CommenTerry, March 27th, 2007
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination back in December. He is now in his sixth term in the House of Representatives and is currently chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Kucinich entered politics at the age of 23, being elected to the Cleveland City Council. Eight years later, he was elected mayor of Cleveland at age 31, becoming the youngest mayor of a major U.S. city. His mayoral term is best known for the city's bankruptcy, which resulted from his power struggle with the banks with which the city had outstanding loans. He was nearly recalled (avoiding that fate by the narrowest of margins) and was defeated after only one two-year term in office. He was elected to the House in 1996, more than twenty years after two unsuccessful attempts in the early 1970's.
Kucinich ran for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, but met with very little success. He did not win a single primary or caucus and finished in single digits in most states. However, he did perform respectably in a handful of states, garnering 31% in Hawaii, 17% in Minnesota, and 16% in both Maine and Oregon. Despite his lack of success, he campaigned through the entire primary and caucus season.
As he did in 2004, Kucinich will be running to the left of other Democratic presidential contenders. He is known for his strong anti-war and pro-environmentalism stands. He favors the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq and has been a harsh critic of Democrats who voted in favor of the war, which he voted against, in 2002. In addition, he has voiced concerns that President Bush is building toward a war with Iran. He was one of the few members of Congress who voted against the USA Patriot Act.
Kucinich voted in favor of investigating Bill Clinton the Monica Lewinsky scandal, but voted against his impeachment. He is one of only a few vegan elected officials in the U.S. He is a Roman Catholic who once boasted an anti-abortion voting record. He has since switched positions to pro-choice -- a change that has brought accusations of flip-flopping on the issue. He disagrees with "abstinence-only" sex education, but favors the use of contraception to keep abortions rare, again breaking with the teachings of his Catholic faith.
Once again, Kucinich will have difficultly getting beyond single digits in most states during the nominating process. His far-left stands on most issues make it all but impossible for him to win the nomination. Even most of those Democrats who agree with him will be too pragmatic to give him their votes, knowing his nomination would lead to certain Democratic disaster in the fall of 2008. However, look for Kucinich to be as undeterred as ever, campaigning the entire way through the nominating season, as he did in 2004.
