Congress 'Doesn't Get It,' Kucinich Says After Peru Trade Vote, Nor Do Dem Candidates

[babylonsister]

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,219920.shtml

Congress 'Doesn't Get It,' Kucinich Says After Peru Trade Vote, and Neither Do Other Democratic Presidential Candidates
Posted : Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:34:41 GMT
Author : Kucinich for President 2008
Category : PressRelease



WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This morning's passage of the Peru Free Trade Agreement by the U.S. House proves that the Democrat-controlled Congress is totally out of touch with the American people and refuses to abide by promises it made to voters in last year's elections, Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich said immediately following the vote.

"They just don't get it," said Kucinich, D-OH, one of 132 members who voted against the measure, "and neither do the other candidates for President whose campaign rhetoric on trade is a smokescreen to conceal their voting records on trade."

"When they are standing in front of a union audience or outside a closed plant somewhere, they bemoan the three millions jobs that have been lost because of free trade agreements," Kucinich noted. "When they had a chance to vote as a member of Congress, they supported those agreements, which means they voted against American workers."

Kucinich cited an analysis conducted by Public Citizen in August (http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2007/08/how-the-prez-ca.html) showing the actual voting records of all of the Presidential candidates on trade agreements. The report, titled "Eyes on Trade," gave Kucinich the highest ranking of any candidate: 93% for supporting "fair trade" measures. He would have received a 100% ranking except he was absent for one of the votes.

The closest Democratic candidate, former Senator John Edwards, received only a 63% favorable score. In fact, Kucinich pointed out, two Republican candidates -- Reps. Duncan Hunter and Ron Paul - scored better than Edwards and all of the other Democrats running for the nomination.

"My colleagues are trying to sound like Democrats on the stump, but they have voted like corporate Republicans on the floor of the Senate," Kucinich said.

He pointed out that Edwards has been critical lately of dangerous and defective products being imported from China, but, "he carefully avoids telling voters that he supported the China Trade Agreement in 2000."

In fact, Kucinich noted, Edwards made a statement in 2000 acknowledging that "it does us no good to pretend that these remedies are perfect and that people will not be hurt."

"Vote for a trade agreement that will hurt people? Vote for a war that will kill people? Vote for the Patriot Act that robs U.S. citizens of their Constitutional rights? When it really mattered, these other candidates were wrong, and no amount of apologies, excuses, or evasion can change that," Kucinich said.

Edwards' recently announced opposition to the Peru Trade Agreement "hardly makes up for a record of supporting the disastrous China agreement and refusing to support the cancellation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)," Kucinich said.

But, he added, "voters are beginning to see through the smokescreens." He pointed to his stunning sweep of 47 states in an online poll by the grassroots political action committee Democracy for America. More than 150,000 Democratic voters and activits cast ballots, and, among declared candidates, Kucinich was the top vote-getter nationally and in 47 states. "I have been right on the issues when it mattered. I have been consistent on the issues all along. And my positions reflect the core beliefs and values of real Democrats."

Kucinich for President 2008

[antigop]

1. Peru Trade deal includes partial privatization of Peru's Social Security System

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3700679&mesg_id=3700679

[Dhalgren]

2. As usual Dennis is right. At what point do supporters of other candidates

have to stop an reconsider Kucinich? He isn't pretty enough? He comes off as an honest, thoughtful, consistent progressive? He isn't tall enough? He supports the poor, the workers, the middle class and cannot be bought? Which one of these attributes is the deal breaker for Democrats who say they want change?

Dennis Kucinich for President 100%!

[John Q. Citizen]

11. The deal breaker is that corporate America doesn't sanction his campaign. People

have enslaved themselves and feel if a candidate actually supports the same issues that they do, there must be something wrong with the candidate because they no longer trust themselves.

How could they be right and corporate America be wrong?

[Mind_your_head]

12. Millions - actually Billions - of dollars (over time) have been spent

on 'marketing' that the corps know 'best'....what's cool, what's hip, what to 'trust' as 'good'.

You're exactly right in your comment/assessment of the american (and soon to be other?) people.

Rhetorical question: How do you turn that around though? How do you get people to start trusting in their own natural common sense/'gut' instincts again?

[John Q. Citizen]

13. Let me think about your question, because it is a very good question.

i think I'll sleep on it.

[Mind_your_head]

14. Well, you 'personally' don't have to answer (unless you come up with a great idea)

but I think people who are versed in psychology/mass psychology, who care about the world (and America's place in it), might hopefully weigh in here - b/c that's the 'level' that we're at.

There are all sorts of things/traits that are very predictable in us humans....and people who study in detail the 'workings' of our psychology, might also lend some clues about how to undo some of our bondage to our current thinking. (adding: In the same way that they've psychologically 'bonded' us in the first place. Is there any 'will' out there with all of that advanced education that some people have to undo some of the dependence/irrationality/unnaturalness of it all??? I dunno. I can only hope so).

However, the 'pay' is bad or most likely 'non-existent', they wouldn't get any/much recognition, and human nature being what it is....someone will 'steal' their thoughts/ideas and claim them for their own.....major suckage (I see this on DU a LOT, btw.....people say the same thing someone else said 3-4 posts upwards and think that they're 'clever', when the fact is that they read that post and it "put the idea" into their head....and then they kind of 'steal' it and think it was their own/original!)

I'm rambling now about too many things....sorry.

G'nite to you & sweetest of dreams! I'm off to bed me'self!


addition/edit note is in the body of the text.

[RufusTFirefly]

3. "My colleagues are trying to sound like Democrats on the stump.. ."

"...but they have voted like corporate Republicans on the floor of the Senate."

Bingo!

[Truth2Tell]

4. True, true and oh yes, also true. K & R. n/t

[Poll_Blind]

5. Kucinich walks the walk he talks. n/t

PB

[Triana]

6. K & R Dammit

Dennis tells it like it is.

[T.Ruth2power]

7. The majority of Congress does get it

They abandoned the people long ago and for the most part do support their true constituents which are corporations. This is simply another in a series of endless examples.

Why is it that Kucinich is such an aberration? How is it that simply telling the truth has become so unusual in Congress? Well that speaks to how thoroughly corrupted the American political body has become and perhaps always been.

K&R

[info being]

8. If America was any other country, we'd rally around Dennis

[pberq]

9. Kucinich - one of the few voices of reason

[ihavenobias]

10. Too harsh on Edwards

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/edwards-huckabee-the-r_b_71934.html

[Mind_your_head]

15. A kick for Dennis......he's clearly the best choice for progressives (and America's best hope!!!)

truly!!! (unless you want to be lied to some more...."c'mon baby "Lie to me - tell me what I want to hear" ooooohhhhhh.....love it!!!!!)

:kick:

on edit: "specialization"