Anti-Bush Profiles:
Dennis Kucinich

by R. McFadden

U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich first earned fame as "boy mayor" of Cleveland, Ohio in the late 1970s.

Dennis Kucinich's campaign symbol is a light bulb, in remembrance of his valiant fight (as "boy mayor") to resist selling Cleveland's city-owned power company to some evil corporation. The banks, who were in bed with the corporation that wanted the electric company, then ruined the city's credit rating, and Cleveland went bankrupt. According to the candidate, the entire ordeal saved city-dwellers "millions on their electric bills," a testament to Dennis Kucinich, defender of the little guy.

Kucinich's personal life is one with which many modern Americans can identify closely. The candidate is twice divorced (with an adult daughter from his second marriage) and now has forsaken marriage in favor of a "long-term girlfriend."

Dennis Kucinich has been a man vocally opposed to the Bush/Cheney War Machine, ever since he stood up as one of few to vote against the USA PATRIOT Act in October 2001. Kucinich campaigned aggressively in 2002-2003 against the American invasion of Iraq, proclaiming that Iraq had neither the intention nor ability to harm America. Kucinich now proposes that the US should make preparations to hand over full control of Iraq to the United Nations. "It was wrong to go into Iraq. It is wrong to stay in Iraq. Let's support our troops by bringing them home," Kucinich said in a prepared statement.

But like many politicians, Kucinich's record is mixed with relation to Iraq. He voted against conquering Iraq in October 2002 but had, however, voted for Sen. Joseph Lieberman's Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which "authorized" the American military to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

Kucinich identifies himself as Roman Catholic (although his current girlfriend is Jewish), and a man whose beliefs on political issues is powerfully affected by Catholicism. Most notably, Kucinich's Catholic streak led him once to be labeled as a "pro-life" Democrat.

After being elected to the US Congress in 1996, Kucinich supported making "harming a fetus" a federal crime, and voted repeatedly for a federal "partial-birth abortion" ban. The Congressman earned terrible scores from concerned "watchdog" groups such as the National Organization of Women, National Abortion Rights League, and Planned Parenthood, who branded his voting record on "reproductive rights" a disgrace to any self-respecting progressive Ameri-liberal.

With newly enflamed presidential aspirations that require solidifying his progressive base, Kucinich has learned the error of his ways and the path to forgiveness among progressive forces. In a February 2003 apologetic, he revealed his powerful new conviction in support of the US Supreme Court's January 1973 "Roe v. Wade" ruling that proclaimed the right of all American women to unrestricted abortion. In Kucinich literature, the candidate says, "a woman's right to choose [to abort]" is "essential to … gender equality." And, in an about-face, Kucinich made certain his new allegiance by voting in March 2003 against the latest Republican bill to ban "partial-birth abortion" in America.

His waffle on abortion aside, Kucinich is the "progressive" choice for many Americans. Kucinich is the only vegan running for the presidency and he co-chairs the Democratic Progressive Caucus which pushes for collectivized national health care and other expansions in US government control over society.

Kucinich Platform Highlights:

• Has plans to impose a "progressive tax structure" where Americans who have any financial success will pay big time in increased work tax.
  
  
• Universal Health Care -- an unbeatable slogan!
  
  
• Withdrawal from NAFTA and from the World Trade Organization (WTO). Both are "free trade" agreements entered into in the mid-1990s during the Clinton reign.
  
  The WTO now has authority to overrule laws passed by our federal legislature, a definite threat to local control in America. Kucinich plans to institute "fair trade" agreements once these former accords are nullified. It is unclear whether this new approach to foreign trade would include imposition of tariffs on imported goods to encourage American industry.

www.kucinich.us

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* Partial-birth abortion, a primary issue in question for Kucinich, is a form of the "procedure" in which the legs of the fetus are pulled out and exposed to air while, throughout the "operation," the head and upper portion of the fetus' body remain in the womb. The fetus' head is then pierced at the base of the skull and a tube is inserted inside the skull to evacuate contents (such as the brain); now terminated, the fetus' skull is crushed and the unborn is pulled from the mother's womb and discarded appropriately.

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Reader Comments

I am for Kucinich. However, "reproductive wrongs" seems more adequate a phrase to describe partial-birth abortions. As a woman I take responsibility for my actions.
                                 -- Andrea Marshall, New York, NY

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Ideally, the need for abortion will gradually decrease as
humans take more responsibility for reproduction. It would be nice if the we could all agree: "Don't kill your
children." But history shows us that people screw, get
pregnant, and abort their children anyways, in the process potentially harming themselves. Thus government cannot and should not legislate the legality of abortion... in general.

I am all in favor of regulating how abortion is practiced in this country. Barring cases where the health of the woman is in jeopardy, and barring cases where impregnation was "forced" (such as rape, molestation, and incest), a couple (particularly the female) should be able to decide within a certain period of time whether or not to abort their pregnancy. By the third trimester, the fetus is highly viable, if not completely, and to abort the pregnancy at that stage should logically carry all the weight of child murder.

So, after laying down "ground rules," I'll get to my point. Representative Kucinich was completely justified in supporting the partial-birth abortion act. It saddens me that he has flip-flopped around on this issue just to get the votes of "reproductive extremists" (can't wait for the reaction to that one) such as NARAL, NOW, and Planned Parenthood. I'll probably vote for him anyways, for what that's worth. He appears to be the best candidate to finally balance the mess in the Middle East, while taking care of domestic issues.

Finally, while Andrea Marshall probably does not agree with my views, I like to hear that someone is taking responsibility for his/her actions. Kudos, Andrea.

                                                      -- Brian Z, Laramie, WY
                                                         13 Oct 2003

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