Kucinich concedes and will endorse Kerry... (OK. maybe it's no THAT important. ) ___________________ Kucinich to endorse Kerry's candidacy Clevelander to end long-shot run, call for a united front to press for change Thursday, July 22, 2004 Elizabeth Auster and Stephen Koff Plain Dealer Bureau Washington- Cleveland Rep. Dennis Kucinich plans to endorse John Kerry for president today, ending his long-shot bid for the nation's highest office only days before the start of the Democratic National Convention. Kucinich is expected to fly to Michigan for a joint appearance with Kerry, who is scheduled to deliver a speech at a Na tional Urban League conference in Detroit. The announce ment is the culmi nation of nearly a week of talks be tween the Kerry and Kucinich camps that began with a phone conversation between the two candidates late last week. According to a draft of his remarks obtained by The Plain Dealer, Kucinich will pledge to "do everything possible" to elect Kerry, urge his delegates to support Kerry at the convention, and issue a plea for Ralph Nader's supporters to join the campaign. "The time has come to unite in a common effort for change," Kucinich says in the prepared remarks. "If there is room for me in the party and the Kerry-Edwards campaign, there is certainly room for Ralph and for his supporters." Kucinich plans to describe the Massachusetts senator as "a good friend and a decent man" who offers "a lifelong commitment of honorable service" to the nation. "He can be trusted with power. He will help heal America," Kucinich says of Kerry in the draft. Kucinich, the last candidate to pull out of the Democratic race, is scheduled to address the Democratic convention next Wednesday night. Other former contenders also will get speaking slots. Though Kucinich won fewer than 70 delegates, a fraction of the 2,162 needed to win the nomination, he has long maintained that Democrats intent on winning the White House must heed the concerns of activists who share his opposition to the Iraq war and his support for universal health coverage. Many political observers agree that Al Gore probably would have won the 2000 election if not for the defections of disaffected Democrats who voted for Nader. With his late but unequivocal endorsement of Kerry, Kucinich is clearly trying to distinguish himself from Nader, casting himself as a progressive who wants to change the direction of the Democratic Party from within. Kucinich stayed in the race long after it became clear he had no chance of winning his party's nomination. When he first announced that he was exploring a bid for the presidency in February 2003, Kucinich said he wanted to test the waters to see if a candidacy was viable. At the time, he had been getting considerable national attention in liberal circles for his outspoken criticism of the Bush administration's plans to go to war in Iraq and its general approach to fighting terrorism, which Kucinich called an assault on civil liberties. Though Kucinich insisted he expected to win when he formally entered the race last October, his support from the party's left wing failed to translate into many votes once the caucuses and primaries began. By the time the March 2 primaries ended with Kerry virtually assured of the nomination, Kerry had about 1,300 delegates, John Edwards had more than 400, and Kucinich had about 20. Kucinich trailed Kerry even in his own congressional district. Kucinich ended up winning many of his delegates in later contests after all the other major candidates had pulled out. He argued repeatedly that it made sense for him to stay in the race all the way to the convention so he and his supporters could try to influence the direction of the Democratic Party, most notably in its platform. At the platform committee's final meeting in Florida this month, however, Kucinich's outnumbered supporters ended up bowing to Kerry forces who opposed his push for a platform plank calling for a quick pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq. In addition to his convention address, Kucinich is planning a busy week of events in Boston focused on the issues he has emphasized throughout the campaign - peace, health care, civil liberties and trade. http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1090488729320470.xml
http://www.kucinich.us/pressreleases/pr_012704d.php Kucinich Plans Full Public Inquiry FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2004 Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich today announced plans to create as President a full public inquiry into why the Bush Administration made the claims it did about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He asked the other Democratic candidates to make the same commitment. Some of them may be reluctant to do so, judging by the following transcript excerpts from today's Democracy Now! Program: JEREMY SCAHILL: Governor Dean, why did you say in March 2003 that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction? Governor Dean? Why did you say -- HOWARD DEAN: I thought he did. JEREMY SCAHILL: What intelligence did you base that on? HOWARD DEAN: Talks with people who were knowledgeable, including a series of folks that work in the Clinton administration. JEREMY SCAHILL: Were you wrong? HOWARD DEAN: Maybe. I don't know. Probably not the best time to talk about it. AMY GOODMAN: Senator Kerry -- quick question. You said that Saddam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons when other nations wouldn't try. What intelligence was that based on? JOHN KERRY: I don't know what report -- I don't know what you are talking about. AMY GOODMAN: You said Saddam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons. JOHN KERRY: When did I say that? I don't recall. I don't know. AMY GOODMAN: You said he was developing chemical and biological weapons. JOHN KERRY: I never said he was developing nuclear. I believe I said -- AMY GOODMAN: You said, why is Saddam Hussein attempting to develop nuclear weapons. JOHN KERRY: Attempting to, because he did. He did attempt to. AMY GOODMAN: According to intelligence, Iraq has chemical and biological weapons. JOHN KERRY: Say it again? AMY GOODMAN: You said according to intelligence, Iraq has biological and chemical weapons. JOHN KERRY: That's what we were told. Right. AMY GOODMAN: Is that intelligence wrong? Do you think Bush -- you made a wrong statement, then? Because Kucinich at the time was saying no credible sources were there, but you are saying -- JOHN KERRY: I'm sorry, we're going to have to do -- JEREMY SCAHILL: Amy was then told by Kerry's people to stop asking questions and the press could ask them later. But when she asked if there would be an avail after the event, press lingo for press availability, Kerry's staffers conceded that there would be none. We persisted in our questioning of Kerry on this issue. JEREMY SCAHILL: Senator Kerry, why did you say that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction? STAFFER: We have to get the Apollo crew in here. JEREMY SCAHILL: Answer the question, senator Kerry. Why did you accuse Saddam of having weapons of mass destruction? New Hampshire Media Contact: Richard Hendrick 603-353-4828 For more information: http://www.kucinich.us For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm. To schedule interviews with Kucinich or a spokesperson: interviews@kucinich.us Campaign Press Secretary: David Swanson 301-772-0210, cell 202-329-7847, fax 301-772-7293, swanson@kucinich.us Back to Press Releases | Kucinich.us Home Page Contact us: Kucinich for President 11808 Lorain Avenue - Cleveland, OH 44111 216-889-2004 / 866-413-3664 (toll-free) And more... http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cach...dToVote.pdf+site:kucinich.us+John+Kerry&hl=en Kerry, Edwards Failed to Vote for American Workers With millions of unemployed Americans looking for work, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-OH, co-sponsored a bill to extend unemployment benefits. After the bill was deadlocked by Republicans in committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-WA, attempted on February 26 to amend a bill before the Senate to approve an extension of benefits. The vote required a three-fifths majority to carry. Even though 11 Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the amendment, it failed by two votes! KERRY AND EDWARDS WERE ABSENT! Millions of unemployed Americans lost a chance for hope that day, as Sens. John Kerry, D-MA, and John Edwards, D-NC, missed a key vote that could have extended benefits through June 30. The votes of Kerry and Edwards would have tipped the scale in favor of American workers. Now, millions of unemployed Americans will have to wonder how—their elected leaders having failed them again—they will have a roof over their heads, their heating working and their lights on. And the reason? … Two Democrats missing in action. A study of 119 key Senate votes in 2003, done by Congressional Quarterly, found Kerry missed 72% of the votes, while Edwards was absent 47% of the time. By contrast, on Nov. 19, 2003, CNN reported, “Kucinich has tried not to neglect his congressional duties while campaigning for president. He has the best attendance record for roll call votes of the five Democratic candidates from Congress. He visits the district two to three times a month, although that’s down from his pre-presidential campaign custom of every weekend.” Congressman Dennis Kucinich challenged Senators John Edwards and John Kerry to save American jobs by joining him in his pledge to cancel the North American Free Trade Agreement. Both refused. In a national debate on CNN, on Feb 26, Kucinich renewed his pledge to cancel NAFTA and the WTO by executive order as his first act in office. Neither Kerry nor Edwards would commit to canceling NAFTA. Kerry voted for NAFTA and has consistently voted for other comparable trade agreements. Kerry and Edwards both voted for the China trade agreement. VOTE FOR KUCINICH !! He is voting for you!!! To learn more about Dennis J. Kucinich, visit www.kucinich.usor call toll free (866) 413-3664 or (866) 4-1-Dennis. “It’s time to awaken the American Dream … where Fear Ends and Hope Begins!”Now, millions of unemployed Americans will have to wonder how — their elected leaders having failed them again — they will have a roof over their heads, their heating working, and their lights on.
