Ron Paul vs. Dennis Kucinich?....And Why 2008 Will Be about the War

[babylonsister]

Ron Paul vs. Dennis Kucinich?....And Why 2008 Will Be about the War

By David Corn | November 9, 2007 8:45 AM


The recent news about GOP presidential back-of-the-packer Ron Paul--that on Monday alone he raised $4 million from 20,000 new Internet donors--got me thinking about...Dennis Kucinich.

Ron Paul is an out-of-the-box Republican. He opposes the Iraq war and has blamed 9/11 on a U.S. foreign policy designed to perpetuate "worldwide imperialism." As a libertarian, he has advocated the legalization of drugs and has voted against numerous government programs (including education for disabled kids).

Kucinich is an out-of-the-box Democrat. He advocates establishing a Department of Peace. He favors a single-payer national health insurance program. In the House, he introduced articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney.

Paul speaks for a slice of conservatives; Kucinich speaks for a slice of liberals. Both are offbeat, driven-by-principles characters. (You've heard about Kucinich and the UFO.) Yet Paul rakes in the campaign moolah, while Kucinich runs along almost on empty. As of the end of September, Kucinich had raised $2.1 million, of which he had spent $1.9 million. (And he was carrying nearly half a mil in debt.) As of that point (prior to his November 5 "money bomb"), Paul had collected $8.3 million, and he had $5.5 million in cash on hand.

The question is, why does a champion of libertarian conservatism attract significant financial support, while a champion of progressive notions is stuck in the poor house? No one should expect either Paul or Kucinich to match the tens of millions of dollars bagged by the front runners or to become contenders within their respective parties. But Paul has tapped his constituency. Kucinich has not.

more...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/davidcorn/2007/11/ron-paul-vs-dennis-kucinichand.html

[sellitman]

1. I cannot figure out how anyone here on DU can support anyone else but Dennis?

At least until the Primaries are over. I always considered DU liberal in the past. Guess not.

[txaslftist]

2. It's that damn "electability" hurdle.

Shit, everyone ought to know Dennis is our star player. But nobody's willing to get on board.

If you are antiwar, your choices are stark: Dennis Kucinich or Ron Paul.

John Edwards is starting to come out more anti-war, and that's great, but how committed to this is he?

That said, we need to back the Democratic nominee, even if he/she is pro war, won't commit to bringing troops home and won't rule out a nuclear first strike. After all, he/she is a Democrat, and that's what really matters.

[sellitman]

5. That "hurdle" is right wing press clips

Yes....I will support whoever in the GE but now......it's only Dennis.

[LoZoccolo]

7. Because he saw a UFO. n/t

[sellitman]

12. Glad it wasn't his haircut.

:sarcasm:

[LoZoccolo]

14. Seeing something that's possibly from outer space, or an enemy secret weapon...

...is way more relevant than a haircut. That Kucinich chose to use the occasion to impress someone (or even lie) rather than pass the information to the proper authorities, speaks loads about his sense of responsibility.

[sellitman]

24. Now you sound like one of "Them"

Smearing Dennis because he saw what Hundreds of thousands feel they have seen is just the kind of tactic we have seen from the Right. Good job.

[onenote]

23. because not everyone at DU adheres to exactly the same views,

As I assume you may have noticed.

[Fearless]

26. Tell me about it...

If I hear one more thing about Ron Paul I'll stroke out.

[penguin7]

3. This article nails the reason that I cannot stand

the liberal pretender Edwards.

What is wrong with Democrats?

[flvegan]

4. I'm looking forward to hearing what Dennis brings in

as a result of his resolution for impeachment of Cheney. I'm hoping that woke a lot of folks up.

I've been giving to Dennis since his last run, and I'll continue to do so.

[Snarkturian Clone]

6. why aren't the other dem candidates coming out more vocally against

the war? Why is it we have to choose between 2 whackos if we want the war to end?

[riqster]

8. DK isn't a whacko

Dig past the surface MSM hogwash. Here's a good article that will give you a bit more info on the man:

http://www.esquire.com/features/kucinich1107

[Snarkturian Clone]

9. thanks but that doesn't answer my question. NT

[silverback]

10. CFR membership defines top tier...

in either party. Candidates toe the line or they find themselves marginalized.

[Spoonerian]

11. or Wellstoned.

[John Q. Citizen]

17. The Dems, except Kucincih, are pro-imperialists. They are the machine. However, a

good chunk of their primary voters are opposed to the occupation. So they have to pretend to be opposed to the occupation as well.

Thier position is "occupation lite." But don't leave all that oil behind.

[ozone_man]

13. Kucinich won the DFA poll I believe.

Beating out Gore. So, that should be some indication of his appeal to the net roots, the Democratic wing of the party. Why they haven't contributed more I suspect has to do with his perception of not being as electable as some of the others. I think if Gore ran he would get huge donations from the net roots like Dean had in 2004 race. Dean raised $40M with an average donation of about $50, something that no other candidate has matched since. That is the fundamental measure of grass roots appeal. When candidates don't give their average contribution number, they're hiding the large corporate donations. They'll say something like "90% of the donations are less than X amount".

So, somehow Kucinich has to change that perception of his electability. One way might be if bad things happen to the economy as they are about to. The dollar is about to collapse the economy is shaky. This on top of an unpopular war. So, he represents a significant change from status quo, for example, Single payer health insurance and peace. Also, if his impeachment bill gets legs, that's another way to gain that consideration.

Regardless of his perceived electability, he has my vote and donation.

[Naturyl]

15. The simple answer? GREED.

It's surprising how much time, energy, and money a large number of Americans are willing to spend in hopes of a tax cut. Make no mistake, that sort of thing is the main appeal of Ron Paul. For the Paul crowd, "liberty" is a code-word for "government taking less of our money." They wrap that self-centered greed up in a flag, throw in some pretty words about "freedom," and it sells like hotcakes.

[cali]

16. The election is NOT going to be solely about the war

that's a huge mistake to make. It's going to be about a lot of things, but I guarantee, if the economy keeps tanking, that will be the main issue for most voters.

[bonito]

18. H.R. 3835

:shrug:

[GeneCosta]

19. Ron Paul is a champion of the petit-bourgeoisie

On average Ron Paul was getting almost $200 from political campaigners. Progressives tend to be less heavy in the purse... for obvious reasons. The rich usually are conservatives -- wanting to maintain their power and wealth, if not expand it.

Not to mention Paul's supporters inflated his popularity online.

[Islander Expat]

20. I think Americans feel that the Democrats already had their chance to stop Bush

and they blew it.

[babylonsister]

21. Really. So who in your opinion on the repub side is worthy of

carrying the torch?

[Islander Expat]

25. I was just telling you how some of my friends that I talk to feel..

People that went to the trouble to register and vote Dem only to feel like they've been used and betrayed.

Personally BS, I think theres somebody at the top, behind the scenes....

"George is doing a good job for us and taking a lot of heat for it, don't interfere, and don't make me tell you to sit down again Al"

[mtnsnake]

22. I'll tell ya why Dennis Kucinich isn't getting the same support as Paul is

It's simple. Democrats need to wake the fuck up. They need to remember what they're supposed to stand for and then realize that Dennis Kucinich represents us better than any of the other generic politicians do.

SLAP!....Thanks, I needed that!!