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May 24, 2013
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 Truthdigger of the Week: Rep. Dennis KucinichPosted on Mar 8, 2012
Since he first entered elected office more than 40 years ago, Dennis Kucinich has proved time and again to be an indefatigable fighter and principled politician—a rare creature indeed—who never forgot where he came from or those for whom he was responsible. While his defeat in Tuesday’s Ohio primary election might have sidetracked his 16-year congressional career, we’re betting we haven’t seen the last of Kucinich in the national political arena, as he’s always been more about ideas and values than power and prestige (the last two in that list, for him, always came as a result of his commitments to the first two), and there’s still much work to be done on causes he’s owned over the course of eight terms in the U.S. House. But we’d like to take this brief pause to make him our Truthdigger of the Week. Rep. Kucinich was the oldest of seven children in a working-class family in Cleveland, and their frequent moves and struggles to pay the bills made a big impression on the future legislator. Kucinich took a shine to the idea of public service at an early age; in 1977, when he was elected mayor of Cleveland at just 31, he famously became the youngest person ever to be the mayor of a major American city. His mayoral tenure was a short one—the blowback from his dogged insistence on keeping the city’s municipally owned electric system from privatization knocked him out of office after two years when he lost a bid for re-election. But as Truthdig Editor Robert Scheer pointed out in his column this week, it was just that refusal to be bullied or co-opted by corporate interests that would shape Kucinich’s political profile and eventually propel him to higher positions of influence—all the way to the halls of Congress and two runs for the White House. (Kucinich can also count Truthdig contributor among his list of impressive credentials.) Kucinich was one of too few voices opposing the Iraq War in 2002 in the run-up to that costly tragedy, and as Scheer also noted, the congressman made it his job to be “unfailingly resilient in advocating for the vulnerable, whether they were the working poor in his district or the folks our government bombed throughout the world.” In fact, we’ll let Scheer lead us out with his take on Kucinich’s legacy, as he puts it all best in his column here. Could be that Kucinich will find his way back to Capitol Hill in no time—wouldn’t be the first time he’s taken a hit and come back stronger.
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By cyclezealot, March 12, 2012 at 12:47 pm Link to this comment
By heterochromatic, March 12 at 5:38 am Link to this
Report thiscomment
cycle——-it’s not my spin and nothing that I’m happy
to report….. I was rather
surprised by it all…
...
I still remain unconvinced of the credibility of the
Atlantic wire piece.. Never take anything at face
value.. Could be Kucinich was a little naive , but
the charge that he praised Assad is an exaggeration..
Don’t take Atlantic sensationalist headlines.. There
in is the potential spin..
The Atlantic is home of Christopher Hitchens and its
editor , Benjamin Schwarz who comes from the Rand
Corporation. Believe little what you read, without
doing a little footwork.. The praise Kucinich is
quoted originates from his 2007 visit. not the 2011
visit.. Schwarz likely twisted the Kucinich quotes
time line in order push Christopher Hitchens ’
agenda. Should you have the determination to pursue
the story , the links below should provide enough
evidence that Kucinich’s praise of Assad is
suspicious. Turn to the “Plain Dealer” report for a
more honest quote from Kucinich.. Any praise paid by
Kucinich of Assad comes from either the ‘State
media,’ “Sana” or from Kucinich ‘s 2007 visit..
. I remain skeptical of this spin..
.
.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich won’t assign blame in Syria,
questions ‘retributive justice’ against Bin Laden
.
.During a Wednesday interview with The Plain Dealer,
Kucinich said protesters in Syria are making
legitimate demands for reform, but some there are
trying to “capitalize on those legitimate demands for
reform and use it push a violent agenda.”
.http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/05/rep_
dennis_kucinich_wont_assig.html
..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/
syria/8604145/Foreign-Office-defends-Conservative-
MPs-Syria-visit.html
.
By heterochromatic, March 12, 2012 at 6:38 am Link to this comment
cycle——-it’s not my spin and nothing that I’m happy to report….. I was rather
Report thissurprised by it all…..and I don’t think it completely damning, just not good.
By cyclezealot, March 12, 2012 at 2:14 am Link to this comment
I stand corrected. But, I am not entirely sure I
agree with your spin on the story.. Some how I missed
this event last June…
.
.http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/06/what-
dennis-kucinich-doing-syria/39300/
.......
By heterochromatic, March 11 at 2:49 pm Link to this
Report thiscomment
cycle——- it wasn’t ‘long ago” that Kucinich was
saying nice things about Assad…...it was last
June…..after Assad had slaughtered 1,000 Syrians
who wanted voting rights and actual elections.
By cyclezealot, March 12, 2012 at 2:06 am Link to this comment
Heterochromatic.. I receive Google alarms of all
things Kucinich.. In the search for my link, I saw
nothing of your news report. You sure you have that
right. I provided you with a link to my report..
Where is yours.? I do not recall any such action
attributed to Kucinch such as the one you quote. ?
.
heterochromatic, March 11 at 2:49 pm Link to this
Report thiscomment
cycle——- it wasn’t ‘long ago” that Kucinich was
saying nice things about Assad…...it was last
June…..after Assad had slaughtered 1,000 Syrians
who wanted voting rights and actual elections.
By heterochromatic, March 11, 2012 at 3:49 pm Link to this comment
cycle——- it wasn’t ‘long ago” that Kucinich was
saying nice things about Assad…...it was last
June…..after Assad had slaughtered 1,000 Syrians
who wanted voting rights and actual elections.
even after Kucinich said that he was misquoted during
his tour of Syria as a guest of the Syrian
government….
===“President al-Assad is highly loved and
appreciated by the Syrians,” Kucinich said, according
to the Syrian news site. “President Bashar al-Assad
cares so much about what is taking place in Syria,
which is evident in his effort towards a new Syria
and everybody who meets him can be certain of
this.”===
and given that the quote was from SANA, the official
Syrian government propaganda organ, it should be
considered as untruthful.
but Dennis the feckless was still saying nice things
about Assad later that month, back in the USA….and
nobody was “mistranslating” him.
“What I learned from my meeting with President Assad
is that he does care about what’s happening, that he
wants to respond, that he’s thinking about the
different ways that would be the best way to address
the needs of the people,” was Kucinich speaking in
plain English ......
and I guess murder, imprisonment, torture and rape
were what Kucinich probably shouldn’t have ignored
when discussing Assad’s “best ways to address”
things.
Kucinich has his good points .....and he is just
Report thishopeless on other stuff.
By SharonMI, March 11, 2012 at 2:25 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Actually, cyclezealot, I was meaning the Dems in the halls of power, not voters who call themselves Dem. Personally, I think he should change the D to I and campaign against the big Zero, because “peace” and “public” are important and O isn’t getting the job done (unless you’re a banker, or BigPharma etc)
Report thisBy cyclezealot, March 10, 2012 at 2:04 am Link to this comment
By don fahrney, March 9 at 1:00 pm Link to this
comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Kucinich is as unprincpled ....
Report this.
This must be the action you are referring to.? (
Interview.)
. You mean Assad..Long ago there was a time Assad was
considered a reformer. We’ve all been fooled.. I see
no praise of Assad, other than encouraging a role in
the Middle East. Kucinich’s praise of Syria was its
acceptance of Iraqi refugees. Otherwise, they’d been
murdered… Kucinich visited Syria well before the
uprising. Assad’s role back then was in relation to
Iraq , not Syrian domestic issues. Since the Arab
Spring, we’ve all had a change of views..
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5C1ZYN0T6M
By Sodium-Na, March 9, 2012 at 2:32 pm Link to this comment
An excellent choice,Truthdig.
Thank you all,who voted for him. He richly deserves your votes.
Report thisBy don fahrney, March 9, 2012 at 2:00 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Kucinich is as unprincpled as anyone on the hill check out about 6 months ago his interview with Assas calling him an honeralbe man doing the right thing that in the middle of Assas killing his own people. Kucinich a phony like them all.
Report thisBy cyclezealot, March 9, 2012 at 12:33 pm Link to this comment
M Henri Day, March 9 at 10:38 am Link to this
Report thiscomment
Kudos to Dennis John Kucinich ! I’ve just finished
listening to the interview ..
If only much of the media would not pander and be
allowed to feed those who create the rumors and myths
that sway elections: His depth and vision would have
made him president..Kucinch’s well shines in Shcer’s
interview.. Then also try, Hartman’s interview..
This also reveals Kucinich’s depth of knowledge .
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
feature=player_embedded&v=vQAmZFogElY
By M Henri Day, March 9, 2012 at 11:38 am Link to this comment
Kudos to Dennis John Kucinich ! I’ve just finished listening to the interview (http://www.truthdig.com/images/avboothuploads/Truthdig_Radio_3-8-12.mp3) with him on Truthdig Podcast and confess to being both surprised - and deeply impressed - to find such a person in the US House of Representatives (until 3 January 2013). Imagine Mr Kucinich as US Secretary of State - what a contrast to Ms Clinton, who seems to enjoy shooting bullets (or more accurately, seeing to it that others do so for her) even more than she did «dodging» them !...
Henri
Report thisBy cyclezealot, March 9, 2012 at 11:33 am Link to this comment
SharonMI.. Sharon of Mi.. Not that holding onto his
Report thisDem status is anything sacred.. His worst offense with
the Dem’s was Kaptur’s dirty ads.. But, Kucinich was
not rejected by the constituents of his west side
Cleveland base.. Those remaining members of his old
constituency voted for him -72% last Tuesday.. . Of
which Kucinich is justly proud.
By SharonMI, March 9, 2012 at 6:24 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
We’ve seen what he can do inside the halls of Congress as a democrat…now let’s watch where he goes with his newfound status of outsider. My advise though - Drop that Dem title as the Dems have dropped you, and in times like these, I bet people stop laughing at you and start listening to your messages, “peace not war”, “public not private” etc.
Report thisBy cyclezealot, March 9, 2012 at 12:55 am Link to this comment
Kucinich would deserve the title of not just
Report thistruthdigger of the week, but Truthdigger of the
year.. Thanks for bringing Kucinich’s accomplishmets
to our attention.. Kucinich is fearless.. Didn’t he
even suggest after Libya, what Obama is doing is
impeachable. ?. Anyone who charges Kucinich is
ineffective is just not informed.. They have not
watched him in combat at the Government Operations
Committee.. his loss is tragic, with Rep. Daryl Issa
on the attack over the issue of workers rights and
the privatization of everything public such as the
postal service, etc..