DENNIS KUCINICH POLITICAL NEWS

CONTINUED FROM REPO-MAN

by Dee Finney

From: Kucinich Campaign [mailto:info@kucinich.us]

Sent: Friday, May 23, 2003

Subject: KUCINICH CAMPAIGN ON A ROLL

KUCINICH IMPRESSES FEMINISTS...

TOP IOWA POLITICAL ANALYST SAYS HE COULD BE "FACTOR IN IOWA"

The Kucinich Campaign has had a very good week.

(1) Dennis was a smashing success at the Emily's List forum of feminist leaders in Washington, D.C., this week. Here is the description from page A2 of Wednesday's Washington Post: "Kucinich attacked Bush for going to war in Iraq and for failing to focus on the threats to economic security at home. 'I know where weapons of mass destruction are,' he said to rising applause and eventually a standing ovation. 'Joblessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction. Homelessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Poor health care is a weapon of mass destruction. And when the government lies to the American people, that is a weapon of mass destruction.'"

(2) On Wednesday, Dennis took to the House floor to assert: "This administration led this nation into a war based on a pretext that Iraq was an imminent threat, which it was not." While other Democrats have gone into hiding on Iraq, Dennis is demanding answers...as forcefully as ever.

(3) Dennis' success in the Iowa debate at the AFSCME union continues to be discussed -- the huge applause, repeated standing ovations, top-rating by the focus group of undecided union members. David Yepsen, the Des Moines Register's long-time political columnist, reported: "Kucinich has been spending considerable time in Iowa and his good score indicates he could be on the verge of becoming a factor in the Iowa contest." John Carlson, another Register columnist, suggested that Dennis was "from the Michael Moore wing of the Democratic Party."

(4) The most recent Zogby Poll of Iowa has Dennis Kucinich at 3%. This is a surprisingly high figure for a largely unknown, under-funded candidate who started late. What it shows is that Dennis' message is beginning to stick, and he is winning supporters with each new visit to Iowa.

(5) Dennis' extended interview on NPR is getting great pass-around on the Internet. It demonstrated his ability to be serious, to handle complex issues with sophisticated solutions, and to inject humor (check out the broccoli repartee near the end). When NPR host Bob Edwards asks "Is your realistic goal to win the presidential nomination or to raise these issues?" -- Dennis replies: "By raising these issues I'm going to win. By raising these issues, I'll identify myself as the one candidate who is in touch with the practical aspirations of people and who sees that this country has the resources to address those aspirations."

If you have not yet heard the extended version of the NPR interview, check it out.

[http://www.kucinich.us/npr_transcript.htm]

***

The Kucinich Campaign is on the move. We are gaining ground in Iowa, California, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and other key, early states.

All we are lacking is money. The next fundraising report is June 30th, and it is important that our campaign show that we have begun to raise funds in a serious way.

If you have not given, please do -- every $10, every $25, is important. And if you have given, please consider giving again, or becoming a monthly contributor. Remember: All donations up to $250 are matched. That means your $25 is really worth $50 to our campaign. To contribute: [https://www.kucinich.us/contribute.php]

Please help because a better world is possible. http://www.kucinich.us


From: Kucinich Campaign [mailto:info@kucinich.us]

Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 3:17 PM

Subject: Kucinich Opposes War Drums over Iran -- and Media Monopoly

KUCINICH BUILDING INSURGENT CAMPAIGN... SPEAKS OUT AGAINST WAR AND CORPORATE DOMINANCE

As he tours Northern California reaching big audiences of new voters and raising much-needed funds, Dennis J. Kucinich continues to raise his voice on issues that distinguish him from the other presidential candidates. Today, he continued his antiwar leadership in Congress by challenging the Bush administration on its dangerous rhetoric and stance toward Iran. Last week, he stood up against the surrender of public property -- the broadcast airwaves -- to giant media corporations.

As ranking Democrat on the Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, Kucinich issued the following statement today:

"The rhetoric and posturing by this Administration over Iran serves only to validate impressions in the region that the United States is empire building. It is disturbing that as our nation is just beginning to learn that it was misled in the build-up to war in Iraq, that this Administration is seeking to continue its dangerous policy in the region with an aggressive posture towards Iran. Now more than ever, it is critical that the United States work with our friends and allies in the Middle East to root out terrorists cells and implement a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

***

Last week, Kucinich blasted the federally-assisted corporate takeover of U.S. media in formal comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission. Kucinich's protest comes as the FCC seems prepared to announce new, even more deregulatory rules on media ownership.

"Walking further down the path of deregulation skews the national discourse and is directly contrary to the welfare of the public. It is adamantly not in the public interest to grant a few corporations the privilege to broadcast their views and augment their voice to the American people at the expense of the many."

Kucinich focused attention on Clear Channel, a company with ties to the Bush Administration that now owns 1200 stations nationwide: "Clear Channel's national and dominant presence, a direct result of deregulation, threatens an imbalance in the public discourse -- an imbalance caused by the government granting one corporation the power to dominate the public airwaves, and the privilege to amplify its voice on public property. It is well documented that Clear Channel has removed on-air personalities from stations that it has bought, and replaced those local announcers with more centralized voices."

***

Please spread the word about the Kucinich campaign for peace, justice, national health insurance, sustainable development, equal rights and diverse, de-monopolized mass media. Despite the media mantra of 'longshot' and 'darkhorse,' the campaign is gaining ground as people learn that Kucinich has a history of winning longshot races.

For background on the campaign: [http://www.kucinich.us]

To donate to the campaign: [https://www.kucinich.us/contribute.php]

Please forward this to others.