Kucinich for Congress
January 29, 2008
Anyone following the 2008 presidential race probably already knows that Cleveland Congressman Dennis Kucinich has finally thrown in the towel and ended his bid for the White House. What few know is that Kucinich's congressional seat is up for grabs and there are a handful of Democrats trying to snag the Democratic nomination from him. The "front runner" in that race is Joe Cimperman, a Cleveland Councilman who, ironically, doesn't even live in Kucinich's 10th Congressional District. Cimperman has already picked up some high profile endorsements, including The Plain Dealer and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, but I just can't bring myself to throw support over to Cimperman.
Granted, Cimperman is an alum of my high school and university, I've seen him give a few speeches, and he even scored me tickets to see John Kerry in 2004, but his case against Kucinich is weak and his endorsements are misguided. Currently, Cimperman is running on a "Dennis misses votes" campaign, similar to the one launched against John Kerry in 2004.
The truth is that Cimperman's advertisements are just plain wrong. According to Callahan's Cleveland Diary, who did some digging around in the Washington Post votes database, Kucinich has missed 139 votes in this congress, hardly the 300+ Cimperman claims.
Additionally, Kucinich is a political gem. He was arguable the only Democrat running for president on a platform which he supports wholeheartedly. Kucinich's voting record backs up his convictions. Unlike the typical politician who flip flops constantly, accepts bribes from corporate titans, and represents the interest of their "investors", Kucinich ran on a platform that he truly believed was best for the American people, and no one else. He had little chance of getting the nomination because he refused to play the game the way big media, big business, and egotistical politicians want it to be played. Did he miss some congressional votes along the way? Sure. But anyone who has taken Political Science 101 should know how the congress works. If Kucinich was the swing vote on key votes, its more than likely you could find him in Washington. Sometimes there are more pressing issues than locking in a landslide victory for some bill, taking the country back from 8 years of Bush/Cheney domination qualifies in my book. The Cimperman advertisements overlooks these seemingly important details into account while blasting Kucinich (of course, thats the name of the game when it comes to political advertising).
Finally, Kucinich has single-handedly come the closest to bringing impeachment charges against both George Bush and Dick Cheney, can anyone imagine Joe Cimperman (or even other veteran congress members) getting up in front of the congress and trying to pull that off? Kucinich isn't just important to the people of Cleveland, he is important to the entire country, which is why any readers of this blog need to help the voters of Ohio's 10th congressional district understand why the PD, Frank Jackson, and the Cimperman campaign are misguided. Cleveland has fallen on hard times, but to think Joe Cimperman alone can save the city from its distress, and that Kucinich can do nothing right, is ill-minded. Kucinich deserves so much more credit and respect than he's given; keeping him in office is a good way to say thank you for standing up for our country.
Granted, Cimperman is an alum of my high school and university, I've seen him give a few speeches, and he even scored me tickets to see John Kerry in 2004, but his case against Kucinich is weak and his endorsements are misguided. Currently, Cimperman is running on a "Dennis misses votes" campaign, similar to the one launched against John Kerry in 2004.
The truth is that Cimperman's advertisements are just plain wrong. According to Callahan's Cleveland Diary, who did some digging around in the Washington Post votes database, Kucinich has missed 139 votes in this congress, hardly the 300+ Cimperman claims.
Additionally, Kucinich is a political gem. He was arguable the only Democrat running for president on a platform which he supports wholeheartedly. Kucinich's voting record backs up his convictions. Unlike the typical politician who flip flops constantly, accepts bribes from corporate titans, and represents the interest of their "investors", Kucinich ran on a platform that he truly believed was best for the American people, and no one else. He had little chance of getting the nomination because he refused to play the game the way big media, big business, and egotistical politicians want it to be played. Did he miss some congressional votes along the way? Sure. But anyone who has taken Political Science 101 should know how the congress works. If Kucinich was the swing vote on key votes, its more than likely you could find him in Washington. Sometimes there are more pressing issues than locking in a landslide victory for some bill, taking the country back from 8 years of Bush/Cheney domination qualifies in my book. The Cimperman advertisements overlooks these seemingly important details into account while blasting Kucinich (of course, thats the name of the game when it comes to political advertising).
Finally, Kucinich has single-handedly come the closest to bringing impeachment charges against both George Bush and Dick Cheney, can anyone imagine Joe Cimperman (or even other veteran congress members) getting up in front of the congress and trying to pull that off? Kucinich isn't just important to the people of Cleveland, he is important to the entire country, which is why any readers of this blog need to help the voters of Ohio's 10th congressional district understand why the PD, Frank Jackson, and the Cimperman campaign are misguided. Cleveland has fallen on hard times, but to think Joe Cimperman alone can save the city from its distress, and that Kucinich can do nothing right, is ill-minded. Kucinich deserves so much more credit and respect than he's given; keeping him in office is a good way to say thank you for standing up for our country.
You're right. Kucinich isn't just a congressman from Ohio. He is a national treasure. And yes, he's got some balls too. I think he is very much needed in Congress for all of our sakes.
I agree fully.
I donated $20.
I'm a Cleveland transplant to Boston -- but I still vote absentee in Ohio -- and I have a pic of Dennis at work. I was glad he was in the presidential race, bringing up tough topics and often speaking more eloquently (and more honestly) than the front-runners. I was always glad to let people here know that Dennis is my congressman. I'll absolutely be supporting his re-election campaign.
I live in Oregon and he's the only Congressman that I've ever supported 100%. If you guys don't want him, we'll take him! We are sure tired of the pay-taking meth smoking waffle houses we have over in the sticks!
Great post.
I did post something but I think its got lost, ahhh whilst I was typing it.
Anyways, I love what Dennis stands for and his passion to make the world a better place. Call him an idealist? Absolutely, but as Margaret Mead said "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has".
To see this calibre of person at the helm of a country like the States would be a dream. I'm sure his star is on the rise...indeed we've seen in my home country of Australia a changing of the guard from old fogey 50s conservatism to a refreshing younger more caring Prime Minister in Kevin Rudd who speaks fluent Mandarin and is only just 50 years old, there is hope for us all! With Dennis stepping down I think Barack Obama would be the next best bet.
Does Kucinich have some wild ideas? Sure. Do I agree with him on everything? Of course not. If Dennis ever were able to get elected to the oval office I would hope the congress would help moderate his positions on a lot of issues. Important to note, however, is that I actually have faith that Kucinich would respect his position in government - he would use his office to do whats best for the people, not for his ego or the corporate elite; he wouldn't try to exert power over the congress over the courts (like some presidents) or try to break the law to get his way.
Its no surprise that the Cimperman campaign isn't running on a "Dennis is corrupt" or "Dennis doesn't stand up for the people" platform, because, well, they can't! Cimperman wants to paint a picture of a congressman who is spending his free time at the beach instead of doing his job. Sorry, but politics is Kucinich's job, and we need someone like him more than ever in the White House. Missing a few votes along the way is inevitable. Its especially ironic when you ask people what they think makes someone qualified for president; the answer is consistently congressional and senate experience. I guess that only applies if the candidate goes into retirement first?
Kucinich deserves so much more credit and respect than he's given; keeping him in office is a good way to say thank you for standing up for our country.