Reply #29: HawkeyeX I'm impressed by you BUT (big nice but) [View All]

for you to say Kucinich isn't electable sears my soul because of the reasons you gave.

You say Kucinich can't work both sides of the aisle? I would really like you to research how the war in Yugoslavia was ended and who worked with Tom Campbell (CA) (R) to accomplish that. Worked so hard and lobbied other Reps so successfully that Clinton had to have the votes counted and recounted, stunned that enough votes had been mustered to stop the air assault

You are repeating right-wing/centrist spin with that one. Kucinich has been re-elected in his district how many times? And with the support of Republican voters because the issues he addresses go straight to everyone.

If you are truly interested, I would be happy to do specific research on this for you but you are wrong and that Kucinich is one of the few who has consistently and successfully worked both sides of the aisle to get bills passed. There are tons of examples out there... Here are just a quick few I got from googling Kucinich and Bi-partisan. This is actually one of his strengths.

Peace
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Reps. Kucinich & LaTourette
Author Bipartisan Steel Legislation
Responds to Crises in Steel Industry
and Aging Infrastructure;
Legislation to provide zero-interest loans

http://www.house.gov/kucinich/press/infrastrc3.html

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During the general election campaign, Kucinich was endorsed by the Sun Newspaper chain, the suburban West Life newspaper, and Ohio's largest newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Even the chair of the Cuyahoga County Republicans conceded that Kucinich "championed popular causes in the district and it's hard to dislike a guy when he's out there fighting for you." Kucinich's first term in Congress demonstrated his willingness and ability to reach out across the partisan divide to work with Democrats and Republicans on challenges at the local, state and national levels. By most accounts, his greatest achievement was leading the effort to secure nearly $85 million in private, federal and state funding to construct needed overpasses and underpasses in Cleveland's West Shore communities. This success will stop a proposed near-tripling of train traffic through several densely populated West shore suburbs. Kucinich received widespread praise for his work with suburban mayors and elected officials, Norfolk Southern Railroad and CSX Transportation, and Ohio's Republican Governor George Voinovich to help secure the required funding.

<snip>

In Congress, Kucinich's bipartisan work on a national scale has focused on several areas key to the needs of his congressional district, particularly in the areas of trade policy, environmental protection, and National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) funding. Kucinich helped form a coalition of Democrats and Republicans united in defeating the Clinton Administration's effort to pass "Fast Track"; he led the early effort to support the new clean air rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and, finally, he coordinated a bipartisan effort of 201 House members to object to a proposed $1 billion cut in NASA funding, an effort which actually resulted in a $100 million increase for the space agency.

For this work, Kucinich has been praised by a wide spectrum of colleagues, including Republicans Pat Buchanan ("Another Ohioan in the great tradition of Bill McKinley") and Government Reform Committee Chairman Dan Burton ("I wish he were a Republican"), and Democratic Congressmen Dave Bonior ("Dennis has shined as brightly as anyone in his class") and Henry Waxman ("Your final grade for managing your first bill is an A+"). Kucinich's bipartisan approach is reflected in his being asked to serve as the co-chair of the House Aviation and Space Caucus, aimed at promoting the interests of NASA and the aerospace industry, and as the co-chair of the Baltic Caucus, an informal bipartisan group of House members with backgrounds and interests in issues affecting Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
<snip>

http://www.shirleymaclaine.com/i-expression/radio-denniskucinich.html
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House Takes Historic Step Against Patriot Act - In Late Night Vote Passes Bipartisan Otter/Kucinich/Paul Amendment To Withhold Money For "Sneak-And-Peek" Searches

WASHINGTON - July 23 - In a historic late night vote the United States House of Representatives passed a bipartisan amendment offered by Congressman C.L. "Butch" Otter (R-ID), Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) and Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) to withhold funding for "sneak-and-peek" searches under the USA PATRIOT Act.


http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/0724-03.htm

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Kucinich is a supporter of Representative Greg Ganske's (R-IA) Bipartisan Patient Protection Act of 2001, which mandates that health care insurers review their policies and group health plans and forbids them from discriminating against licensed health care professionals; it stipulates that insurers must offer greater benefits to consumers, including: extended medical savings account options, 100% deductions of health insurance expenses for unemployed insurees, small business health expenditure credits, and access to medical information.

Representative Kucinich cosponsored the John Conyers legislation setting October 2004 as a target date for the goal of providing affordable, comprehensive, cost efficient, preventive, interventive, equitable, timely, continuous network of health care with a rural/urban emphasis on consumer choice and reduction of red tape and paperwork. Representative Kucinich cosponsored Representative Roger Wicker's (R-MS) Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research, and Education Amendments of 2001 (MD CARE), setting in place grants and contracts for neurological research programs to treat varying forms of muscular dystrophy. He supported the Medicare Diabetes Education and Supplies Amendments, authored by former Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse (D-OR), covering self-management training and blood-testing for diabetics under Medicare. Kucinich has given his approval to Representative Ben Cardin's (D-MD) Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 1997, ensuring that emergency health services in group health plans are properly carried out.

Kucinich endorsed a comprehensive plan authored by Representative Pete Stark (D-CA), entitled the Medicare Early Access Act of 1998, committed to: making group health plans with limited premiums available to those between the ages of 62 to 65 who are not yet eligible for Medicare; giving medical benefits to displaced workers between the ages of 55 to 62; setting up a national trust fund composed of collected premiums; and continuing COBRA coverage to retirees and extending its benefits to any of their dependents. Kucinich was a firm endorser of Congressman Bill Young's (R-FL) National Bone Marrow Registry Reauthorization Act of 1998, allowing public disclosure of registered statistics for donor searches. He was a cosponsor of Representative Rosa DeLauro's (D-CT) Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 1997, adding Social Security benefits to pay for senior citizens' nutrition therapy under the direction of certified dieticians and nutritionists. He endorsed Congresswoman Nancy Johnson's (R-CT) Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 1999, financing dietary nutrition therapy for Medicare beneficiaries.

http://www.votewithavengeance.com/kucinich.html
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----- On the Yugoslavia vote (which I already researched on the house site- the final tally was 213 to 213 I believe):

WORKED WITH several members of Congress, building opposition to giving the President war powers authority. The decisive moment was April 28. On that day, the House of Representatives voted, in a test of the War Powers Act, not to give the Administration full authority in the war, including the ability to use ground troops. This single vote may well have been the turning point of the war. The White House and Democratic leaders held a relentless series of meetings to lobby for the war, including small focus groups with members of Congress, caucus meetings, and whip meetings to organize floor counts and check and recheck the vote. They were stunned when the vote ended in a tie, defeating the measure and forcing the Administration to look toward diplomatic channels to end the conflict.

http://www.progressive.org/kuc899.htm