Introducing Dennis Kucinich

By Steve Cobble, PDA Board Member
June 26, 2007, Washington , DC

This is the second in an ongoing series of articles on the Edwards and Kucinich campaigns.

PDA Board member Steve Cobble, an associate fellow of the Policy Institute Studies, introduced Dennis Kucinich at the Take Back America Conference in June. Here is the text of Cobble's speech:

Good morning. My name is Steve Cobble. I’m a cofounder of Progressive Democrats of America and a cofounder of www.AfterDowningStreet.org

Thirty-five years ago this week, I was elected a national convention delegate for George McGovern at the age of 20. Why was I for McGovern? Because he was the one working hardest to end the Vietnam War.

Twenty years ago, I joined the Jesse Jackson for President Campaign as national delegate coordinator. It was a great campaign, the most incredible multi-racial, electoral insurgency this nation has ever seen. It changed the Democratic Party, and changed America. Why was I for Jackson? Because he was—and still is—the living bridge to Dr. King’s movement for peace and justice.

Five years ago, I joined up with Dennis Kucinich. Why? Because he had the character to lead the fight against the invasion of Iraq even when George W. Bush’s poll ratings were near 90%. When others were in hiding—at best—he risked his career to oppose an illegal, immoral war launched by a hugely popular, vindictive Administration.

Dennis Kucinich was the first to stand up against invasion in February 2002, more than 5 years ago. Dennis didn’t just give a speech, or cast a vote—both of which were brave and unique in their own right—he led.

He spearheaded the fight in the House in 2002 to deny President Bush his fig leaf of an authorization to go to war. He sued to block the war. He spoke at peace rallies, including in New York City on February 15, 2003, when the world said no to war. He challenged Bush’s war on the same night Bush launched it, when others ducked for cover.

We offered the first comprehensive plan to get the troops out of Iraq—not last month like some, not last year, but in September 2003.

Dennis was first to call for bringing the mercenaries home, and closing the bases. He had the integrity to challenge his own party caucus on the privatization and theft of Iraqi oil, calling it a war crime. He is the only one running who voted not to go to war; and he has consistently—alone among the contenders—voted not to fund the continuing occupation. And he uses that word. Not civil war. Occupation.

Here are some other words he speaks in public: Empire. War crimes. Nonviolence.

Dennis didn’t stop there. He’s the candidate who voted against the Patriot Act, at a time when it was regarded as politically dangerous to do so. Why? Well, for one thing, he actually read it.

Dennis Kucinich is the only one running who supports single-payer, not-for-profit national health care. Medicaid for All. He and John Conyers are leading this fight, and introduced their single-payer bill a couple years ago. So when you hear other people saying they have the best plan, or the first plan, or the most comprehensive plan, let’s just say they’re mistaken. Dennis was there first.

Just as he was there first on fair trade. Do you think any of the other candidates thought about going to Seattle in the fall of 1999 to be with the “turtles and Teamsters” as they challenged corporate free trade? Yeah, right.

But Kucinich was there. He’s been a leader on the fair trade issue all his life, because he’s seen first hand what low-wage, corporate-driven trade has done to his home city of Cleveland—first the jobs went to Mexico, then they went to China. And now, as Dennis said in the last debate, “we borrow money from China to pay for an illegal war in Iraq.”

Dennis Kucinich has shown enough leadership to compile a long list of “firsts” or “stand-alones” or “only’s” that I could bring up, from protecting public utilities to introducing a bill to have all our elections conducted by verifiable paper ballots to challenging President Bush on threatening Iran.

Remember the last Presidential debate, the New Hampshire debate? Who else but Dennis promised to cut the military budget by 25%; who else even mentioned fair trade and the WTO; who else but Dennis reminded us that it was NAFTA that helped drive Mexican peasants off their land, and then over the border; who else would call the Iraq War “blood for oil”; who else but Dennis promised to work for the abolition of nuclear weapons; and who else had the character and integrity to say that he would not blissfully blow up a bunch of civilians if the CIA handed him the coordinates where they claimed bin Laden was?

Surprise. No one else wanted to share in that last leadership position. No one else wanted to disown assassination as an instrument of policy.

Let me end with this. There was a great moment of clarity near the finish of the first Presidential debate in South Carolina, when NBC’s Brian Williams asked if any of the other Presidential candidates would join Dennis in supporting H. Res. 333, the bill Kucinich introduced calling for the impeachment of Vice-President Cheney.

Dennis had the integrity to stand up for the Constitution. No one else would join him. Even though everyone watching, including many of you, including most Democrats, including all the other candidates, knows full well that Dick Cheney has earned impeachment.

Why am I for Dennis Kucinich?

Because in 2003, when he started running last time, he ran on the idea that the key issues that would lead us to victory were peace and fair trade.

How did we win the House back last fall? Opposition to the war and fair trade.

How did we win the Senate back last fall? Opposition to the war and fair trade.

How will we win in 2008? By paying attention to what the voters told us they wanted done when they voted in November 2006—End the war; make trade fairer.

Dennis Kucinich’s issues.

Dennis’s leadership.

Brothers and sisters, I give you Dennis Kucinich.

He has the character and integrity to lead, to stand up.

You can stand with him at www.kucinich.us

Brothers and sisters, I give you Dennis Kucinich.

Watch Dennis Kucinich deliver his comments.

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Introducing Dennis Kucinich

By Steve Cobble, PDA Board Member
June 26, 2007, Washington , DC

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Introducing Dennis Kucinich

By Steve Cobble, PDA Board Member June 26, 2007, Washington , DC

By Steve Cobble, PDA Board Member
June 26, 2007, Washington , DC