Dennis K just interviewed on CNN by Begala & Tucker Carlson

[lostnfound]

YES! GO DK!

I am SO happy to hear him actually get airtime. He has fresh ideas and perspective, and I've contributed to his campaign several times now, solely because I HOPED that with a little money he could stay in the race, get his message heard and challenge the status quo.

And he's doing it!!

Guys, whether you support Dean or Clark or Gephardt or Edwards or Kerry, when Dennis gets his message out, we ALL win. It broadens the playing field for debate. It gives the centrists a left (or 'lefter') bank to frame themselves from. When President Democrat, whoever he is, takes office, it will only HELP them to be facing a leftward shift in public opinion.

DK, you've paid me back for the money I've sent you by speaking out honestly on CNN and planting realities like how we must give up on doling out oil & reconstruction contracts if we want to get the UN to do the nation-building. And you just told the American people that there's too much fear-mongering happening. And to top it all off, you put spirituality in the same sentence as politics with separation of church & state right there with it.

THANK YOU, DK.

[mmm]

1. ain't he great?

what every politician should aspire to

[TrueAmerican]

2. Sounds a little like

Capt Kirk as played by William Shatner.

He did sound genuine, thou.

[lostnfound]

9. LOL -- I can see that.. Plus the sound and video weren't in sync..

but aside from that, I'm a little curious what a Clarkie (or you in specific) thought about the content of what he said. Would you mind sharing it?

[redqueen]

3. So glad he mentioned spirituality

He's so great... but how did the audience react to him??? Please tell us!

[Desertrose]

4. its great he's getting more airplay-finally...

just wish I'd quit missing him on TV!
dang it!!


GO DENNIS!!!!!!



Peace
DR

[Zomby Woof]

7. sorry Mom!

I turned it off after it got slimed by Bill Schneider earlier.

Sorry I missed it too!

[no name no slogan]

5. That's why we LOVE the guy

He's not afraid to speak up, even if it means a short-term loss for himself.

He's done this his entire career. For Muni Light in Cleveland, against sanctions in Iraq, against the terrorist training center ("School of the Americas") in Georgia, against the IWR, against "globalization" and the WTO, and against the $87bil BushCo givaway to "rebuild" Iraq.

I think it would be nearly impossible for this guy to NOT stand up against injustice-- he'd done it all his life, whether serving in public office or walking picket lines or marching in protests, like he did in Seattle against the WTO in 1999.

Kucinich not only says the right things, he LIVES them, too! Other than Al Sharpton, could you see ANY of the other seven at a protest?

DK IS THE REAL THING!

[Kanary]

6. Any way to get a transcript?

He so seldom gets to speak... I'd love to know what he said!

In the meantime, anyone who remembers his words and can add to what lostnfound said, please, give 'em!

Thanks so much for posting this!

Kanary

[lostnfound]

15. Transcript here.

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0312/11/cf.00.html

some highlights:

On Iraq:
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... We can be safe as a nation, but we can't be safe as long as we're in that occupation mode in Iraq.
<...>
T. CARLSON: How would you, as president, convince to come back? They don't want to be there. That's why they left.

KUCINICH: And you know why they don't want to be there? Because the U.S. is controlling the oil. It's controlling the contracts, wants to privatize Iraq. We have to take a new approach, go with a new resolution that says we're not going to control the oil, we're not going to control the contracts, no privatization, have the U.N. handle those things on an interim basis, the U.N. develop the cause of governance, a new constitution, a new election in Iraq.

At that point, we can get the U.N. interested in coming in. We have to take a new approach, though. And that's the only way we're going to be safe. And, frankly, Tucker, sooner or later, we're going to have to get out of Iraq. And why not do it now, before we lose thousands of more troops, before we spend hundreds of billions of dollars more money?

On Radical theocracy takeover in Iraq:
PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST: Well, so, let me ask you, though. If you're the president of the United States, you're in the Oval Office, you've pulled our troops out, what do you do if a radical theocracy, an anti-American terror state does take hold in Iraq, the way it did in Afghanistan after President Bush Sr. pulled our troops out of that state -- country? ... What do you do? Do you go to war? How do you protect America against a radical, fundamentalist, terrorist state in Iraq?

KUCINICH: See, I would suggest, Paul, that that kind of fear- mongering is what put us there. We were told there were weapons of mass destruction, so we got everyone all in a dither and we invaded Iraq. What I suggest that we have to do is, you get the -- if you get the United Nations in to stabilize Iraq, they stay there until Iraqis can, in effect, be self- determining and so they can take care of their own affairs. I'm not saying you just pull the troops out with no one else being there. The U.N. has to be there. You get the U.N. in, the U.S. out. Once that happens, then the world community has a stake in what happens.

Tucker's attempt to poke fun turns awesome
...vision is something that comes from within us, but it also has a spiritual dimension. Tucker, if you look at the back of a dollar bill -- there can't be anything more material than a dollar bill -- you'll see, at the apex of that pyramid, the eye of divinity and the inscription in Latin which says, "Annuit coeptis," which means, "He has favored our undertaking."

The founders believed that there was a connection between America and something spiritual. But they also believed in the separation of church and state. We should never let the separation of church and state cause us to believe that this country has no connection to spiritual values. We do.

[Kanary]

16. Thanks for the highlights!

That's really helpful for those of us who were unable to see it.. thanks!

Also thanks for the link to the transcript -- 'preciated!

Kanary

[Tinoire]

20. Thanks a million! So sorry I missed it. :( n/t

[Myra]

21. Thank you for the transcript!

'Cause I missed it.
'Cause it's CNN...

[mhr]

8. Go Dennis Go!

eom

[rucky]

10. He just cuts right through the crap, don't he?

I think people are too scared to talk about some of the stuff he brings up. That's part of the DK stiff-arm phenomenon.

But now that we have a nominee "sewn up", maybe the media will feel "safer" giving DK some airtime?

[bearfartinthewoods]

11. two issues covered...dean and collective visualization

sheeeeit....

[redqueen]

12. Seriously?

[bearfartinthewoods]

13. those are the two i caught

maybe there were more but i was with a customer and couldn't concentrate.

to be more thourough, he used the dean question to go into his position on the war....pretty slick segue but it was an easy set up.

then i caught a question about his supporters and selective visualization and he wasted too much time on that, i think. if he would have stopped after a sentance or two, he might have had a third question.

[economic justice]

17. K was great

I agree that it seems everytime Kucinich is on they try to make him look silly with the spiritual stuff. He handled it very well today by simply answering the questions! I am a Clark supporter but I think Kucinich has gotten shorted on the media stick. As far as I am concerned he says A LOT of things that need to be said.

[Joe the Revelator]

25. I'm sorry

I like DK as a person but that bit about collective spirtuality is the kind of stuff that is going to keep him from ever being taken seriously as a canidate that can win.

[lostnfound]

27. Actually he said 'I'm not sure of what you are talking about...' to Tucker

It's a little bit touchy feely but I really admired how he spun it around to talking about the eye of the divinity on the back of the dollar bill. That had to be the most deft reference linking new-age-touchy-feely to America's twin traditional religions (money & Christianity ) that I've ever seen.

T. CARLSON: Now, Congressman, there was a report last month about a fund-raiser you held in Marin County, California, that ended with something called collective visualization. Can you tell, what is collective visualization?

KUCINICH: Well, I'm not sure of what you're talking about, but I know that there are people who support my campaign who are really working at trying to make this a better world and who believe that, through touching their -- the deepest part of themselves, that they can somehow visualize a new world.

And you know what? I think that kind of an approach is very open-hearted and something that -- that ought to be encouraged. Each one of us...

T. CARLSON: Yes.

KUCINICH: ... is connected to another.

[otohara]

14. DK Is Such A Good Man - We're Lucky To Have Him

on our side - too bad he's not receiving the support that he deserves.

[eileen_d]

18. Yes, you nailed it with this line:

"when Dennis gets his message out, we ALL win." Exactly how I feel about the guy. I hope he doesn't drop out. When I have money at the beginning of the year he'll be getting a check.

Didn't see the actual show though - glad there's a link to a transcript, I'll read it when I'm not so sleepy.

[FDRrocks]

19. Rock on Dennis!

The man could truely save the world, if he had the money.

I have almost totally lost confidence in this pay-to-play politic Oligarchy posing as a Democracy... but Kucinich revives my hope.

[bluestateguy]

22. Good interview

I have no objection to Kucinich, and I am confident that he will support the party nominee, though I am concerned that some of his supporters may not be as graceful in losing.

[DemBones DemBones]

23. Personally, I don't feel at all graceful about losing before

any votes are cast. If I didn't feel that the corporate media has already chosen Dean for us, with Al Gore bestowing the party's blessing, I could look forward to the primaries whether Kucinich wins or loses.

I believe most Kucinich supporters will vote for the nominee. If I don't, it will not be the fault of Dennis Kucinich, but due to my increasing disillusionment with politics in this country. I've been voting for the lesser of two evils every four years since 1968 and I'm tired of it. The only candidate I had much faith in was George McGovern and you know how well that turned out. I have real faith in DK and hope enough voters will have enough faith to nominate and elect him. Realizing he's a long shot, I'm ready to vote for another Dem, but not just any other Dem..

[JNelson6563]

24. I disagree

Kucinich supporters have been the most gracious of all. They are the ones I worry least about when it comes to a smooth transition onto one team.

No surprise there that supporters of Kucinich are more than capable of considering the common/greater good.

Julie

[Cheesehead]

26. A awesome hour-long interview with Dennis Kucinich

Link to Dennis's 12/11 interview with Kathleen Dunn of Wisconsin Public Radio. In a freeform format Dennis gets to develop his positions and takes questions from radio listeners. In this quiet and personal setting Dennis's thoughtfulness and humanity come through much more clearly than in debate and stump speech venues. Enjoy!

http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/ideas_audioarchives.cfm?C...

[TexasSissy]

28. I'm not a Kucinich supporter, but....

he's just a little package of dynamite, isn't he? No one gets him off his message. He is articulate and passionate and so well versed on the issues (although I don't agree with him on everything). He stays focused, is confident, and really believes in his message. He's bright and quick in his responses, regardless of what anyone says to him.

When I first saw him on TV, I thought, "Who's that weird looking little fella? I can't believe he's running for President." Now I know why he's gotten as far as he has.

[LWolf]

29. I agree.

As a Kucinich supporter, he has my vote, my contributions, and my hopes for nomination.

Regardless of who wins the nomination, America benefits by hearing him speak. There's an important distinction here:

Yes, he's a candidate, and a candidate who wants to win. Yes, he's campaigning. But listen to the man. What he says is not just about winning an election. It's about all of us. It's about the healing of America, and the health of democracy. America needs to hear more of Dennis. It's a win/win situation.