Press Action

Monday, January 19, 2004

Still Talking

By Daniel Patrick Welch

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Posted 01/19 |

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Welch makes some interesting comments; and I felt hopeful reading them for a moment that Kucinich could win. I think it a crime that K is marginalized, and ignored by the mainstream press; but not surprised. I plan to vote for him, if he’s still in the race in March, Illinois primary. But I don’t have the hope he will win that Welch does. It seems to me, the best candidate, as when Nader pulled 3% in 2000, is practically less than an also-ran. K is hope in a hopeless world. Even if he doesn’t win, I plan to work for the vision of the world he projects. Maybe K’s time will come in ‘08. That’s a utopian idea. I agree with Gore Vidal, who has been preaching for decades that for our democracy to have a chance, the military budget must be slashed. And Kucinich is the only one who has had the courage to frame that issue.

If you read this, Mr. Welch, don’t be despondent. I enjoyed your ideas very much. But I do wish you would have been clearer with them. When you said: “It must be nice, many of us have mused, to go door-to-door with a 100 mile an hour tailwind at your back,” I didn’t understand what you were referring to as the tailwind; and when you said “The anger is genuine, the solution comes second. The former can be tapped by any brave soul who dares to speak out: Gore, Kennedy, Byrd, and on and on,” I didn’t quite understand what you meant by that.

The struggle continues.

Posted by Tracy McLellan from on 01/19 at 10:49 PM

Don’t worry, Tracy, I’m not despondent! Hope is not a prediction--more of a lesson plan. And don’t worry--you will get your chance to vote for Kucinich. He is in this up through the convention--he has made that much clear. Plus, he’s getting a check for $3.5 at the end of the month, so he’s definitely not going anywhere! I would make one observation about the “also-ran” analogy. Until we can change the voting process, institute IRV, proportional representation, and so on, the fact that Kucinich is running as a Democrat does make a difference. Nader could never have pulled more than that from outside, especially in a close election. Still, his success makes it clear that it was in fact a center-left election, turned into a right wing romp by the Supreme Court and 9/11. Thanks for your encouragement and kind words. Keep fighting the good fight, and remember: WE ARE THE ONES WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR!

Posted by Danny from on 01/21 at 04:33 PM