on this specific vote, I disagree with Dennis . But over all he is a great voice for real change

[Douglas Carpenter]

and a voice for the voiceless - God Bless him!

It is the Democratic Congressional Caucus that is ineffectual - Not Representative Kucinich!!

When an overwhelming majority of the American people want a public option, when the Democrats campaigned on a public option and won - When the Democrats hold the largest majorities in both houses of Congress in decades - yet there is no chance that a public options is going to happen - if that doesn't make the Democrats in Congress look ineffectual and incompetent - I don't know what it could possibly take. Fox News and rightwing radio is not marginalizing them on this - they are doing it to themselves. The Democratic Congressional Caucus are truly shooting themselves in their own foot by thwarting the will of the American people and reneging on the promises that they ran on and won on.

What makes Mr. Kucinich special is that he is one of only a handful of Democratic members of Congress who on almost every issue takes a strong progressive stand - and though, I personally think he is making a mistake by not following Bernie Sander's example of voting for the current health care bill while continuing to work for the goal of single-payer. But even though I would personally support going ahead and voting for the bill anyway, the simple fact remains that the kind of bill Mr. Kucinich would be willing to support has the support of the vast majority of American people. The current HCR Bill is NOT supported by the majority of Americans and it is most certainly not what the Democrats ran on and won on.

The fact that single-payer is not even permitted to be placed on the table when the vast majority of Americans support Medicare for all or some form of single-payer - it is a sad statement about the current realities of American democracy. The fact that EVEN a public option that is supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans, - EVEN with a Democratic President who campaigned on that issue and won - EVEN with the largest Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress in decades - but still it is not going to happen. Now this is truly a sad statement about the realities of American democracy.

The fact remains Representative Kucinich on an issue by issue level is far more in tune with advancing the kind of progressive agenda that the vast majority of mainstream Democrats actually would want to support - but is usually kept off the table and not even given the light of day by the power of special interest.

The Democratic Congressional Caucus is going to have to decide if their role is to represent the interest of the somewhat socially liberal banker, stock broker or real estate speculator or is it their role to represent the interest of the vast majority of ordinary working Americans.

It seems to me that the U.S. Congress needs a lot more voices of genuine progressive dissent and at least a few voices who will say out loud what a significant portion of the population is thinking. Someone like Dennis Kucinich at least keeps the cause of real change and significant change alive even if sometimes I might personally disagree on strategy.