Very good Missy and very funny. I think a Presidential candidate that will say * read my lips ..taxes pay for schools ..taxes pay for hospitals..* they would get my vote. If indeed I weren't in Scotland. Be they the least presidential looking....in fact I think a fair guide should be the very opposite of the past ...broken family ..divorced..definitely gay black and short..she would get me straightaway. Paul

by Hamish (45 articles, 0 quicklinks, 68 diaries, 210 comments) on Sunday, Dec 17, 2006 at 12:34:25 AM

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Among potential candidates of the two major parties, only Dennis Kucinich has never sold his soul(kucinich.us).

by djk (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 24 comments) on Sunday, Dec 17, 2006 at 8:14:08 AM

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Has any other president ever revealed more determination to make himself Dictator than George W. Bush? This "Unitary Executive" has usurped the balance of powers, seizing more power unto himself than all other president combined. Bush and his authoritarian idolizing political appointees, along with goose stepping congressional supporters are stomping our Constitution. Has our "Free Press" failed to notice, or are they enabling this blatant dead-end detour to fascism? Has the Supreme Court failed to notice, or are they ideological mutants for tyranny? Have a majority of Americans failed to notice, or are they simply blowing in the wind, hoping for some great and courageous leader to emerge and save them? Great and courageous leaders don't reveal themselves until they are absolutely certain which way the wind is blowing. We the people can't wait for timid Democrats to grow a backbone. Every day that George W. Bush retains power, he will commit more crimes against humanity. We must demand the impeachment of the entire Bush/Cheney criminal cabal. We must gather like a hurricane and rip through Washington, cleansing the capitol of hate-mongers, war-profiteers, corrupters, polluters and fascists.

by rabblerowzer (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 227 comments) on Sunday, Dec 17, 2006 at 9:53:21 AM

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Why is it that, whenever I mention "Dennis Kuccinich" people look at me as if I am naming an exotic disease or speaking a foreign language? True- the man has very radical ideas (Like a DEPARTMENT OF PEACE and off the wall ones - like UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE), and true he has "firstand experience" of what it's like to be dirt poor living out of an abandoned car, and what it takes to become a highly educated elected official, but should this disqualify him from being backed by his party for the prsidency? Are the news media AFRAID of this guy? Will somebody please tell me whats up? He comes with precious little baggage, Wants what basically anyone might want (Health care for thier family, an opportunity for higher education, and peace for our country), and has a number of good ideas where to spend the tax bucks "we are already spending" for purely destructive purposes, yet this guy can hardly get his (somewhat odd sounding) name known. True he isn't particularly hansome or very photogenic,(could this be the problem? sell-abilty? He would sure have my vote!!! From a uniqu-ness standpoint, true he's not Female - or non-white, but he is "single". Thats a start - right?

by Brad Salkind (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Sunday, Dec 17, 2006 at 1:03:57 PM

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Dennis Kucinich has married his lovely Elizabeth, an intelligent, dedicated and breathtakingly beautiful woman who ardently supports her husband's agenda. So, the bachelor thing no longer applies but he has proven something else. He is a man of small physical stature and common looks who has "something" else which contributed to bringing this awesome partner to his side....things a PRESIDENT at one time was required and still should possess: intelligence, empathy, integrity, patience and the ability to play well with others. I can only hope that the all-important money a presidential canditate is required to raise comes a little easier so that more people will be able to hear what Dennis has to thoughtfully and skillfully say!

by libinaples (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 5 comments) on Sunday, Dec 17, 2006 at 3:32:39 PM

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Dennis Kucinich has been a great representative and is definitely a politician with a moral compass. Many progressives can go to the polls and vote for Dennis knowing they have made an informed decision for a principled candidate whom actually stands for what we believe in. The question of Dennis' viability does not rest with his base, but with the rest of the voters, though. And, viability does matter. I wholeheartedly supported Dennis in the last election. It is far too early for me to decide on who I will be supporting in the '08 election. I expect this election will be a replay of the last one with a huge field of Democratic candidates, and I will wait, listen, and research all of them before deciding; but that's just me, and a very small percentage of voters. Having run three campaigns for the state legislature, I have learned the hard way that the vast majority of voters go to the polls uninformed. They vote for a wide variety of reasons including height, appearance and looks, name recognition, marital status, gender, race, religion, and ethnicity. They want answers to these questions: how much money has the candidate raised, is the candidate likable, who are the candidate's friends, does the candidate have a pet, who's the candidate's favorite recording artist, and others that neither speak to issues nor the record. These are the folks who elected George Bush. They did not care about his abysmal record as a businessman or governor of Texas, and we ended up with a guy who stayed true to form and created an abysmal record as president. Progressives need to hold onto our ideals, but we also need to be pragmatic. This country cannot sustain another president like the outgoing one. If your candidate is Dennis Kucinich, or someone else who may or may not have yet thrown his/her hat into the ring, the best option is to get involved in your state and local Democratic Party organization. It will take the delegates voting at convention to nominate our candidate. These are the folks who decide and you can be and should be one of them. We can posture all we want, but if progressives want change in the presidency and in the way the Democratic Party does business, then it's high time we roll up our sleeves and get to work. There are good reasons to vote for Kucinich, and there are good reasons to vote for someone else. It's a numbers game and until we elect a progressive majority to Congress who will put in place real electoral reforms including IRV, public financing of campaigns, and pass legislation that requires paper ballots, manual recounts, and open source coding for electronic voting machines, we will have to keep playing the game or opt out. Too many have chosen the latter. Unfortunately, the numbers game is a losing one for Dennis. Can we expect the silent majority to swing from the far right to the far left in one election cycle? Miracles do happen, but considering the lack of involvement by citizens in the process, it's not at all likely. Couple that with the control the DLC exerts in the Democratic Party structure, and we have a recipe for failure. Only a Democratic Party transformed by active progressives will overcome the well-established and well-funded DLC candidates. I want progressives to have a win this time out. We need to bring our collective voice to bear on this process or we could end up having to choose between the likes of Hillary Clinton and John McCain. No thank you! As the Co-Chair of the Utah Democratic Progressive Caucus (UDPC), I have seen the benefits of organizing within the Democratic Party, pulling it back to it's roots as the party of the working guy, the party that fights poverty, protects the environment, and the party that balances budgets. More and more progressives are working in and forming progressive caucuses. When the UDPC formed in 2003, only one other progressive caucus was operating – in Texas! Now there are at least fourteen of them, and we're making an impact, but we need fifty of them. Progressive Democrats of America (pdamerica.org) and others are organizing outside the party to bring change inside the party, too. There are numerous ways to get involved, but however you do it, remember it's going to take a while to break the dysfunction in our political system. It's going to require real work in our communities, helping to educate voters not only on the candidates but also on their obligation to make an informed decision and their duty to participate in our advanced democracy. Well, not so advanced anymore! When progressives have control of the Democratic Party and Congress, candidates like Dennis Kucinich will no longer have to play the numbers game, and voters can go out about the process of electing the best candidate for the job instead of the best funded, best looking, most Christian, straightest, white guy in an Armani suit with an easy name to spell.

by laurabonham (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 4 comments) on Monday, Dec 18, 2006 at 7:40:58 AM

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