can they both be "hyper-partisan" and differ so widely on many issues?

[Kittycat]

25. *sign* Do you not get it? It's the approach.

It's like standing in the shower and picking between a brillo pad, or a soft sponge. You might not like it - but the soft sponge is often preferred while bathing.

[mikelgb]

39. How do Clinton and Kucinich compare in any way?

I don't agree with your assessment.

As to your analogy... while no, I don't want to bathe with a Brillo pad, I do prefer something a bit abrasive (you know, like one of those 'falafel' things) to get the job done right. Soft sponges move around the top layer of dirt while allowing the germs underneath to wreak their havoc!

[snowsman]

31. But why does he have to come off as moderate in other issues?

I don't quite understand the need for centrism in other areas.

[eridani]

43. Thanks ever so much for the Repuke horseshit

Agreeing with their definition of "far left," really helps all us little people just like they've been doing for the last 30 years. By the rational standards of the rest of the world, Kucinich is a mildly center left pol.

[harun]

28. You are delusional if you think Health Care in this country can be reformed w'out ruffling feathers.

[Kittycat]

30. You're delusional to think that beating people in the head gets them to support you.

That's exactly where our party went wrong years ago. And exactly what Obama is trying to change.

For every one person you get to support it, five others turn away in disgust.

[snowsman]

32. Agree. We need a pragmatic centrist moderate bipartisan compromiser like Daschle

His friendship with Republicans would have made him the perfect choice, by some people's logic.

[Kittycat]

37. Oh brother - you all need to take an exlax. Seriously.

Sit there and spin what I said, when you know you're wrong. Why do you bother here? Go blast your bullshit on fox news, be the crazy liberal that everyone laughs at and gets nothing accomplished.

[eridani]

41. Clinton was not hyperpartisan--she let the insurance companies write her plan n/t

[Occam Bandage]

15. Nah. I don't want to sound small-minded, but I think that proposal comes up a bit short.

Don't think I'm short-changing your ideas, now. I think there's a little bit of truth to what you say--but only a little. Personally, I think he's no mental midget, but I worry he'll be a tiny bit stumped when it comes to working in a non-partisan manner; I think some of the necessary nuances might go right over his head. I'm not sure he has the necessary public stature for the job, and while Obama's mark of approval might give him a boost, getting a Kucinich nomination off the ground would be a tall order any way you look at it. When you get down to it, I don't think that nomination would have legs.

[mikelgb]

17. You Dirty Son of a Bitch!

:rofl:

[riqster]

18. LOL

:rofl:

[hileeopnyn8d]

20. I hate myself now but...

I lol'd

[Phoonzang]

29. You win the thread. nt

[SIMPLYB1980]

34. LoL! Could you shorten that please.

:evilgrin:

[riqster]

36. 'twas the height of hilarity nt

[riqster]

19. He's too valuable where he is

It's good to have a hard-assed ideologue in the caucus.

[slipslidingaway]

21. Kucinich wants single-payer, that is not the Obama plan. n/t

[Radical Activist]

22. He's not an administrator.

He's better off with a small staff and his congressional soap box.

[Phx_Dem]

23. HELL NO.

[mmonk]

26. His plan is correct but this country is full of heavily propagandized

people who owe their allegiance and soul to the corporate solutions doctrine and the parties are no different. Anyone is is not of the prevailing doctrine will be vilified, even here.

[harun]

27. He is right too often for a promotion in D.C.

Which is unfortunate, I would back him 100%.

[Thrill]

33. No one far left like that is going to get a job like this which requires working with Repukes

[eridani]

44. If you recall the House stimulus package vote, it does not require working with Repukes n/t

[Fireweed247]

35. Obama's vision of including insurance companies in health 'care' is wrong

The insurance companies are taking all of the profit from not caring for the American people, and they are not going to just go away nicely.

Kucinich is a great speaker and if people listened to him they would understand exactly how to fix the health care system. In fact he already has a bill in Congress for universal single payer health care and the support of 100 other Representatives.

I don't think Obama will choose him, but there is no excuse not to pursue this legislation as the solution we need.

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

38. lol .nt

[snowsman]

40. Kucinich is too radical. Only 54% support Single_Payer system

How Hillary-esque.

Poll: http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-voter-worries-highlights

[ddeclue]

42. K&R!!!!

THIS would make me very happy...

another alternative would be John Edwards...

both look out for the little guy.

Doug D.

[peanut]

45. never anyone who was EVER anti-choice

Sorry, Kucinich spent part of his more "low profile" political career being a good Catholic and being anti-choice. Miraculously saw the light on this issue once he considered running for president... I'm sick of people who consider politicizing women's bodies and health OK being up for anything. Especially HHS Secy. I'd rather have a tax cheat health expert, frankly.

[SoxFan]

50. Oh, goody. Another pup tent Democrat.

So, you'd like to see Rick Santorum back in the Senate? How progressive of you...

[mvd]

46. Would rather have him in the Congress

A single-payer advocate would be a nice surprise, though.

[Omnibus]

47. I'd like to see him as Performance Czar.

He's just the guy we need going over the budget line by line.

It's pretty unlikely, though. Too bad.

[Norrin Radd]

48. Hell yes.

[MadHound]

49. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see it happen,

But it's not going to happen under an Obama administration. Far too centerist and corporatist an administration to appoint Kucinich, or frankly any other liberal, to a position of such significance.

God forbid we don't have an enabler for Big Pharma and Big Insurance in the HHS spot.