Dear Progressives or People for Change,
The Iowa victory yesterday for Obama and Huckabee has set the “narrative” for this presidential election. Obama’s victory was expounded upon by Barack as a victory for “change.” Across the aisle, Huckabee may not have mentioned it, but he was quoted talking about “change” on Jay Leno the night prior to his victory as he nearly endorsed Obama for going after “horizontal politics” in this nation or how we divide ourselves into red and blue states. A victory of this kind for both parties allows for the next part of the campaign, New Hampshire, to be about “change” as well.
Obama’s rhetoric on “change” may just be rhetoric for victory. But let’s just say that all he has said is really going to happen in an Obama presidency. Did what he spoke of in his victory speech really turn you on to him? Did you really get chills up your spine as he told you he would bring affordable health care to America? Did you really feel tingling in your nerves as he said he would be the one to harness ingenuity among farmers to fight oil dependency? Did you really feel invigorated and inspired as he said he would be the one to cut across red states and blue states for change which would mean bringing our troops home during his presidency?
Or, did you wonder just how he hopes to bring about all this “change”? Did you wonder just why he has conned us progressives into settling for so little? Did you wonder how all he speaks of could seem groundbreaking to him? And did you wonder how he could be saying “we” (which I will take to mean his progressive base of voters in Iowa that propelled him to victory) were united in Iowa today when the results show a three-way divide between Edwards, Clinton, and him that was pretty even?
I’m not ignorant to the fact that he was doing theatre yesterday night after his victory. The stage was set for his glorious Martin Luther King Jr.-esque moment where he was given over ten minutes to speak of hope and glory for a better future in America. The lights were pointed at him and the Americans following today’s events were tuned in. Yet, he did not seize this moment as a victory for black people in America because he is not a black candidate taking up black issues. Or, allow me to rephrase that: He is not taking up issues poor people (which would include a majority of blacks) wish to be dealt with.
His supporters have told me time and time again that you cannot expect him to be leading on issues like Katrina, the Black Gulag, impeachment, 9/11 investigations, criminalization of marijuana, militarization of poor youth, Iraq, etc. because he is a candidate for ALL AMERICANS and not just black people.
That faulty logic aside, you cannot laud Obama for making an advancement for black people when in no part in that victory speech did he speak of how great a day this was for African-American history.
Change is just cheap-talk when you never have to back it up, which he could have done. Instead, he chose to remain silent when protesters were arrested outside his office the day before his Iowa victory.
Now, turn your attention to the second-tier. The second-tier was Gravel, Dodd, Biden, and Richardson and two of them, Biden and Dodd, officially dropped out of the race after Iowa. Gravel unofficially dropped and then became angry at MSNBC as he claimed he had never withdrawn. Needless to say, it appears that we have whittled down the field of candidates to five.
With the field of candidates down to five, it becomes like this: Richardson and Kucinich on one side of the ring and the establishment “progressives” on the other side of the ring, Edwards, Obama, and Clinton.
Will the debate to be held sponsored by ABC News/Facebook/WNUR allow Dennis Kucinich to debate? It remains to be seen but it appears that Ron Paul might be excluded in the Republican debate despite beating Giuliani in Iowa.
Dennis Kucinich gave up on Iowa as it became obvious that the establishment of the Democratic Party did not want him to affect the turnout for Obama or Clinton or Edwards for that matter in Iowa. He was not allowed to go to the Tom Harkin Steak Fry, the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner, and the Des Moines Register Debate. Not being allowed to as the months progressed to be a part of the hullabaloo in Iowa led Kucinich to just ditch Iowa and focus his resources on New Hampshire, which is where he plans to begin winning states so he can become the Democratic Party’s nominee.
Since he gave up months before Iowans registered votes, it is unreasonable to look at the results and say how he will do in New Hampshire. Dennis has been holding dialogues for democracy in New Hampshire on impeachment and the Constitution for months now. He has been holding rallies and more rallies in New Hampshire where he goes on to the streets and talks with every day New Hampshire residents about the issues most important to them. Among them have been health care and the Iraq war, which are the two issues Obama hopes to bring “change” to but fails to realize that Kucinich is further ahead of him on the Middle East and health care than he could ever have the audacity to hope for because Kucinich advocates troops out in 3 months and single-payer health care.
On New Year’s Eve, Kucinich held the “Resolution for Peace” in New Hampshire. A party and concert began at 9 p.m in Manchester and was open to the public. It was televised on the community access channel in the area. Kucinich spent time talking about the upcoming year and also focused on the plight of the area’s homeless and how he can identify with what they are going through based on his past experiences in his childhood.
Dennis Kucinich won the polls for The Nation, Progressive Democrats of America, and Democracy for America.
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