An Extraordinary Man- Kucinich Is Supremely Right

It is a considerable jolt to return to our colorless, petty contemporary politics after feeling the heat and vitality of La Follette's courage. But we can look at Dennis Kucinich, who offers an illustration of the same principle on a lesser scale. Kucinich has written an explanation of his vote on the "health care" bill: "Why I Voted No." Here are some excerpts:



Dennis Kucinich would be rare in any field of human endeavor. In politics, an individual like Kucinich is almost unheard of: he is a principled man. Is he perfect? Of course not; none of us is. And he works in a thoroughly corrupt system, which means that not only his principles, but principles as such, are under assault every second of every day.

Given that, Kucinich's record is unusual in the extreme. His repeated willingness to act in accordance with his declared convictions is extraordinary. One further aspect of Kucinich's record demands mention: on the "health care" vote, as on Kucinich's consistent refusal to vote for funding for America's criminal and illegal wars and occupations, Kucinich is supremely right.

Very few people appreciate or even acknowledge the overwhelming significance of that fact, which is ultimately the most important fact of all. Those of us who do should highlight it at every opportunity -- and we should offer our grateful thanks.

http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2009/11/extraordin...

For Zorro to rescue the helpless peasants, he must first be able to mount his horse.

I thought they were calming down...

Oh well...guess I'm gonna need more of this

even fewer than can be profitably counted.

He did kick butt in the Hawai'i primary.

http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2009/11/macho-shit...

"Palin speaks comparatively plainly, using straightforward, everyday expressions. But her views are clear, and there is nothing notably "stupid" about what she says or how she says it -- unless, that is, you have become so accustomed to Washington-speak that you have rendered yourself incapable of recognizing more normal human expression. Yet it is altogether remarkable how much time and concentration so many people devote to demonstrating how much smarter they are than Sarah Palin. Obviously, Palin is not any kind of "intellectual" (also an unqualifiedly admirable attribute in my view), and she is not an Einstein. So let me rephrase the point more colloquially: if you have to devote so much time and energy to proving you're smarter than Sarah Palin, how pathetic are you? Here's your answer: very pathetic. Most of those who repeatedly engage in this kind of Palin-bashing are nothing more than bullies. They're the kind of people who, given half a chance, might torture small animals or pull the wings off flies. Our culture values bullying of this kind more highly than almost any other quality, and most people have learned the lesson very well."

http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2008/10/perverse-p...

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to see on a democratic board. You just lost hugh amounts of credibilty with that statement as far as knowing much about liberal writers.

He is probably one of the best, most liberal and proud of it, respected writers on the left blogosphere.

It just shows how far off course Democrats have swung.

The party has let people down. You can try to defend it all you want, that won't change how disappointed people feel. All Arthur Silber does is record the history of these times. No one wanted Democrats to be what they claimed to be, more than he.

I'm not surprised by Silber bashing on this board though.

He's pretty far left.

No wonder OG likes him so much.

untreatable delusional construct thrown in for effect.

In their debate I thought Biden was being as gracious as he could be, despite having to debate a vacuous moron.

Palin's "Say it ain't so, Joe," line, likely fed to her by Bill Kristol or someone even worse, was intended to be the "winner," the slam-dunk headline-grab for the next day's media. It fell pretty flat, though.

Palin is a dangerous figure because -- as the adage goes -- she does not know what she does not know.

Quite a reach there. Anyone who goes past your silliness will read the entire essay and see that Palin isn't even the point let alone being defended.

credibility of the author.

with Democrats who have not sold out, than most other authors in the left blogosphere.

To see a few people on a board like this fail to understand his point about Sarah Palin, can only mean they do not want to understand it.

He wrote extensively about the Bush administration and strangely enough, was loved by the phony left while doing so.

The problem for partisans with Arthur Silber is he will never, ever sell out. He tells the truth as a writer no matter how much it hurts. If he is ever wrong, he apologizes and corrects the information.

It's almost funny to see comments here claiming he supported Palin. To miss his point by so many miles, shows how defensive one can get when clinging to party loyalty. It's not pleasant to see on the left or right.

And even more hysterically funny to see him described as a 'rightwinger'! What that shows is just how blind, partisanship can make people. There is no one more liberal, than Arthur Silber. And he's proud of it.

If all the phony progressives in the blogosphere (and Silber knows most of them and can name the sell-outs and has) had even one tenth of Arthur Silber's integrity, the Democratic Party would not dare to treat its base the way it does.

The truth is not pleasant sometimes, but considering how respected and well known Arthur Silber is on the left, Kucinich will value this more than the words of any other writer. Because he can expect to be slammed by the same author if he were to sell out, as most of the Dems have.

Looks like Silber's intellect, knowledge of history and politics are above the heads of the blindly partisan, but I have rarely ever seen him turn out to be wrong. Some people are in for a lot of disappointment in the future.

(snip)

LOL! Yes, Obama is just like bush!

At least most of the purity police here don't go that far.




Yes, if you'll just stop voting for them, the government will magically disappear and we'll live in utopia with the happy bunnies forever and ever!

...and even simpleminded ME can ably assess Palin a Dolt.

Hopefully he has left them behind.

The author isn't a DK cultie though there is certainly some of that going around. It simply has to do with principled positions.

Irony of using the cult canard here duly noted. Don't choke on the popcorn.

So that comes to about $.45?

'Haven't changed my mind.

If there were more worthy Democrats, he wouldn't be such a standout.

As it is, he's the most consistent Democrat standing when it comes to issues, and to walking his talk. He's the least corrupt.

He's earned his support.

It's good to have a Democrat who actually represents us.

If by "us" you mean Nader voters, you are correct.

Anyone can play at home!

You must not have the updated 2009 edition of the DU Board game.

It's much better when your side does it, obviously.

so I obviously don't mean Nader voters, although they might be included in "us" if they are left-of-center "Democrats or other progressives."

"Us:" Left-of-center, non corporate, non dlc, non "3rd way" non theocratic citizens.

Unlike some who crave a handy scapegoat, I've never blamed Nader for 2000.

What a novel concept to many corporate defenders on DU.

I'm not sure what their agenda is (or if they are well-meaning but uninformed individuals).

Irony, much?



RL

DU in months.

But, you happen to belong to this cult, so you have no problem with the cultism.

You know exactly shit about me.

But at least you're consistent on every topic.

RL

or the Staus Quo minority.

They aren't measured so much by the committee positions in Congress so much as the principles they hold dearly and the promises they make.

Does that define "cult"? Perhaps you might explain further the need to connect those with respect for DK and "cult".

Its about what he says. Whats with the cults of personalities around here is what I say too.

If you disagree with something Kucinich just said, then by all means, man, spit it out..
Lets talk about the issues and not the politicians behind them. Because the politicians dont matter, and the issues DO.

So. which parts of what was said dont you agree with? anyone? crickets?

him in that we have to start somewhere and then constantly improve.

I have NO idea why. Kucinich is a true progressive, why so much hate? He's a good guy FFS. He's one of us!

He's not bought nor paid for and is not afraid to speak the truth regarding what is wrong in our world. I wish we had more Congresspeople like him to speak up for us.

Wow DU.

elected representatives should be commended. No one has done better in that respect, in my opinion, than DK.

sowing discord among the Democrats.

that there will ever be hundreds more like him in the Congress.

Patrolling the banks for what's washed up on the shore. By the quickness of the reactionaries it was evident that reading what is posted is less important than the strange pleasure of the knee jerking.

thanks for the morning laugh.

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Thanks!

You bring a known purveyor of literal hate speech into here and wonder why people react negatively.

And that is saying something.

No surprise that the author loves this guy.

http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2009/05/barack-oba...

Didn't you get the memo?

that they wind up allying themselves with the worst of the rightwing thugocracy.

this as "hatred for Obama". In this you sound suspiciously like the right wing crowd. Kucinich supporters don't hate Obama. There is much to complain about with Obama. Criticism doesn't equal hatred.

If some of us admire Kucinich - big deal. Why all the attacks and RW-like name calling? Many of us happen to think he is dead right on the health care bill. And many of us feel that with stronger leadership on the part of President Obama we could have crafted a much better bill. This is not an unreasonable position.

And unhappy cheerleaders can't accept different opinions, or criticism.
As soon as they equate Kucinich supporters with Sinister Nader Voters(tm) you realize who is trying to drive a wedge and who is just brandishing the same tired, hackneyed "moderate" hammer.

He's every bit as hateful as Glenn Beck multiplied by Rush Limbaugh's waist size.

expect "stronger leadership" from Mr. 2%, Dennis the Menace?

This guy delivers like DOMINOS!

has zero intellectual honesty or personal integrity.

Which is why many cheerlead for Kucinich. Why other Democrats cheerlead for Obama is beyond me, since there is a notable scarcity of actual progressive values in that direction...

He is a Palin defender and very, very insane.

complain about pro-Obama cheerleading. They're also the ones who want to purge the Democratic party of all Obama supporters.

There are people on the left who would put us in gulags just like the Hannity crowd would if they got the chance.

The ones that want to 'purge' the party of Obama supporters? The ones that would put you in a gulag?

Okay, I am now convinced, you are a RW hack. No reasonable Democrat could say these things. You exaggerate and sound almost Glenn Beck-like. Gulag? Do you mean those that advocate for a 'good' health care bill are like 'Communists'? Is that what you are implying here? Democrats simply don't say these things. You must be from Freeper central casting.

a talented actor could do it, but for us everyday folk without a lot of acting talent, it's just too hard to imagine.

Bill Kristol, the highest-profile guy to promote Palin for the GOP ticket in 08, is either suffering from some kind of delusional reference system in which he actually does believe Sarah Palin is a legitimate leader of demonstrable virtue, or, even worse, he's so comprehensively deceitful that he would promote her candidacy because she would be easier for people like him to manipulate.

what they hate.

thing to watch the GOP delegates on the floor of their convention in St. Paul last year, hooting and stomping for Palin as she stood up on the podium mocking community organizers.

Her words were anti-Constitutional and debasing, and those people couldn't get enough of it. They cheered through their slobber and zeal for her as she led them into a hate-frenzy.

Her hate for Obama gave Arthur Silber a woody

to hate-mongering sessessionists. It seems as if she is shaking the DSM-IV Axis II tree pretty hard.

standing ovations over here for going against the GOP's talking points? Lots yeahs and backpats for that but since this is about DK and not Obama (the President or the candidate) it's a worthless piece of jizz.

I wish I'd bookmarked some of the above.......

And btw, I'm not anti-Obama simply because I am unsure or straight-up disagree with some of his policies.

because he voted against the HCR bill and sided with Repubs.

The original source is about as insane as Beck.

that was so nauseatingly worshipful. There probably have been some, but I certainly wouldn't recommend them.

once he said some nice things about Obama...

Yes, the very same Andrew Sullivan who accused liberals of mounting a "fifth column" effort against the U.S. during the 9/11 aftermath, who used his position as editor of The New Republic to promote Charles Murray's racist book The Bell Curve, who cheered on George W. and the Iraq War, etc.

But all that was forgotten the moment he began supporting Obama, and he is still treated as some kind of oracle around here while people like Howard Zinn are denounced as liars.

He is at least logical and would never post a puff piece like this.

He's been solidly anti-Neocon since about 2005.

But, again, I don't think people would quote Ken Starr praising Obama around here. That's what this is like.

But you keep making it up until you've convinced yourself of the lie.

In a political system that has swung so far to the right what you think of as sane is completely reactionary.

As the OP rails against corporatism you seem to have missed that point:



So this is a right-wing position in what way in your world?

You consistently support corporate politicians so I'd think you would be more faithful to an understanding what that right-wing reactionary position is.

and thinks they are 'evil.'

he loves Sarah Palin.

So, yes, I will take Barack Obama and Alan Grayson over Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and you and Arthur Silber.

"My buddy"?

Your spewing ignorant lies cause you don't wish to address what was said in the article. That's a very ugly schtick you got in the post. Should be expunged.

Myself, I wouldn't cite Teabagging Sarah Palin fans around here, but then again I'm a liberal Democrat.

this guy likes Kucinich because he (the author) hates Democrats.

Why am I not surprised that OG posted this crap?

What do you know about either the OP or Arthur Silber? Your post makes it clear you know nothing, about either. Yet, in true rightwing fashion, you make false claims about both, but make no substantive counter argument to either, to support your conspiracy theories.

If you knew antying about A.Silber's writing you would know that he considers the system we live under to be 'evil'. But I've noticed that you are unable to hold a conversation where you back up your claims. And you are demeaning both Obama and Grayson by attempting to use them in your mindless tirade.

I asked you several questions in another thread where you were spewing this same kind of reactionary BS in an attempt to have a discussion rather than a mud-flinging flame war, which you were losing.

Here was one of your mindless claims. 'Kucinich and Liebermann are the same' because they both oppose the House Bill.

You were asked by a commenter in the thread if by that logic, 'FDR and Stalin were the same, because they both hated Hitler'. No answer from you. And no surprise that there was none, as the spewers of talking points believe, pathetically, that if they just keep throwing around stupid talking points, they win. Win what would be another good question.

This healthcare issue is about this country, it is far beyond being a party issue for the majority of people.

I don't expect an answer from you about anything that you cannot answer with smears and lame insults. You are like someone firing duds and missing the target besides that.

But I'll try again. Were FDR and Stalin comparable since both of them hated Hitler, in the same way that Kucinich and Liebermann are comparable (your talking point) because both of them hate this bill?

but he's a darling of DU now.

But yeah, he's a lying racist asshole. A hypocrite, too.

Important to take note of that, not that it will matter to some.

It's a complete hit job.

The post some of these reactionaries are referring to does not defend Palin or even care about Palin in any way. It in facxt has little to do with Palin but more to do with the stilted and bullied political discourse that some who consider themselves "better than" use to avoid discussing the reality of the pathological political spectrum in this country. This thread certainly supports what is being said. Read the whole thing. Get some context.

Did Grover Norquist not have anything available to you and your merry band of revolutionaries?

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/berni_mccoy There are some crazy posts on that site!!111 be warned!

he has written. I like what he said about Kucinich. If he supports Palin I must admit I find that odd.

Well, if you find the combination of extremely overwrought verboseness, painful arrogance, and "unnecessary quotes" funny.

Attacking the messenger to avoid content. That's new from this crew.

If Glenn Beck had wrote that you'd have posted it too. You don't care who the messenger is as long as they say what you want.

Oh and as far as content goes, it's nothing but Cultist Cheerleading.

by a clinically insane Palin supporter.

guy that supports both Dennis Kucinich and Sarah Palin, in the entire world. That hardly means the rest of the Dennis Kucinich supporters are Palin supporters.

as a credible voice in the progressive community?

credible voice in the progressive community?