Dennis Kucinich, probably the most liberal/progressive candidate for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, visited Tacoma, Olympia, and Aberdeen (in Washington State), on Friday, March 30, and I had the opportunity to see and hear him speak.
Now, let me say out in front that his politics are a bit far to the left for me on several issues, but I did come away very impressed by his demeanor, intelligence, and his sense of humor. The event in Aberdeen, held at the Bishop Performing Arts Center at Grays Harbor College, was free to the public. Between two and three hundred people attended, and, given volume of applause, and the lack of hecklers or even critical questions, (yes, he took unedited questions from the audience!), I assume most in attendance were favorable to his comments and opinions.
He criticized President Bush, as expected, but some of his harshest comments were directed at his fellow Congressional Democrats! He basically accused them of being no better than Republicans when it comes to dealing with the War in Iraq. Kucinich called the debate on the Iraqi "surge" a fake debate, and a waste of time. He informed the audience of a vote in Congress the day before which basically gave President Bush enough money to carry on the war through July, 2009, well past the end of his presidency. The next day, I saw that CNN reported on that same information.
All in all, while I don’t think Kucinich has much chance to overtake Hillary, Obama, or Edwards, if we had a vote on intelligence, honesty, and "normal human beingness," he would get my vote. He speaks his mind, and to heck with whether or not it is politically correct. He does not pander to his audience, like many office-seekers do, and that will cost him a chance to truly win. Issues and politics aside, the American people DO need more candidates at all levels who are as open and forthright as Congressman Kucinich.
Oh, and his British-born wife, Elizabeth, also spoke, talking about the 9/10 Forum, a plan to discuss how people viewed the world before the 9/11 attacks. She is quite striking, a tall redhead who contrasts sharply to her much shorter husband, and it is obvious that she could hold her own in a speaking forum with the other candidates wives (plus Bill, of course).
Links to articles on Kucinich’s visit to Aberdeen, Tacoma, and Olympia:
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/03/31/local_news/01news.txt
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/6440898p-5738797c.html
http://www.theolympian.com/101/story/74326.html