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Speculation Continues Over Possible Kucinich Run in Washington State
Rep. Dennis Kucinich's political future is still uncertain after losing Tuesday to Rep. Marcy Kaptur for Ohio's newly created 9th district. Many are still speculating whether Kucinich will run for a vacant congressional seat in Washington state.
(photo: House Committee on Education and the Workforce Democrats) The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Kucinich did not give an answer about a possible run for office in Washington state at a news conference at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport earlier this morning:
Kucinich sidestepped repeated questions about his future, including queries about whether he would seek a congressional seat in Washington state.
More speculation about a Washington state run came from Andy Juniewicz, Kucinich’s spokesman and longtime political strategist. Politico reported yesterday:
In an interview with POLITICO last week, Andy Juniewicz, Kucinich’s spokesman and longtime political strategist, repeatedly declined to rule out the possibility of Kucinich waging a 2012 congressional bid in Washington state, which has three vacant, Democratic-leaning seats and where the congressman made forays last year before ultimately deciding to run in Ohio.
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The Nation's John Nichols spoke with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! this morning about Kaptur's win over Kucinich and the possibility of a Kucinich congressional seat in the Seattle area:
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59 Comments so far
Show AllTell us how you really feel, Peter. I stand with you. Year after year Kucinich went along with the party and never spoke out. Mike Gravel told the truth, while Kucinich mouthed words.
People mourn the loss of Kucinich's "voice" in congress, but what has he done to make things better? Nothing, because no one can do it inside the halls of the corporate controlled congress. We don't need Don Quixote, we need Toussaint L'Ouverture or Robespierre.
"[N]umerous human rights organizations note multiple problems with the Chinese government. Controversial human rights issues in China include policies such as capital punishment (the worst record in the world for killing political dissidents), the one-child policy, the political status of Tibet, and lack of protections regarding freedom of press and religion. One of the foremost areas of concern is a lack of legal rights, for want of an independent judiciary, rule of law, and due process. Another prominent area of concern is lack of labor rights, which is related to the hukou system, the absence of independent unions, and discrimination against rural workers and ethnic minorities. Yet another area of concern is the lack of religious freedom, highlighted by alleged repression of Christian, Tibetan Buddhist, and Falun Gong groups."
Frankly, if I lived in Wash i would consider him a "carpetbagger" and his run a rather cynical attempt to keep his seat on the backs of Wash voters ... Would he run out on them, too, if he got a "better deal" elsewhere?
For God's sake, Dennis, you already sold your soul once to keep your seat - keep a bit of integrity and instead of jumping ship - go out with a bang!
raydelcamino
In keeping with the tradition now firmly established by Obamacare sellouts Dennis Kucinich and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), poor, hapless, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) has also volunteered to become a White House Eunuch in the Age of Obama.
Indeed, "Free Market McDermott" is now a more fitting moniker for the erstwhile "progressive" congressman.
Of course, Free Market McDermott joined his fellow Demobots and voted for the private for-profit "free market" boondoggle known as Obamacare, and to justify his sellout -- since he had been a single-payer advocate for the past two decades and a co-sponsor of HR 676 -- he made the rounds of every liberal "progressive" talk radio and TV show to assure the public that we will all come to love Obamacare once we get to know "what's in there."
Alas, for many people, the more they learn about "what's in there" and try to fathom how much the mandated private for-profit health insurance plans are going to cost them, the less they like Obamacare and look forward to its implementation with dread, not anticipation.
But wait! There's more!
Free Market McDermott also voted for two out of three of Obama's NAFTA-style "Free Trade Agreements" -- South Korea and Panama but not Columbia. Now, there's something to shout about! These are the three free-trade agreements that languished in limbo under Bush after the Demobots won control of the House and Senate in 2006, but the Obots are now convinced that "free trade" is different and better under Obama.
Perhaps guided by his Demobot Leader, Nancy Pelosi, Free Market McDermott voted "No" on the Columbia "free trade" agreement -- maybe it was all those well-documented reports of death squads and the murders of labor union activists and the courageous journalists who risk their lives to cover their tragic stories...it made Pelosi and Free Market McD feel a little squeamish.
You're correct that up until the last election, Free Market McDermott has held one of the safest seats in the Washington State delegation, but, like Kucinich, his credibility has been badly tarnished and his popularity has begun to wane since actively serving in Obama's stable of White House Eunuchs. That said, he has no serious challengers at the present time, and his seat appears to be safe for 2012.
Kucinich might be able to play the carpet bagger in the State of Washington, but Inslee's seat is already being challenged by six Democrats, including Darcy Burner, a popular progressive Democrat with name-recognition, an email list, and a cohort of ardent, enthusiastic, supporters who are eager to donate money to her campaign.
Burner, a former Microsoft manager, who attempted twice to unseat GOPer Dave Reichert in a district that does not favor left-leaning Democrats, really does have a shot at Inslee's seat in a district that is considerably more compatible with her political views.
The other open seat is that of retiring Rep. Norm Dicks, a Blue Dog Democrat, who has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the military industrial complex and Boeing, in particular -- Dicks was the Earmark King during his 36 years in the House.
Plus, Dicks was a conservative Democrat serving in a very conservative district that will now be more likely to vote for the GOPer. The last thing the voters in that district want is to be represented by an anti-war, anti-defense budget, liberal Democrat like Kucinich. Certainly, Dicks' former campaign contributors will lavish their ample funds on another hawkish Blue Dog Democrat or the GOPer.
PS -- The Big Money Boyz who feed at the trough of the MIC are looking for the anti-Kucinich to fill Norm Dicks' seat.
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But then again, when I met Kucinich at a fundraiser during his presidential run at the Iron City Brewery, he wouldn't eat the kielbasa or drink the beer, or even the cheese pirohi (he's a strict vegan and teetotaler). So maybe he'll fit in better with the culture out there. Aparently it is the only new democrat-majority district being formed from the past census.
Dennis has been just 1 of the 500+ national criminals...
I hate him no more or less than any of the others...
the entire body is rank and fetid...
you find it admirable? functional?
the left founders because it discusses while the right decimates...
Well said. Exactly. Decimating is active. What is the left doing? Arguing much and saying little. This is the effect of the Betrayer in Chief, I understand that. But where's the constructiveness to offset the right's destructiveness? I got it. We can't be constructive in a completely corrupt system. OK, then where's the real alternative to the corrupt system? Communism? or whatever the Chinese call their hybridized system? I think not.
Where are the truly constructive ideas on the left? Is OCCUPY all we've got, and all we're ever going to work for? Are a bunch of compromised Democrats all we'll ever go for, and/or be offered? Where's the indignation that leads away from self-denigration, and to a true movement that could give wanna-be progressives like Kucinich a real platform and springboard for action?
It's never going to come if we get stuck on petty issues about 'compromised' politicians. Isn't 'compromised' somewhere in the definition of all politicians?
Imho, this site is the last place where a predominance of unhelpful commentary should flourish, and yet it does.
the unanimous rejection of representation, industrialization and ownership, and the global adoption of the opposites...
personal engagement in the direct, sustainable management of every aspect of daily life, including local resources and societal groups...
I know nothing else to recommend, but a start date, that we might not each act alone, in futility: September 22, 2012...
I frequently lament the struggle to educate on planetary control beyond the level of national politics, but am comforted by the reality that the opposition pumps their lies out via numerous avenues 24/7, so one can easily imagine oneself a salmon trying to surmount an impossibly torrential waterfall...
hard to get people to understand politics is a lie when every article says the opposite...
even harder to get them to understand that's the purpose of the articles...
before long, it may be criminal to point these things out...
by the way, love your tag...Dune is still a great read...well, through book 4, anyway... much to be gleaned regarding the realities of violence and politics in Herbert's work...
Funny, but you'd probably be one of the last posters here I'd be pointing my initial criticisms at, since I think we firmly agree overall... and your choice of reading matter is nothing less than inspired...
Cheers dubet
Salusa: "haters"
Is that how you defend Kucinich, by name calling those who criticize him for selling out those who supported him? The criticism of Kucinich I've read so far is deserved and based on thought, not emotional rage. Curious, do you actually hate particular politicians, Romney, Gingrich, or whomever, or is that just something you think others do?
The only reason DK caved to Obama on Obama care was if he didn't no one would have gotten anything. DK can't help it if the government is captured by the international elite. He can't do it alone either. The other sold out Dems are the problem and election fraud which Im sure is why he didn't win.
textynn
Clearly, you know nothing about Washington State politics -- and politics in general -- or you couldn't make such preposterous statements.
You may not like the woman whom you describe as "That Gopper Hag. McMorris Rogers" -- nice misogynist touch there -- but she served as a state legislator in the Washington House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004 and assumed office in 2005.
McMorris Rogers serves in safe seat in a district that is strongly Republican and very conservative. She was preceded by ultra-conservative five-term GOPer George Nethercutt, who gave up his seat in the House to challenge Democrat Patty Murray for her Senate seat in 2004 -- Nethercutt suffered a devasting loss against Murray because he was clueless about politics west of the Cascades.
You claim, absurdly, that McMorris Rogers "goes unchallenged every cycle and it's bull" -- but that statement itself is not just "bull"...it's bullshit!
In 2004, McMorris Rogers received 59.7% of the vote in an open seat, defeating Democratic hotel magnate Don Barbieri.
In 2006, McMorris Rodgers won re-election with 56.4% of the vote, while her Democratic challenger Peter J. Goldmark earned 43.6%.
In 2008, McMorris Rogers ran unchallenged.
In 2010, McMorris Rogers won with 64% of the vote against Democrat Daryl Romeyn, who earned 36%.
With the exception of 2008, and contrary to your false assertion, McMorris Rogers has faced a challenge in every election since her first run for the U.S. House of Representatives, and she has beaten the Democrat(s) in her district decisively in each of those elections.
Again, there is a reason why McMorris Rogers continues to beat the Democrat(s) in her district in Eastern Washington -- it's a staunchly conservative Republican district.
If you really believe that a liberal "progressive" Democrat like Dennis Kucinich could carpet bag himself into McMorris Rogers' district and mount a serious challenge for her House seat, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you at subprime rates!
I'm a democratic socialist and detest both the GOPers and the Democrats, but I do have enormous respect for the truth based on facts in the reality-based world, and your comment pushed the Bullshit Meter off the charts.
PS -- I think you mean "GOPer"...not "Gopper" -- but I could be mistaken.
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textynn
You don't believe that Kaptur beat Kucinich?
D'oh! -- the evidence suggests otherwise:
"Marcy Kaptur scores huge victory against Dennis Kucinich in battle of Democratic heavyweights" http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/03/marcy_kaptur_scores_huge...
"TOLEDO, Ohio — U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur clobbered fellow Rep. Dennis Kucinich on Tuesday, her solid victory a stunning end to a mean-spirited primary between Democratic heavyweights.
"With nearly all precincts reporting, Kaptur led Kucinich 55 percent to 41 percent. Graham Veysey, a Cleveland entrepreneur making his first run for public office, was a distant third with about 4 percent of the vote.
"Kaptur, a longtime Toledo congresswoman, appeared to be sewing up the nomination with an overwhelmingly strong performance on her Lucas County turf. With about 85 percent of the votes counted there, she had outpaced Kucinich, an eight-term congressman and former Cleveland mayor, by a lopsided margin of 90 percentage points."
With a 55%-41% spread between two Democrats, it's a stretch to complain that this was another "stolen" election.
And speaking "killing Social Security" -- did you know that Kucinich voted for the Obama tax cuts for the rich, including the cynical "payroll tax holiday" that drills a $225 billion hole in the Social Security Trust Fund that must now be made up by diverting money from the general fund sometime down the road?
You may believe that "We're doomed"...but that's your opinion and your belief doesn't make it so. Speak for yourself.
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You suggest that no progressive should approach WA until you have finished organizing your organizations. Who's "a touch arrogant"? You are symptomatic of a deeper problem: you assume that anyone who doesn't kiss your [ring] is asking for a free lunch.
Speaking for the rest of Cascadia, welcome Dennis Kucinich! We need good people like you.
sigovesos9
You're seriously behind the curve with regard to factual reality -- Kucinich is not coming to the fantasyland you call "Cascadia" to run for congress:
"Kucinich won't run in Washington State, despite loss" http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politicsnorthwest/2017692590_kucin...
"Dennis Kucinich's Tuesday loss to fellow Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur spurred another round of speculation that Kucinich might run for one of Washington's three open congressional seats this year.
"But Kucinich squashed that chatter Wednesday, telling reporters he will stay on and represent his Cleveland district through the end of his term in January 2013.”
Plus, the place you call “Cascadia” is not the welcoming liberal progressive paradise that you suggest – Washington State is made up of nine congressional districts with diverse populations and political affiliations, to wit:
1. Jay Inslee – D; 2. Rick Larson – D; 3. Jaime Herrera Beutler– R; 4. Doc Hastings – R; 5.Cathy McMorris Rodgers - R; 6. Norman Dicks – D; 7. Jim McDermott – D; 8. David Reichert – R; 9. Adam Smith – D
Among the Democrats in the Washington State delegation, only Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott identify as liberal progressive politicians, and Inslee has vacated his seat to run for Governor in November 2012.
There are already six Democrats are running for Inslee’s seat in the 1st Congressional District, and Darcy Burner is the established liberal progressive candidate in that race. While Burner has a decent chance of winning the seat, it’s not a sure thing because it’s now a swing district with a somewhat more conservative electorate.
Leaving aside the carpetbagger label he would have faced, the district is now unlikely to warm up to Kucinich’s lefty politics. Darcy Burner, a former Microsoft manager, has a local following and a cohort of supporters who will donate money and volunteer for her campaign.
The other Democrats in the delegation, Rich Larson, Norm Dicks, and Adam Smith, are center-right DLC types who could not get elected in their conservative districts if they ran as liberals or progressives. Norm Dicks has just announced his retirement from congress, and his seat in a conservative district with a heavy military presence will no doubt go to another hawkish Blue Dog like Dicks or the GOPer.
The four GOPers in the delegation represent ultra-conservative districts, and those seats have been in the hands of the GOPers for decades.
Consequently, Kucinich’s announcement ends the political fantasy storyline that he might consider moving to Washington State to run for a House seat -- much to the relief of state Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz, who had openly frowned on a Kucinich candidacy here.
PS – I don’t know about “Cascadia” – which seems to be a special place inside your own head – but it has nothing to do with the political reality of Washington State.
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