Dennis Kucinich's Fight To Bring Credibility To The Democratic Party (Chris Hedges, Phila Inquirer)

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/story/74268

Dennis Kucinich's Fight to Bring Credibility to the Democratic Party

By Chris Hedges, Philadelphia Inquirer. Posted January 19, 2008.

In this interview, the resilient 2008 candidate attacks the "inside game between competing corporate interests" that dominates American politics.

This interview was recently conducted by Chris Hedges at Rep. Dennis Kucinich's Congressional office in Washington.

Chris Hedges: Why has the Democratic Party not done what it should do?

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Lack of commitment to Democratic principles. No understanding of the period of history we're in. Failure to appreciate the necessity of the coequality of Congress. Unwillingness to assert Congressional authority in key areas which makes the people's House paramount to protecting democracy. The institutionalized influence of corporate America through the Democratic leadership council. Those are just a few.

Hedges: Have we evolved into a corporate state?

Kucinich: I Look at it as the political equivalent of genetic engineering. That we've taken the gene of corporate America and shot it into both political parties. So they both now are growing with that essence within. So what does that mean? It means oil runs our politics. Corrupt Wall Street interests run our politics. Insurance companies run our politics. Arms manufacturers run our politics. And the public interest is being strangled. Fulfilling the practical aspirations of people should be our mission. How do we measure up to providing people with jobs? It was a Democratic president that made it possible for NAFTA to be passed, causing millions of good-paying manufacturing jobs that help support the middle class. . . .

NAFTA, GAT, the WTO, China Trade, and every other trade agreement that's passed in Congress has been passed with the help of either the leadership of or with the help of the Democratic Party, knowing that each and every one of those agreements was devoid of protections for workers, knowing that if you don't have workers' rights put into a trade agreement then workers here in the United States are going to see their own bargaining position undermined because corporations can move jobs out of the country to places where workers don't have any rights. They don't have the right to organize, the right to collective bargaining, the right to strike. So what I see is that the Democratic Party abandoned working people, and paradoxically they're the ones who hoist the flag of workers every two and four years only to engender excitement, and then to turn around and abandon their constituency. This is now on the level of a practiced ritual. At least a biannual ceremony, or every two years. So you can see how pernicious this becomes when the minimum wage increase was tied to funding the war. That, to me, says it all. Because it is inevitably the sons and daughters of working Americans that are the ones who are led to slaughter. Aspirations for health care.

- snip -

Hedges: Because the working class has suffered so grievously, why is it that the only mass movement essentially comes from the right, let's say the Christian Right, in terms of grassroots level? Why aren't we seeing a period like the 1930s, where there is a real kind of outrage on the part of the working class?

Kucinich: I think it'll get to that but it's not there yet. First of all, Eric Hoffer . . . understood the power of dogmatism, in terms of mobilizing people. But one can come from a position of love and compassion in being able to mobilize people as well. On higher principles, not along the narrow path that some on the right have chosen.

Hedges: The corporations control the process of communication. I mean you just got shut out of a (Dec. 13) debate -

Kucinich: Yeah, right.

Hedges: - courtesy of Gannett -

MUCH MORE AT LINK

[riqster]

1. Go Kooch! NT

[elaineb]

2. One of our best representatives in Congress

Some DU'ers may disagree with some of his positions or may find one of the other candidates closer to their liking, but any posters who continue to throw barbs at this man, or question his right to be in the debates or indeed to continue in the race, should be truly ashamed.

Who else among the candidates has been saying these things for so long and so passionately?

Anyone who questions Kucinich's value to the Democratic Party or as a potential President should read this interview.

[wintersoulja]

3. He wants to Impeach and PROSECUTE Cheney and GW

Not the top tier, no they dont. Not GE, no they dont.
Not DU, no they dont.

[AnOhioan]

4. K&R

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Great interview. Thanks for posting. K&R

Dennis will get my vote in the GE. I can spell Kucinich.

[Individualist]

6. K&R

[slipslidingaway]

7. Kucinich really separated himself from the top three in this

interview. Thanks for posting!

[kas125]

17. I think he separated himself from them a long time ago

and that's why he's been marginalized in the media from the beginning.

[slipslidingaway]

19. Agree, but most people hear just bits and pieces, this was

a nice summary and he does not hold back on what he feels ails our nation.

:)

[slipslidingaway]

8. Listen to Dennis and Elizabeth Kucinich here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4114828

[Desertrose]

9. Thanks for this...have to make an effort to get DK news.....

Chris Hedges: Why has the Democratic Party not done what it should do?

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Lack of commitment to Democratic principles. No understanding of the period of history we're in. Failure to appreciate the necessity of the coequality of Congress. Unwillingness to assert Congressional authority in key areas which makes the people's House paramount to protecting democracy. The institutionalized influence of corporate America through the Democratic leadership council. Those are just a few.


Thank you, Dennis. I am so glad you are speaking out...even if they try to silence your voice.

[Blue Congress]

10. excellent- so true

not sure I would be a Democrat anymore if it weren't for Kucinich and the hope he brings to return the party to it's roots. I am a proud liberal though!!



http://peacecandidates.com/

[cyclezealot]

20. touche

my hold on the Democratic party is tenuous with Kucinich in the party. Nafta, Cafta, Peru trade, war. Now denigrating Martin Luther King. The big three, the best we can do. I hope not. I often wonder how Kucinich can deal with all the backpeddling .

[hootinholler]

11. Hedges: Would you consider running as a third-party candidate?

Kucinich: I have been trying to make the Democrats an effective second party. This is my second effort at doing that. I am still in the process of doing that. My answer is that I am still in the process of trying to make the Democrats a credible second party.

Go Dennis!

-Hoot

[Hissyspit]

12. 'It's snowing here' self-kick n/t

[Pastiche423]

13. We need Dennis' voice in all of the debates

Otherwise, many, many of our voices will not be heard.

Recommend.

On edit: spelin'

[99th_Monkey]

14. The more Dennis talks, the more sense he makes .. unlike some others I could mention

but won't by name.

Go Dennis. We know you are fighting the good fight..

[TahitiNut]

15. "Lack of commitment to Democratic principles."??? What is he? A "purist"?

Well, that's the synonym DU has for people with commitment to Democratic principles.

Let me think of a few synonyms for those who sneer and demean principled people ...

Sell-outs?
Corrupt?
Cowards?
Sleazy opportunists?
Closet fascists?
Kapos?
Quislings?
Vichy "Dems"?

(too many to list)

:grr:

[DianaForRussFeingold]

16. K&R

:patriot: Kucinich and Edwards are FDR Democrats--Clintons and Obama are Corporate Democrats :(

"During the 1930’s, President Roosevelt essentially ended the dominance of the “Bourbon Democrats” in national Democratic politics and moved the Democratic Party solidly behind a political program of economic populism. As a result, the nation saw a couple generations of solid economic growth and mass prosperity. A vibrant middle class emerged from the policies promoted by FDR. The Democratic Party clearly replaced the Republicans as the stronger of the two major parties as a result.

Beginning with the election of Ronald Reagan, many Democrats in power drifted away from the core values of the Democratic Party and started running as “Republican-lite” candidates. They started trying to compete for corporate campaign money by permitting awful trade agreements that undermined the health of the American economy and weakened the American middle class while helping the economic elite become even more powerful."

http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/print_friendly.php?p=opedne_stephen__071223_edwards_is_fdr_with_.htm

[puebloknot]

18. K&R A fantasy: Edwards manages to win the nomination, and Dennis......

...is his VP candidate.

I know there's been some uncertainty about their relationship of late (I think Dennis messed up when he threw support to Obama in Iowa), but in the past, the rumors were that they were on friendly terms.

They would be a powerful team. And because that's true, the media moguls are effectively shutting them both out of the dialogue.

[stickernation]

21. we point at the M$M

i think we should create a map of the influences and players in it, i'd like to see that. something user-generated.

[NorthCarolina]

24. Thoughts please. If Edwards Drops Out Who Will He Throw Support To?

Will he validate his new found Populist Image by endorsing Kucinich, will he drop the populist cloak and expose his DLC stripes once again by falling behind Hillary or Obama, or will he simply fade without any endorsement whatsoever? Thoughts Please?

[jonnyra]

22. What an amazing interview

Kucinich is the most honest, intelligent and caring person ever to run for president of this failing nation. The fact that he has been so effectively silenced is yet another example of the corporate takeover of America AND the dumbing down of the average American. We just have to face facts...Americans by and large are an ignorant lot...we will get the government we deserve. Thats why Bush/Cheney got 8 years to sack America.

[Zorra]

23. "Corrupt Wall Street interests run our politics. Arms manufacturers run our politics."

The institutionalized influence of corporate America through the Democratic leadership council.

Dennis gets it all, he should be our President.

[NorthCarolina]

25. All DUers Should Read This Entire Interview Regardless of who they support. nt

[Echo In Light]

26. Agreed. Both DK and Chris Hedges are always worthwhile

[flvegan]

27. And this is what makes folks that mock or belittle him suspicious.

"NAFTA, GAT, the WTO, China Trade, and every other trade agreement that's passed in Congress has been passed with the help of either the leadership of or with the help of the Democratic Party, knowing that each and every one of those agreements was devoid of protections for workers, knowing that if you don't have workers' rights put into a trade agreement then workers here in the United States are going to see their own bargaining position undermined because corporations can move jobs out of the country to places where workers don't have any rights."

Damn, but that one went into the upper decks.

[slipslidingaway]

32. !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!!

And that is why I believe it is dangerous to let ourselves turn onto "Mistake Road."

"...and every other trade agreement that's passed in Congress has been passed with the help of either the leadership of or with the help of the Democratic Party..."

It is now being accepted as a virtue :(

[TahitiNut]

36. Don'tcha love that "old time bipartisan cooperation"??

I mean ... what the fuck? As long as they're selling out SOMEBODY ELSE it's gotta be OK, right?

Who's turn will it be under the bus next? :eyes:

[slipslidingaway]

38. Who's turn? A guess...

those who hope to be covered by Medicare in 10-20 years, veterans (continued from Vietnam) and the next higher income level (some overlap in the Medicare group). Many in the younger generation will be saddled with college debt making it harder to get ahead.

Thoughts?

And FWIW...

"...As we promised, trying to keep it short, there you have it. Although we believe each individual chart tells its own story, our main point in this discussion is that collectively, these relationships represent multi-year or multi-decade trend breaks for now. They are now occurring in simultaneous fashion. Just a coincidence? We think not. Moreover, we suggest an important need for continual monitoring as these trends quite similarly hug trends in powerful demographic changes. Could it really be that as the boomers push near and into retirement, what has been their dramatic impact on asset inflation through continual expansion in household leverage is changing? We believe this is indeed the primary question and message to continue to monitor in these relationships. As we’ve suggested many a time, the credit cycle is the key. And this is a slice of the broader credit cycle as it applies to households. Households key to longer-term consumption trends important to both the US domestic and many a foreign exporting economy. You know we’ll be checking back in on a quarterly basis to monitor whether these initial trend changes remain intact, or are simply blips on the ever-growing leverage expansion screen."

http://www.contraryinvestor.com/2007archives/moaug07.htm

[Fiendish Thingy]

28. here's a kick- wish I'd seen it sooner to give it an R as well n/t

[Norrin Radd]

29. k

[Desertrose]

30. If DK does nothing more than wake up even a small % of the population....

to the corporate takeover of our country, then he's done a great thing indeed.

[LWolf]

31. It's too bad that more Democratic voters don't support that fight.

When the party loses credibility with it's own members, which is certainly the case since at least '06, voters should be acting to reverse the trend.

When they don't, they ARE the problem.

[Desertrose]

33. You got that right, LWolf

:hi::hug:
DR

[LWolf]

34. Hi, friend!

:hug:

I've got to get off of DU and dig into all the piles of work on my desk that I've been avoiding. It's snowing pretty heavily out there, and it's cold inside because the fire died last night, and I'm curled up trying to keep warm.

I hope things are well down your way. :hi:

[riqster]

35. I am so proud to be a Kucitizen nt

[Fire Walk With Me]

37. Another kick, wish I could r.

[frog92969]

39. kick

:kick:

[slipslidingaway]

40. kick n/t