'Real' Democrat Kucinich Challenges 'Retreads'

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071112/NEWS/711120034/1006/news

'Real' Democrat Kucinich challenges 'retreads'
By James Q. Lynch

The Gazette
james.lynch@gazettecommunications.com

Dennis Kucinich was "pointedly not invited" to speak at Iowa Democrats' Jefferson Jackson Day dinner, but that won't stop the Ohio congressman's campaign for the heart of the Democratic Party and its 2008 presidential nomination.

"I don't need the permission of the Iowa Democratic Party to run for president," Kucinich said Monday afternoon. "I can't be bought or bossed by any group anywhere. I don't get on my knees and genuflect to any interest groups or political machine."

Instead of hearing from a "real" Democrat, the 9,000 people who attended Saturday "heard a bunch of Democratic Leadership Council retreads," he said.

The state party confirmed that Kucinich wasn't invited because he didn't meet its criteria that candidates much have an "active campaign" in Iowa. The dinner featured speeches by Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware, Hillary Clinton of New York, Chris Dodd of Connecticut, and Barack Obama of Illinois; and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

If he had been there, Kucinich said he would have challenged Democrats "who voted for these rotten trade agreements, Democrats who are in the pockets of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies, Democrats who voted for the war and put us in this mess," Kucinich said before a fundraiser last night at the Islamic Center in Cedar Rapids.

There he talked about the Middle East and the importance of getting U.S. troops out of Iraq in order to stabilize the region. "We need to get out of Iraq and we need to do it yesterday," he said.

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IOW, only candidates with buckets full of money are welcome.

Go, Dennis, show 'em how we do it on the North Coast!

The only objective measure of a Democrat, in my opinion, is party registration papers. It's objective, and it's easily quantified. Everything else is opinion. The only thing you could quantify a politician with is his position on the issues. People put WAY TOO MUCH emphasis on party membership and sadly too little on individual principles.

Because I don't see one as far as being a "real" or "fake" Democrat, but I delineate between principles. If someone like Kucinich should be weighed by any standard, then that standard should be what he has done with the time and the hands given to him, not which party he is affiliated with.

This guy is unbelievable he's like the energizer bunny.

Not even to the Iowa party!

Go Dennis! :woohoo:
http://dennis4president.com
Choose Peace!