Unbelievable. My strength is being beaten.

[diamondsoul]

out of me. I mean it really is. Dennis Kucinich has outlasted the supposed "Sure-fire" candidates, along with Al Sharpton. Both men are steadfastly promising to keep speaking the truth right through the convention.

The media is studiously trying to stuff John Kerry down my throat which is an automatic red flag. Wes Clark drops out and endorses Kerry, whammo, let's all run for the frontrunner! Dean drops out and endorses no one yet and potentially never.

4 men left in the race and still all I hear are snickers and snide comments form people whose candidates HAVE DROPPED OUT! Unbelievable! You people want us to come courting and then snicker in our faces when we try to be decent. When we express real sympathy and concern for how you feel after investing months in a campaign, you SNICKER!

Any sympathy or caring I felt for people who have lost their candidate is being beaten out of me by the constant herd behavior, snide and sometimes downright nasty comments, the defeatism that surrounds me every day. So to all you people who have said "I like Kucinich but..." and handed your support to someone else, thanks.

You've just convinced me I may as well go crawl into bed and prepare for another election day sitting at home because what's the g-damned point.

PS the stupid thing is all you people claiming you don't want Kerry could easily make sure Kucinich is the nominee. It's real simple, see you just VOTE FOR HIM!

[alexwcovington]

1. Kucinich or Edwards?

These are the candidates I'm considering now. Why should I support Kucinich over Edwards?

[diamondsoul]

5. Several reasons.

First the Patriot Act. Edwards assisted in composing it and voted for it. Jeez, this may take some time. I'm pretty snarky right now!

I don't want a President who thinks that when something bad happens the answer is to allow law enforcement the right to peer into my private communications, my library checkouts, stop and question me based on what I happen to be reading that day, etc.

Second, the Iraq War- Edwards maintains that the invasion of Iraq was justified but that it wasn't carried out properly. Do you agree? If not then I wouldn't want to put a President in office who supports unilateral pre-emptive war.

Healthcare- Edwards talks about insuring every child in America. Wonderful, except what happens to the children when their parents get sick and die? Kucinich would fight for Universal Single-Payer healthcare covered by an employer tax of 7.4%, lower than the 8.6% employers pay on average now for healthcare.

Military, Kucinich would cut the Pentagon budget by 15% and make the DoD accountable to standard oversight practices to stop the blatant waste in DoD spending. Not only that but he'd restore Veteran's benefits and the budget allowances for the housing and other needs of soldiers and their families. (One of the cuts made to fund Iraq in the last Pentagon budget was to military housing funds.)

I'm still not clear on what John Edwards plans to do about jobs in the US, but Kucinich would withdraw from NAFTA and the WTO to renegotiate trade agreements based on workers rights, human rights and environmental protections. Edwards claims he wants to fix NAFTA. Ask yourself this, after 10 years if it was fixable wouldn't it already BE fixed? Off on a tangent there. Jobs, ending NAFTA and the WTO would keep jobs from being moved out of the US, plus a new WPA program similar to what FDR did to rebuild our infrastructure and increased efforts to make alternative energy resources usable on a grand scale will create new jobs for people who are currently unemployed.

The federal deficit, here's the thing that always tears me up- most people don't seem to realize that cutting the waste, implementing a progressive tax, putting
Americans back to work and making sure we're all healthy and decently educated will wind up bringing the deficit under control faster than any of the other candidates plans. Bringing most of our troops home from Iraq will help with that as well.

Ok, I don't want to write a novel here, so let me know if there's something specific you want to know about that I didn't mention.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. I'm sorry. I have enjoyed your posts from day one.

I support a different candidate for president but DO support Kucinich for different reasons...it's not his candidacy but his commitment to bring progressives to the table.

I'm not out to demoralize anyone but I view NO CANDIDATE nor any politician as a savior. To me saviors are the lazy way out of taking the initiative for our own world and our own realities.

It has been nasty in here. I first approached this forum with broad support for all candidates until I saw the shit flung at mine..and then regretfully joined the poop-flinging contests.

I feel people should support the person they MOST want to be President for the resons they believe most beneficial to the most people. That's what I have done all along.

[LSdemocrat]

3. Sorry to add to your frustration, but

>PS the stupid thing is all you people claiming you don't want Kerry >could easily make sure Kucinich is the nominee. It's real simple, >see you just VOTE FOR HIM!

First of all, we all have tried to back various candidates who for some reason or another and failed. For me, I honestly felt that Gov. Dean was the best candidate and would make the best president. If we couldn't get the candidate that we put our heart and soul into, how the hell are we going to get Dennis Kucinich elected. (Personally, I don't agree with him on a number of issues, but that's a discussion for another time, although he is my second choice among the active candidates, behind Edwards)

Second, a number of us are rather emotionally affected right now. A lot of people are acting irrationally, which may explain some of the snide remarks you have unfortunately received. We need time to reflect and calm down.

You need to understand that any support we do give to another candidate will be given with a broken heart knowing deep inside that we really want to be working for our original candidate.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of where we are coming from.

[DuctapeFatwa]

6. I think a lot of people sincerely like bush's policies but dont like bush

And this field of candidates has plenty to offer those folks.

Both Edwards and Kerry offer voters a chance to keep the status quo, but to have it represented by a much more attractive and well-spoken figurehead.

[AndyTiedye]

13. We Want to Preserve that Part of the Status Quo Known as Religious Freedom

Bush* & Asscroft want to make the US a fundamentalist xtian nation.
They want to overturn Roe v. Wade and ban abortion.
They want to discriminate against gays, demonize them, and criminalize them.
They are replacing social programs with "faith based" programs,
if you don't hallelujah like you mean it, you won't eat.
They have restarted the Crusades. Bush* even said so!

[spooky3]

20. good post, Andy--to say nothing of the economic disaster

caused by tax cuts for the rich, failure to enforce workplace protection laws, etc. There is NO evidence that ANY of our Democratic candidates supported those things and every indication that they oppose them strongly.

[DuctapeFatwa]

30. The two "electable" candidates support the Crusade and favor the biblical

definition of marriage. It is not clear at this point what other doctrines of a particular religious sect they wish to hard-wire into the constitution, and it may be that they are motivated less by theocracy than a sincere opposition to equal protection under the law.

The only candidates who have expressed support for significant social programs are considered "unelectable."

While the 'electable' candidates may put the policies into words that are more pleasing to some voters, it is unlikely that either crusade victims, their families, or Americans who want to go to the doctor or afford housing will appreciate the eloquence.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

14. Why don't you support Kucinich?

[diamondsoul]

8. Thanks for being so kind about it.

I do understand, believe it or not, I just needed to vent a little. It was really getting me down and then I read someone else who I had hoped was supporting Kucinich say they were going to Edwards.

How are we going to get Kucinich elected? You're kidding right? Think about it! We've been split between 9 candidates in this race. We're now down to 4. Don't you think if the majority of the supporters from the 3 who have left were to come to Kucinich we'd have a pretty decent shot at it? Not to mention how many more people would decide to back him if he actually started getting serious numbers in the upcoming Primaries!

Instead somebody says "Kucinich is unelectable." and everybody just says "Yeah, better back someone else."

[genius]

4. Right on!

Thank you.

[Desertrose]

7. I know diamondsoul...whoever would have thought it would be this way.....

I am SO PROUD that Dennis Kucinich is my first and really, my only choice....

I think today was a rough day for a lot of people....and yeah, the reactions have been interesting...but hang in dear diamondsoul....you are like your name....diamonds aren't made without a little heat & pressure.....don't give up.

You do know lots of people all over the world are rooting for Dennis & working on lots of different levels, don't you? I couldn't hang in if I didn't know Dennis wasn't going to hang in...but he is....:)

hey...get some sleep & we'll see how things change tomorrow....I hope too that people will get the picture. I told people last fall that I saw this as a threeway race..Kerry-Edwards & DK...still do. ALL things are possible!

:hug:
DR

[diamondsoul]

9. Aw I'm ok. Just got really aggravated.

And I'd been at the DFA board trying to be thoughtful and supportive. Read a couple of posts essentially making fun of Kucinich and then those of us who went over to offer moral support and just got royally ticked.:P

Then too reading some of the comments it was like "Cripes if this is the way all of the Clark and Dean supporters feel we're just screwed."

[Desertrose]

11. I figured that but just wanted to send ya

some positive energy :)

and some :hug: :hug:

so get some sleep now, eh?


:loveya:
DR

[WiseMen]

10. DK has run a great thrifty campaign. Keep going guys.

Imagine what DK could have done with the money that went into
the Dean campaign. That would have been incredible.

[diamondsoul]

12. I'll say again,

Dean and Kucinich combined could take the nomination. Now if only there was a way to get that across to the Candidates.

[Guava Jelly]

15. I disagree

Bush would win in a landslide.
you want proof
look at the primarys.
People are afraid of dennis and howard.People don't like them
LIKE is important.
They appear to like Kerry and edwards to some extent.
Not every one see's Dennis and Howard as you do or we do.
I appreciate your staunch support of these two guys but in my humble opinion you are setting your self up to be pissed and dissapointed when Kerry or the long shot edwards gets the nod.
now saying this I hope dennis stays in I wish dean and clark would have stayed in they all have something positive to bring to the debate

[OhioStateProgressive]

17. you are right, not everyone see's it the same

but the truth is omnipresent, and Dennis is the truth.

I don't mind being one of the 3-7% who is correct.

[eridani]

19. Not what I hear

What I hear is that "I really like him, but he's not electable."

[LWolf]

21. That's what I've heard, too.

It's been a steady mantra, drowning out the fact that he's best on the issues. That he's the best man, period.

We need a new mantra. One to repeat until people here it. Something simple. Suggestions?

Kucinich is the one.

Kucinich for conscience.

Kucinich for change.

Anyone else?

[diamondsoul]

28. The Primaries are not proof Bush would win.

They are proof that too many people are more afraid of Bush than courageous enough to stand up for what's right.

Yes, I'll be pissed and disappointed if Kerry or Edwards get it! That's why I'm out here trying to encourage people to change the course we're on NOW while we still have a chance! My Primary vote wil go to one of those two men because they are the only ones with any intention of making a difference. People who follow the crowd because Kerry seems to be the foregone nominee and not because they actually agree- these folks talking about falling in behind Kerry- are one of two things. Wimps to chicken sh*t to stand up to the monster we call a government or just as apathetic as people who sit home on election days. They just don't care what happens to the little guy as long as they back the "winner".

It is to puke.

[Sly Kal]

16. I was going to say watch out!

I was going to say watch out for people to start sucking up to you to get you to vote for Kerry. but I see the sucking up has already begun.

[Guava Jelly]

18. if that reply was meant for me

I wasn't sucking up I was voicing an opinion.
If you wish to live in denial watch out for crocadiles
last time i checked this was a democracy

[diamondsoul]

25. I have no intention of voting

Kerry in the Primary. That's NOT happening. I'm entirely too disappointed in everything I'm learning about him to support him for the Nominee.

Honestly though I'd rather have a little sucking up than have people intentionally trying to drive me off for nothing more than trying to show some solidarity.

[SinkingInTheRain]

22. Support the Kucinich/Dean ticket

We need to force Kerry out and let these two lead the way to victory and a better America.

[HFishbine]

23. Buck up

a lot of Dean people have Kucinich as their number 2.

[diamondsoul]

24. I know, my friend.

The thing that shocked me was that I've posted over there before and had some perfectly nice conversations. This time...well let's just say I don't know what to make of some of the behaviors. Almost as if not needing my vote meant they could be as nasty to me as they wanted.

The sick part is we don't really know WHAT Howard Dean is going to do next! He might very well want my support since he's not actually "out" right now. He apparently did tell supporters to keep getting delegates. How will he do that if they're driving people away from voting for him even as a second choice?

[Turkw]

26. While it is annoying here, the real culprit is the media, when I made the

promise to write a letter for Dean and Kucinich each, after I sent them this is the only response I got, about the Kucinich letter: Please spare me the spam

[diamondsoul]

27. And doesn't that say it all?

Not about the Dean letter, just the Kucinich one- IOW they've heard it all before and they really DON'T care what the public wants to know! Gotta love this free flow of information in the US, don'tcha?:eyes: :puke:

[tinanator]

29. from who?

Sounds like something to make a stink of. Too bad so many seem complacent or worse about the media. The reality needs to be addressed, and there is only one candidate who will. Anyone operating under the assumption that the media might play a positive role in unseating Bush needs only look at Michael Powell. Pay attention to the man behind the curtain, recognize the Emperor's New Clothes and toss them in the trash for democracy. We need no Emperors.