[Seattle-editorial] Editorial Submission: Progressive Anti-War Presidential Candidate?

Fri Jan 17 17:58:36 PST 2003

Hi Doug/Tim,

thanks for contacting us. While I would definitely like to see a Kucinich 
candicacy, IMC network policy prohibits us from endorsing candidates or 
parties. A future feature discussing party politics and the next 
presidential election, for example, could include this article as one among 
several. Alternatively, a feature to the effect that mamy progressive 
groups were urging Kucinich to run would work ok too.  But I think (as just 
one of several seattle IMC editorial workers) that this would cross the 
line of candidate endorsement.

That said, it's a great article, and I'm thankful to you for posting it! I 
hope to keep seeing your writing on our newswire.

Jonathan
Seattle IMC editorial

At 09:31 AM 1/17/2003 -0800, Doug wrote:

>I would like to submit my article I recently published, "Progressive 
>Anti-War Presidential Candidate?", for front page editorial status.  I am 
>unsure whether the article was published.  I reached the page where it 
>said that my article was published but when I refeshed the front page my 
>article did not appear.  Because of this, I'll include the full text of my 
>article at the end of email, and I'll attach the photo that went along 
>with my article.
>
>Although I'm from Cleveland writing about a Cleveland Congressman, if 
>Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) runs for Presdent it will become a Seattle and a 
>national issue.  I know of so many progressives and others on the left 
>that are disgruntled with the Democratic Party.  I am not a Democrat, but 
>Kucinich offers a political platform that appeals to a vast majority of 
>left-of-center idealogues.
>
>Included in my article is a picture of Nader and Kucinch.  In my article I 
>address the fact that Nader supports a Kucinich bid for the 
>presidency.  In the 2004 election, a united Left is needed to dethrone 
>Bush.  Here is my proposed introduction/summary for the front page:
>
>
>
>
>Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)is a progressive Democrat opposed to war and "free" 
>trade who is considering a bid for President. He refuses to put 
>corporations and profits over people and he is not afraid to stand up for 
>the common folk!  When the WTO brought its meeting to American shores, he 
>marched with the people in the streets of Seattle.  When Corporate Crooks 
>and "free" trade bankrupted LTV Steel Company and hundreds of workers lost 
>their jobs, he marched with the people in the streets of Cleveland.  When 
>Bush and the rest of the hawks declared a global war, he once again 
>marched with the people.  As crazy as it sounds, the man who was once "Boy 
>Mayor" of Cleveland, Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), quite possibly offers the 
>best hope for the Democratic Party and the American Left to dethrone King 
>George.
>
>--------------------------------------------
>
>Thanks for your time and i encourage you to give my article editorial status,
>
>Timothy Perch
>
>------
>
>Article:
>
>When the WTO brought its meeting to American shores, he marched with the 
>people in the streets of Seattle.  When Corporate Crooks and "free" trade 
>bankrupted LTV Steel Company and hundreds of workers lost their jobs, he 
>marched with the people in the streets of Cleveland.  When Bush and the 
>rest of the hawks declared a global war, he once again marched with the 
>people.  As crazy as it sounds, the man who was once "Boy Mayor" of 
>Cleveland, Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), quite possibly offers the best hope for 
>the Democratic Party and the American Left to dethrone King George.
>
>  <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
>
>As Democrat presidential candidates throw their hats into the ring, many 
>Americans wonder where the choice is.  Only one possible candidate, 
>Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) thus far actually voted against the resolution 
>on war in Iraq.  As conservative columnist, George Will noted, Graham 
>voted it down because he did not feel it was strong enough.  There is not 
>a single Democratic presidential candidate in Congress that is against war 
>in Iraq.
>
>
>
>Representative Kucinich led the Congressional push against the Iraq 
>resolution.  He boldly held a symposium against war in Iraq that included 
>former UN Chief Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter.  At the symposium, Ritter 
>claimed the US gov't "sabotaged" inspections in 1998 and the current push 
>for war is motivated by "domestic politics".  This past week, Kucinich 
>spoke at an anti-war rally in Cleveland.  In one of many anti-war speeches 
>he has given he asks, "Why is our nation preparing to use the most 
>powerful military machine in history to wage an assault against the people 
>of Iraq, to destroy their houses and buildings, to wipe out their water 
>and electric systems and to block their access to food and medical sup! 
>plies?  There is no answer which can separate itself from oil economics, 
>profit requirements of arms trade, or distorted notions of 
>empire-building."  Kucinich's anti-war stance is not his only position 
>that has resonated with progressives.
>
>
>
>When "free" trade and corporate corruption buried the LTV Steel Company, 
>he rallied with workers on the streets of Cleveland.  Teaming up with the 
>United Steelworkers of America, he successfully lobbied George W. Bush to 
>protect the domestic steel industry from unfair foreign competition.  To 
>Kucinich's credit, many of the former LTV steelworkers are back at the job.
>
>
>
>Kucinich also sees the big picture of corporate Globalization.  He 
>actually marched with protesters at the infamous WTO protests in 
>Seattle.  NAFTA is also a target for Kucinich.  More than most cities, 
>Cleveland has witnessed what Ross Perot called the great sucking sound, 
>the sound of America losing jobs.
>
>
>
>Somewhat of an internationalist, Kucinich denounced US involvement in the 
>attempted coup in Venezuela in April 2002.  (His letter to George Bush can 
>be found at 
><http://www.narconews.com/>http://www.narconews.com/).  Kucinich has also 
>participated in the campaign to close down the US Army's Latin 
>American  terrorist school, the School of the Americas (recently renamed 
>as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation).  He 
>realizes the negative effect American foreign policy has on third world 
>democracy.
>
>
>
>The media has not ignored Kucinich either.  He received lots of media 
>attention when he sued George W. Bush over the withdraw from the 1972 ABM 
>Treaty.  Kucinich and about 30 other members of Congress felt the Bush 
>should have consulted Congress and therefore, the withdraw was 
>un-Constitutional.
>
>
>
>Back when he was "Boy Mayor" of Cleveland in the 1970's, he fought the 
>privatization of public utilities. This is a far cry from the Bush 
>Administration who blocked the release of papers relating to the formation 
>of the nation's energy policy.  Evidently, Cheney formulating energy 
>policy with the crooks from Enron would be too damning.  Kucinich has 
>recently taken on the nuclear power industry and the Nuclear Regulating 
>Commission over the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant 
>fiasco.  (Davis-Besse's reactor had a hole in it that was leaking 
>corrosive coolant, and the company knew about and the NRC did not figure 
>this out for a whole two years.  Check out 
><http://www.cleveland.com/davisbesse>http://www.cleveland.com/davisbesse 
>for thorough coverage of this incident)
>
>
>
>Kucinich is also staunchly pro-environment.  According to his website, 
><http://www.house.gov/kucinich/>http://www.house.gov/kucinich/ , "he has 
>been honored by Public Citizen, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and 
>the League of Conservation Voters as a champion of clean air, clean water 
>and an unspoiled earth."
>
>
>
>After 9-11, Kucinich electrified the progressive wing of American politics 
>with his masterpiece of a speech, "A Prayer for America".  The supporters 
>of Kucinich have been urging him to run for president.  They even created 
>an entire website, 
><http://www.draftkucinich.com/>http://www.draftkucinich.com/ , for their 
>cause.   On Sunday, January 12, 2003, the Plain Dealer published a 
>front-page article discussing a possible run for the presidency for 
>Kucinich.  The article discussed how former Green Party Presidential 
>Candidate and consumer advocate, Ralph Nader, is urging Kucinich to run.
>
>
>
>This presents an interesting scenario.  Could the Democrats win over the 
>Greens with Kucinich as a Candidate?  The Democrats could win over the 
>Greens if they do not nominate another cowardly Centrist 
>Republicrat.  With Bush's approval rating falling, there is an opportunity 
>for meaningful regime change.  Kucinich will fight tooth and nail for what 
>he believes in and would make a wonderful Democratic presidential 
>candidate.  His message is clear.  Kucinich believes in an "America which 
>stands not in pursuit of! an axis of evil, but which is itself at the axis 
>of hope and faith and peace and freedom."
>
>
>
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