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My
Candidate
October
25, 2003
By Norma Sherry
Editor's
Note: Democratic Underground welcomes articles promoting
individual Democratic candidates for political office. Publication
of these articles does not imply endorsement of any candidate
by the editors of Democratic Underground.
Whenever I say who my candidate is, I’m either greeted with,
“What? Have you lost it?” or “He’s my choice, too!”
He’s a man of high principles. That alone sets him apart.
He’s a man of the people, for the people. That too, makes
him a novelty. He’s a man that truly believes that each one
of us can make a difference. He’s idealistic, yet pragmatic.
He’s caring, but not blindsided.
He reminds me of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Meet
John Doe, and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town; he’s pure Capra.
He’s guileless and comely. He’s easy-mannered and impassioned.
He’s every man; an average man, yet a man with a destiny few
would be willing to embark.
He’s a fighter but eloquently so. He knows the pain and anguish
of the working-class man and woman. He’s empathetic, not patronizingly
so as so many who have sought this office are, but truly has
an empathy and an innate understanding of the struggle for
survival. His words are not meaningless or empty; they come
from deep within his soul. He says what he means and means
what he says. He’s a man of profound dignity and immense character.
He’s definitely Capraesque.
He promises healthcare for every child, and affordable healthcare
for the rest of us. He believes in, and has fought for the
preservation of the Medicare system. He believes that we must
have a prescription drug plan that will reduce the cost of
prescribed medications for all Americans, with special emphasis
for the elderly population. He is also the original co-sponsor
of the Medicare for All Act. It is a bill that would assure
all Americans a universal high standard of medical care. Every
citizen would choose his or her own physician; go to their
own dentist or eye doctor. There would be equal care for every
citizen, rich or poor.
He stands firm on his belief that all Americans should have
the freedom to work in a friendly environment. That ending
discrimination is and must be the goal of society. He co-sponsored
a bill to end racial profiling by police.
He believes in healthy agriculture. He introduced first-of-a-kind
legislation to label all genetically engineered foods, HR
3377. He introduced the “Genetically Engineered Food Safety
Act of 2000”. Bill HR 3883 requires mandatory, scientifically
valid safety testing of all genetically engineered foods.
He believes in a woman’s right to choose. Personally, he
doesn’t believe in abortion, but he does believe in choice.
He holds strong to the belief that women have the right to
determine their reproductive choices, and that criminalizing
abortion would be unconstitutional.
As the elder of seven siblings, he knows first-hand the
struggle of families and of mother’s in particular. As has
been his practice in all his years of political life, he would
continue to invest his energies and create programs that would
instill and promote the ideals of family while teaching parenting,
family planning, contraception and sex education.
My candidate believes every worker has a fundamental right
to financial security. He has fought repeatedly to save jobs
from corporate malfeasance. He has openly voiced his concerns
regarding outsourcing American jobs to faraway lands. He has
been at the forefront of the battle to protect and preserve
Social Security. He also stands firmly against privatization
of Social Security.
He has consistently spoken out when he foresaw an injustice.
He spoke up when a lie was being propagated. He is stalwart
and irreproachably honest.
Furthermore, he has been a voracious voice against the war
against Iraq. He believes in the principles of peace, peaceful
interaction among the citizenry, peaceful negotiations with
the countries of the world, and peaceful resolutions of disagreements
and aggressions. As president, he would form a Department
of Peace that would promote non-violence within our society
and create conditions for a peaceful co-existence in the world.
I firmly believe that if he is at the helm, he will work
to reunite the countries of the world. That he will give America,
back its dignity, back its world prominence.
My candidate, the one without any money, without the big
machinery behind him, without the press reporting his applauding
audiences, is the man that has the potential to give America
back to its citizens. He is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
He stands tall and proud. His name is Dennis Kucinich.
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