Dennis is Done

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, the liberal firebrand who has represented that state’s 10th congressional district since 1997 and ran for president not once but twice, lost his re-election bid to fellow House Democrat Marcy Kaptur after they were redistricted into the same district.

I wrote glowingly about Kucinich, who served as mayor of Cleveland when I was in high school, before (see “A politician who makes sense,” July 30, 2011). I think it’s too bad that a guy who says what needs to be said becomes the butt of Jay Leno’s jokes rather than a revered statesman. (Is anyone on the planet less funny than Jay Leno, by the way? I think not.) I also once referred to Kucinich as an idiot which was a foolish, immature mistake on my part.

Dennis and Elizabeth Kucinich

Yes, his support of a cabinet-level U.S. Department of Peace is a tad goofy and I would have advised him against suing the House cafeteria because an olive pit damaged his tooth, but two or three silly moves in a congressional career spanning 15 years do not a buffoon make.

Kucinich was a passionate critic of Dubya’s “War on Terrorism” and his unjustifiable invasion of Iraq. In fact he called the Iraq war an “illegal occupation” and voted against a resolution commemorating September 11 because it didn’t mention "the lies that took us into Iraq, the lies that keep us there, the lies that are being used to set the stage for war against Iran and the lies that have undermined our basic civil liberties here at home."

He deserves praise for this alone, but there are other reasons why I’m disappointed that he lost last night:

• He also opposed the war in Afghanistan and has advocated for increased dialog with Iran in order to avoid another military confrontation.

• He voted against the Patriot Act and the ridiculous impeachment of Bubba Clinton.

• He opposes the death penalty, offshore drilling, privatizing social security and the failed “War on Drugs.”

• He supports the abolition of all nuclear weapons, withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – he thinks it causes more American jobs to be lost than created and fails to adequately protect workers and the environment – and signing the Kyoto Protocol.

• He supports gun control, same-sex marriage and legalizing medical marijuana.

Kucinich was an important voice in Washington. First, Ted Kennedy died. Then Anthony Weiner and Alan Grayson were taken out. Then Barney Frank announced his retirement, and now this. Another principled spokesperson for progressive public policies in Congress is lost.

I don’t know much about Marcy Kaptur. I know she almost ran as vice president on Ross Perot’s Reform Party ticket in 1996. She opposes free trade agreements, spoke out against greedy Wall Street executives for causing the 2008 financial crisis and supports alternative energy sources like wind and solar power. She seems like a good choice – but she’s no Dennis Kucinich.

And that’s too bad.


Source: National Public Radio.