Kucinich Endorses Kerry

USATODAY reports that Dennnis Kucinich has endorsed John Kerry. This should be old news to readers of this page … a careful read of the slate of DNC speakers, posted here two days ago, shows Kucinich among the Wednesday speakers.

Kucinich Supporters Plan to Push Agenda

AP: Kucinich Supporters Plan to Push Agenda

Supporters of presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich plan to push for some of his proposals from the winter primary campaign to be included in the Democratic Party’s platform.

Hundreds of supporters will travel to Hollywood, Fla., in a week to persuade the party’s platform committee to include planks on such matters as creation of a Cabinet-level Department of Peace, withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and national health care reform.

Supporters of Kucinich, who has not formally dropped out of the race despite Kerry’s claim to the nomination, have been contacting members of the platform committee and officials of the Democratic National Committee to lobby for their positions.

Representatives of the Kucinich campaign will present petitions with thousands of signatures to the platform committee on July 10. The committee plans to consider proposed planks before adopting a platform that day and referring it to the Democratic National Convention that begins July 26 in Boston.

Dennis Kucinich ...

… still alive and on the trail! Via WaPo.

Sharpton and Kucinich Sticking It Out

AP, via MSNBC.com, reports:

As better-financed and more popular candidates drop out of the Democratic presidential race one after the other, two constants remain: Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton.

Both are winless after more than a dozen state contests, holding in single digits in the polls, with no expectation of doing better down the road. But each professes a unique sense of purpose and vows to stay in until the end.

For Kucinich, it’s to shine a light on his opposition to the Iraq war and his plan to bring U.S. troops home.

“It is at the convention where I will win the nomination, based on the emergence of Iraq as the defining issue,” the Ohio congressman predicted last week.

Sharpton, the only black candidate remaining, wants to help tailor the party platform to reflect minority concerns.

Kerry Will Likely Claim Virginia

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports on John Kerry’s likely win in Virginia’s primary.

Recent polls have found Kerry with a substantial lead in Virginia over North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who in turn has distanced himself from the remaining candidates.

The likely result is that when Virginians go to the polls today, they will not have as much of an impact on the nomination as had been hoped when state Democratic Party officials sought an early primary.

With Kerry’s early string of primary and caucus victories, Virginia and neighboring Tennessee, which also votes today, are expected to knock down one of the last uncertainties about Kerry - his ability to win in a Southern state.

However, Sen. John Edwards, General Wesley Clark and Rep. Dennis Kucinich continue campaigning in the Commonwealth. Howard Dean is not campaigning in Virginia.

Kucinich Leads in New Poll

It's True ... it just so happens that it's a Truthout.org instapoll.

Dems' Favorite Songs

Fox News has a list of the Democratic candidates' favorite songs. The list is quite telling I think:

Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun-- "You Gotta Be," Des'ree.

Al Sharpton-- "Talking Loud, Saying Nothing," James Brown. He called it "James Brown's song about the Republican Party."

Sen. John Edwards-- "Small Town," John Mellencamp.

Sen. John Kerry -- "No Surrender," Bruce Springsteen.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean -- "Jaspora," Wyclef Jean.

Sen. Joe Lieberman --"Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow," Fleetwood Mac; "My Way," Frank Sinatra.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich -- "Imagine," John Lennon.

Rep. Dick Gephardt -- "Born in the USA," Bruce Springsteen.

Sen. Bob Graham -- "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes," Jimmy Buffett.

Kucinich Supports Universal Health Care, Smaller Defense Budget

And two chickens in every pot! Kucinich is stumping in Maine on a platform of universal healthcare and defence cuts. Read the local coverage at Maine's Press Herald. Noteable for you policy wonks:

He said he supports a single-payer universal health care system that would provide coverage for various procedures, such as alternative medicines, vision care and long-term health ...

... He said he would cut the Pentagon's budget by 15 percent and ask Congress to repeal the Patriot Act.

Candidates Argue Taxes

The 2004 Democratic hopefuls spent Monday night discussing how much of Bush's tax cuts should be repealed. Kerry, Kucinich, Mosley-Braun and Lieberman all agreed to repeal only those cuts effecting the rich, while Howard Dean lined up with Dick Gephardt and Al Sharpton to advocate reversing the Bush cuts across the board.

"I think it's very important that Democrats not promise more than we can deliver," Dean said. "We can deliver health care for every American, or we can have the tax cuts."

Source: NH Primary Monitor

Kucinich Raises $1.54 Million

And it's primarily Internet-driven, which suggests that the Dean model is different, if only in effectiveness. From Yahoo / AP:

Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich said Monday that his campaign had raised $1.54 million during a three-month period, mostly from small Internet donations.

After spending about $527,000 from April to June, Kucinich has about $1.06 million on hand for his White House bid. Considered a long-shot candidate, Kucinich is slated to file financial reports with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday.

Kucinich Spices Up Democratic Race

Or so says MSNBC, which also notes that DK offers a "purer anti-Pentagon alternative to Howard Dean."

Dem. Candidate Kucinich Gets Endorsements

It's not exactly the AFL-CIO, but I suppose Ed Asner and Studs Terkel count for something. From Yahoo / AP.

Kucinich, a four-term congressman from Cleveland, is considered a long-shot candidate among nine Democrats vying for the party's presidential nomination. He trails the pack in money raised as well as name recognition.

But the lawmaker argues that this growing list of high-profile support, which also includes actors Peter Coyote, James Cromwell, Hector Elizondo and Elliott Gould, could turn that around.

Kucinich Says Right Things To Fire Up Dems

Kucinich has been beating the stump in Columbus, OH ... here's the account from the Marion Star (OH):

He's way behind in fund-raising, name recognition and political buzz, but U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Cleveland, has been buoyed by some recent enthusiastic crowds that have turned out to hear him speak across the country.

To fire up the Democratic base, he's talking about protecting America's steel and auto industries, eliminating the North American Free Trade Agreement, establishing universal health care and doing away with President Bush's tax cuts, which he argues favor the rich.

Kucinich Also Plans To Run For Congress

WCPO (OH) is reporting that Dennis Kucinich will likely run for Congress again even as he seeks the Democratic nomination.

Kucinich Visits Dockworkers In Another California Campaign Swing

From the San Jose Mercury News:

Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich focused his campaign on California Saturday, promoting a peace agenda in the Bay Area and donning boxing gloves while wooing a politically powerful dockworkers union in San Pedro.

Union members who work at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex chanted "knock out Bush" as the Ohio congressman slipped on the gloves during a barbecue at a harbor-area park.

The Buzzwords Of Dennis Kucinich

From the continuing series at Slate:

Weapon of mass destruction
Example: "Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction. Homelessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Lack of adequate education is a weapon of mass destruction. Our children not having good neighborhoods is a weapon of mass destruction" (Children's Defense Fund forum, April 9, 2003).
What it means: Big problem.
What it hides: If you had to choose between getting nuked and getting a bad education, would it be a tough call?
Subtext: Please applaud while I change the subject.

Willie Nelson Endorses Kucinich For President

But is a vote for Dennis a vote for hemp? From Talon News:

Country music singer Willie Nelson threw his political support behind Presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich on Tuesday.

"I normally do not get too heavily involved in politics, but this is more about getting involved with America than with politics," Nelson said in the statement released by the Kucinich campaign.

"I encourage people to learn more about Dennis Kucinich at his website, and I will be doing all I can to raise his profile with voters." said Nelson, who endorsed Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in 2000 and also plans to hold concerts to raise much-needed funds for the Kucinich race.