On Saturday about a thousand people went to the Showare Center in Kent, WA to hear speeches and a panel discussion by Dennis Kucinich, Ron Reagan, Jr., Norman Goldman, Randi Rhodes, Stephanie Miller, Mike Malloy, and Mike Papantonio.
KucinichKucinich got repeated cheers and standing ovations from the crowd. He said the expected things about ending wars, achieving fair taxation, raising the debt ceiling, protecting Social Security, and taking our government back from the corporations. He worked the crowd well.
There's absolutely no valid reason why Washington, D.C. is talking about reducing Social Security. It's rock solid through 2036. Besides, it's easy to fix, raise the FICA cap above $106,000 so the rich pay their fair share, Kucinich said.
We need another New Deal.
The 1915 Federal Reserve Act took the money power from Congress (where, according to the Constitution, it belongs) and gave it to the Fed.
The other panelists and questioners from the audience were often talking doom and gloom, but Kucinich stayed positive and inspiring.
"Find a vision so that America's future will be as bright as the day is outside." (Seattle had sun for a change this weekend.) We need health care for all, jobs for all, education for all, and peace for all. We need an America dedicated to peace. End the American imperium. What's our vision? Through our creativity and our love of our country we can take back America.
In response to a question from the audience about what practical steps activists can take, Kucinich said that door-to-door contact is important. People are too isolated. Reawaken the sense of citizenship. Stand up at small meetings and talk, like that brave guy in the Norman Rockwell painting. Reclaim our capacity for citizenship door-to-door, neighborhood-to-neighborhood, block-to-block, etc.
Robert Kennedy inspired Kucinich. In a 1968 speech in Capetown Kennedy spoke to students suffering under apartheid. Each time a man or woman stands up for an ideal or strikes out for justice, he sends out ripples of hope. Ripples create a current which sweeps out resistance. We can defy powers which seem omnipotent. I refuse to believe we cannot change the world. Project the fire. We can make the night a bright place.
With these words, Kucinich left for a red-eye flight back to Ohio. He left with a bang. The other panelists continued talking.
Mike Malloy said that when Kucinich speaks Malloy feels "sucked into his vortex of optimism."
During intermission, Kucinich walked through the crowd, shaking hands. I shook his hand and asked him if he needs help running for Congress in Washington State. He said, "We'll see." A questioner also asked him if he'll run in the 1st Congressional District, where Rep. Jay Inslee is vacating his seat to run for governor. Who knows? was the response.
On Supporting ObamaDuring the two hour event, there was much criticism of the Democrats and Obama. But at the end most of the panelists agreed that Democrats should continue to support Obama in 2012. As bad as Obama is on some issues, the Republicans will be even worse. If the GOP get control of the House, Senate, and White House, things will be very grim indeed. (Damn! Things are already pretty grim, in my opinion.)
Stephanie Miller said that people may call her an Obama apologist but , "I don't have anythying fuckin to apologize for." Obama ended DADT and did a good job given what he had to deal with. "Guess what? I'm a homo and a Jew." (Miller was drunk by now, perhaps. She was vulgar and crude throughout the event.)
Mike Malloy didn't defend Obama. In fact, Malloy said, "The Democratic Party is dead."
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