MINNESOTA
Growth & Justice
Center for Rural Policy and Development
Early Childhood Research Collaborative
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Institute on Race and Poverty
Jobs Now Coalition
Minnesota 2020
Minnesota Budget Project
OTHER STATES
Public Policy Institute of California
The Bell Policy Center (Colorado)
MassINC
Policy Matters Ohio
Oregon Center for Public Policy
Center on Wisconsin Strategy
REGIONAL/NATIONAL
The Brookings Institution
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Economic Analysis and Research Network
Economic Policy Institute
Good Jobs First
New America Foundation
Progressive States Network
Project on Regional and Industrial Economics
The Tax Foundation
Urban Institute
Urban Land Institute

http://www.growthandjustice.org/Progressive_Think_Tanks.html

Do any of them even pay?

Viva la Fox!

Are there other options?

I don't subscribe to the notion that having served in congress makes one a superior life form. I see no reason why Kucinich couldn't get an honest job like the rest of us.

He's been Fox many times. Each time I saw him he stuck to his guns . His cool methodological way of explaining himself earns the credit of all. I'd listen to his views before we can say , he sold out. He's been a man of conviction. It's too early a call to say he won't have a heated discussion with O'Reilly and not sell out. If he does , it will be his first .

Facts.

unlike the people he claims to stand up for.

He was in Congress for 16 years.

For which he was paid $2.4 million dollars.

And he has written some books.

And he gets a pension.

But nah, he didn't sell out or anything.

He's 66, having made far more money over the last 16 years than most Americans make. He has a pension better than most Americans have. He shouldn't need to sell out.

Hopefully, he is only on Fox trying, against all odds, to educate some part of the public.

Dear Comrade - surely you're not serious! Mr. Kucinich needs make a living, right? Perhaps he'll be a strong progressive presence on Fox. He may well make points which could break through the thick skulls of Faux viewers, a tall order, but possible. Let's hope he isn't trotted out for a few minutes, late at night so Fox can falsely claim "See, we really are
fair and balanced." He's smart and principled enough to hand "O'Really?" his head more often than not. I'm optimistic...

I believe this is why so much is being said about his employment on Fox; he is being paid to help them look objective and he will be living a lie. Principles? Bullshit. He checked them at the door on his way out of the US House.

that Kucinich will be able to break through the noise. He will, from the gate, be seen as a "left wing nut-job." Regardless of his point, he will be clowned ... and his penchant for excitability won't help.

1 - as you say, he'll be their example of the left-wing nut job. He'll have his 5 minutes on O'Reilly, and then Fox will have the next 23 hours & 55 minutes to make him look like a fool with selective editing and half-truth responses where Kucinich can't respond.

2 - he'll be front & center when they need a Democrat to criticize Obama.

had half the integrity many of his true believers claim he has, he'd be as ashamed of himself as I am. I always knew Dennis was a self promoting jackass, the issues were always secondary to his quest for fame.

da Kootch is going to do fine wherever he lands. I think you're right, that he'll be a strong progressive voice on Fox--but only for a very short while, I suspect. When he starts winning points, mixing it up with the show hosts, I think he'll find his opinions significantly less in demand, compared to the Bob Bechtel/Susan Estrich/Juan Williams types who tone down their points and pull their punches in order to keep pulling down a paycheck.

As far as this thread goes: trust me, anyone who calls Dennish Kucinich a sell-out is a person whose opinions you can safely ignore.

And work toward certification, or work for a non-profit. He chose to prostitute himself.

Where did that 2.5 million dollars go? Where does his pension go? I'm not angry at the guy because I never idolized him but I think it's stretching it a bit to think it's somehow 'noble' to go anywhere near Fox News.

Kucinich is no turncoat.

He is irrelevant. No one who works for Fox is worth listening to.

There are many Democrats, mostly Third Way Democrats, being interviewed on Fox all the time. Should we find them just as irrelevant?

What do any of them have to do with the party or liberal politics anymore? Nothing. Dick Morris, Alan Combs--former Dems who mean nothing anymore. Fox is where Democrats go to die.

FYI, being interviewed is not the same as drawing a salary from Fox. I shouldn't have to point out that obvious fact.

There are many who appear on Fox...as an example, just Google Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Fox News. Shall we deem her irrelevant as well? Hmmm?

Before deciding to disagree. AS I SAID, there is a difference between appearing on a network and drawing a salary from it. Kucinich will e a paid commentator, which the OP believes to be justified because K deserves to be rich by virtue of having served in congress. All of the so-called Dems on Fox who are paid talking heads are toothless sycophants. The role they fill is to make Democrats look incompetent and out touch.

He will be a paid talking head, get it? That is who I was talking about, not the odd person they interview in a hurricane or on any other subject.

I get you have mad love for Kucinich and believe he can do no wrong. I'm happy for you. Spend your days and nights glued to Fox. You obviously already spend a great deal of time watching it, so knock yourself out.

Yes, I am "biased" against Fox. I'm a Democrat, posting on a Democratic site. Plus I hate crap that pretends to be news. If you mean biased against K, this is the longest period of time I've ever spent thinking about him. He's never done anything to make it on my radar sufficient for me to form an opinion. I don't know of any legislation he's championed that improved the lives of Americans. If you do, I welcome becoming informed. Others in the thread couldn't answer my question.

it's not clear that he's a turncoat. He may very well be a whipping boy on Fox, much like Alan Colmes, and then either he'll be ignored by all, or he'll leave to work somewhere else.

I'm not sure even he knows what will turn out.

He might not know exactly what he's getting into.
But he's fully aware that he is getting into something.
This might just be educational.

3rd way 'dems' to use as cover for their covert attacks against anyone or anything "Liberal". It's 'the liberal' they despise, but they can't exactly just come out and say that on a supposedly 'progressive' site, so they need a vehicle to deliver their canned poutrage...and Dennis has been a favorite go-to for them for quite some time.

than working for Fox. They will set him up and use him as an example of the "crazy" liberal and/or a critic of Obama from the left, and in any event he will not benefit at all except for getting a paycheck for awhile. He may think he can persuade some Fox viewers, but that's a pipe dream - Fox has become so extreme that few persuadable people even watch it any more. He won't last long and his reputation will take a big hit in the meantime.

I just can't believe he's unable to get some kind of good job that doesn't involve rubbing shoulders with the lowest sorts of "journalists" in the US. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas...

is that people are now trying to justify: why Fox? Give Fox a chance?

What happened to Fox needs to be destroyed? It's not a news organization, it's pure propaganda.

Kucinich is doing exactly what Murdoch hoped, giving his despicable network a life line.


"If we want our liberal representatives to not be corrupted we need to take care of them in their retirement."

Damn! That's a hell of a backhanded attempt to justify this move.

Ick!

The scandal is how the conservatives are taken care of by corporate money after losing office.

They are corrupted by that support.

As far as Kucinich, I dont blame him for working for a living now that he's out of office.

"As far as Kucinich, I dont blame him for working for a living now that he's out of office. "

...they all have to eat.

Evan Bayh Drops the Other Shoe
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/06/evan-bayh-drops-other-shoe-0

It's good to know that this is now acceptable.

Its not Fox that bothers me, its the cashing in on political connections to enrich the Wall St folks that bothers me.

Thats not what Kucinich has done.

Yeah, they're fair and balanced, right?

More like entertainment for the simple minded.

His pension from Congress should be $47,238 a year by my calculator, figure he could be drawing another $20,000 probably from Social Security but his salary at Fox probably cancels that out. It's not like he just got booted out of a $174,000 a year job and was left penniless. I'm sure he will be fine.

Maybe I missed it.

which I guess is AOK as long as it isn't Fox.

You know, go and backslap with some of their old pals still in Congress, do a little lobbying.

Are you saying selling out is OK as long as it's Fox?

I mean, this is truly bizarre. People went from screaming "DLC sellouts" to peddling the merits of selling out to Fox.

I'll take Fox since his voting record was apparently not affected. I would prefer that MSNBC or some think tank on our side had hired him.

Is that just taking their money.or do you think
he'll be seduced by the Dark Side?
Anyway,I want to see how it goes.
Then we can condemn him.But you might be surprised.

To cash in their chips at the end of the day (like republicans)?

they go work for Faux News, I guess.

....are using this as another vehicle to attack one of the most stalwart defender of Liberal values we have had in the last 20 years.

I would ask them,
What exactly is your problem with Dennis going into the Lion's Den and preaching Traditional Liberal Values?

Are you pissed that he didn't disappear after he was pushed out of office, but has found another avenue to speak Truth to Power?
I'll bet O'Reilly gives him more time to discuss his values and policies than he was given by the Democratic Party at the 2008 "debates".

FOX has also hired openly gay liberal activist Sally Kohn as a contributor.
Are you going to attack her too?

All because you've decided that Fox Noise is now worth watching?

It's interesting that you're trying to justify Fox by comparing Kucinich to the DLC Clintons. Not only that, you're falsely equating interviews with being a paid contributor to Fox.

Admit it, this is a sellout move by Kucinich, and stop trying to justify Fox Noise.

And since you used quotation marks around "DLC shills",
and cited ME as the source of that quotation,
I openly challenge YOU to cite the link where I used THAT specific quotation,
or admit that you just make stuff up to post at DU.

I deny that I ever called Bill or Hillary a "DLC Shill".

I believe it is NOT OK to just make stuff,
and post is as fact on DU...or anywhere,
especially if you are attempting to discredit a member of DU with whom you have a disagreement.
[font size=3]Fabricating a false quote and attributing it to a member of DU is especially offensive,
and merits a retraction and an apology.[/font]
I am directly accusing YOU of the above infraction.

Produce the source material for your quote,
or apologize and retract your fabrication.

I guess it is a values thing.
Do you have any?

I understand why you want to shift focus from your new found love for Fox.

Maybe Kucinich could speak out about media consolidation and call out Murdoch.

...can produce a stilted, distorted, and limited perception of reality.
Does the phrase Living in a Box mean anything to you?
I guess that is OK for those who only follow.

I'm glad the people in charge don't limit their vision.
I tuned in to catch both of these,



....and will tune in to hear Kucinich too.

I'm just amazed at the folks, who are the Democrats' most strident critics, now contorting themselves to justify this move. "Hey, it's Dennis, so I'll give him a pass".

I think there is a problem when Murdock is paying you. I just think it is less of a problem than if he had gone to work for big oil after supporting big oil in Congress.

Any like minded progressives, liberals, etc. would never be caught dead on Fox News. One of my favorite videos is when Ed Schultz walked out on Fox And Friends

and reflects the deep thought and consideration you have invested in this controversy.
I will take your opinion under advisement.

I will wait for the facts to emerge before judging whether Kucinich's decision was a bad one or not.
Initially, I am delighted that such a stalwart and consistent spokesperson for the Left
has found an outlet that will reach Millions of Americans.

Cheers!

for the sake of being on a channel that is well documented to deliver propaganda and lie for the enemy right wing.

That channel NEEDS to grow, because they report the hard truth.

He no longer holds public office,
and is NOT constrained by our opinions or moral judgements.

He can go anywhere he wants to go,
do anything he wants to do,
take any job he can get,
demand whatever compensation he can get,
and speak his mind however and whenever he chooses to do so.

He does not have to abide by any rules, moral judgements, or restrictions ANYONE tries to place upon his behavior, especially anonymous posters at a Political Discussion Website.
He is responsible only to himself
and his wife, but ONLY IF they have agreed to that in their private relationship.

OUR opinions are completely without substance or effect.
NONE, neither Pro nor Con, have ANY weight or merit what-so-ever.

DK is a private citizen.
What is so difficult to under stand about that? ?

This makes no sense as to why we can't be seperate from the right. Sure he can do what he wants, but there are consequences as well. We are in a midst of a war here in this country. But hey, I'm just a political bigot.

What consequences are those?
Being gossiped about and denigrated by self-appointed Keepers of the Moral Flame on an anonymous Internet Site?

...and you ask, "where is the sense of pride?"

I ask, Where is yours?

I also wish him the best, and hope that he is able to accomplish what I expect he intends to do---which is to agrue the liberal side of issues. Something that is not heard much on Faux.

I do not think for a minute that Dennis will sell out, or has already. Can't we wait until he becomes a raving right wingnut before we crucify him????

You get it. And thank you for explaining it. Well done.

like most responsible ex-Members of Congress."
? - @ZaidJilani via twitter

If you knew that, my bad.

Our foes are regular viewers and this may be an opportunity for some of them to take in some alternative information. It may or may not work out and Kucinich an figure that out for himself. The hysterics about this issue is highly amusing.

While I think that taking a job at Fox is distasteful at best, from what I know of Kucinich, he made his choice on what sort of job he would take after congress with a consideration of what his abilities and ambitions would best serve.
He put in over 20 years of public service, which means he was out of the non-politically based career field for that same amount of time. If he felt that being a gadfly on haunches of Roger Ailes' merry band of ignoramuses would match what he wanted to do "after public service", them so be it.

Should he be faced with a narrow choice of either continuing to be a liberal activist voice in the wilderness (and I would almost guarantee that he probably thinks that being on Faux meets that script pretty perfectly...) or, failing that, to withdrawal into an early dignified retirement? He strikes me as being a scrapper, and since the media distortion to the right is a major part of the problem with polarization in this country, going to Faux and showing the captive Faux audience how liberal ideas and policies are really common sense policies may be a fight he sees as worth fighting.

Haele

Fox lives to make old white people angry and scared through the broadcast of lies and hate. For DK to get a job there (for whatever reason) is shameful. He's only going to be made fun of worse than Alan Colmes ever was.

He doesn't have to do this for the money. It looks like he is determined to tell the truth and there is plenty still to bitch about even with Obama in the White House. So he will be determined to say it, and Faux will be ever so happy coz they have a friggin former Democratic Presidential Runner who is slamming everything Obama does.

Now, he would certainly be slamming everything republicans do to but it's the democrats that now appear to be in power, so it is the democrats he will slam. He will be a Ron Paul. He will not care how much he may hurt the democratic party with his mouth. He will spout on and on and probably secretly hope that he will gain popularity for his "honesty".

In our dream world, we could be proud of him for standing and shouting his principles even whilst in the lair of the enemy, but in the world we have, he will only be causing harm. And I think it is probably all for his own fortune and fame rather than for any desire to help the people.

I wouldn't have believed it. I didn't know of his past history with Faux. I thought he was one of our few incorruptibles.

Kucinich had "a net worth of between $2,000 and $32,000, Kucinich is one of Congress's least wealthy members."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Dennis_Kucinich

"From $4,007 to $63,000" here on another website:
http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00003572&year=2010

Why are you saying that he's "far from broke"?

I think DK had lots of options, like teaching or being a commentator in his own
right. This FOX thing does strike me as a bit weird.

Congressional salary for 2013 is $174,000 a year...

from Congress to a cush lobbying position. And the beat goes on.

cause.

I'm glad he can shout down some of their loons on FAUX.

... coming back to Congress as a well-healed lobbyst bent on ending internet freedoms,
or otherwise harming the nation.

I never thought he was a big champion anyway so it doesn't matter to me.

I may not approve of Faux Noise. And I don't. But a man's got to be able to work.

It's not our job to "take care of him" after he leaves office. I'm sure DK isn't crazy about working for Fox. I've had jobs I hated too. Had to do 'em to earn a paycheck.

End of the day, it's not my call. Not my business what DK does. A man's got to work.

Bake

propaganda for the GOP.

and maybe if we had one, Kucinich would still be in Congress.

I also think that any Democrat who would sign up with Fox isn't worth my concern.

Probably Mr. Kucinich landed close to his skill set and level.

If so, we are electing the wrong people. But ultimately it (as always) comes down to wealth. Wealth buys power, wealth buys everything. Which is why excess wealth in the hands of too few will ALWAYS lead to corruption.

It's a goofy op.

On one hand, if he is forceful with his opinions and can get some progressive facts out there, it may be a good thing. I think Fox is corrupt - but not dumb. They know the face of the country is shifting left. They need to hedge their bets so they don't go completely bankrupt when their viewership starts dying off...

OTOH, just him signing with Fox gives them validity as a 'balanced' ( ) news ( ) organization. He is allowing himself to be used as a prop in a larger narrative driven by corporate interests. Disappointing he would choose that route. Unless he had the foresight to put a clause in his contract that makes my first paragraph possible.

that "they got someone from the left to trash the left." I think he's right.

So disappointed he took that job. He could have found other meaningful work to do.

But I don't think trashing the left from the left is always a bad thing - if the 'trashing' is done with good, left wing points trumpeted loudly. It worked to swing Canada further to the left (although some, like here, disagree with the means, even though it worked in the end). It works when the right trashes the right - then the establishment always moves further to the right when that happens - why wouldn't it work the other way around?

Kucinich isn't a Republican. You make no sense.

But he had to join FOX.
Well, I hope he's able to speak "truth to power" like some posters are saying, but we all know how things really work at FOX.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/20/fox-news-lawsuit-sued-employee-racism-abuse_n_770718.html

He can get an honest job like he rest of us. You act like he s entitled to make big money because he was in the House.

How is he going to get an honest job at his age? He's 66 years old.

He parlayed his connections into this job. He could easily ave found a respectable position at a non-profit. I don't care what he does. Going to Fox is political death. He is completely irrelevant. I'm just wondering how long before he starts lobbying for Monsanto or some nefarious industry group.

see what he actually does. The fact is that he has always spoken unpleasant truths and maybe "our side" doesn't always want to hear them. Even if he's on Fox and they use him as a buffoon, he still is going to get a huge audience for what he has to say than he ever would on CNN or MSNBC.

Before I Watch that station and contribute one penny in advertising revenue toward the most destructive force against our democracy.

is to preach to the choir. However, since Fox News is on everywhere I go and sometimes I'm watching it unwillingly, let's hope he gets his message out. I really think that's what his purpose is. I will be surprised if it's not.

Kucinich is an American hero!
Let history report it.
Not Faux.

What has he accomplished in the House? Inform me. I really don't know. What legislation improving the lives of Amercans did he push through?

The dedicated Kooch fans are usually the same people who characterize Obama as "pretty words with no real action".

But when asked what actions Kucinich has actually taken, they invariably fall back on his "pretty words" as being indicative of his character - no actual actions necessary.

I didn't see Alan Grayson run to Fox when he was kicked out. If Kucinich can truly be bought by money, that is not the kind of representative we want in Washington anyway.

I didn't realize Grayson was that wealthy. He sort of reminds of a Huey Long type politician. I don't know why.

I just thought he had the law firm but didn't know he had the company.

for health care reform, Jane Hamsher launched a site demanding he return donations.

She called the bill "fascism." (Sound familiar: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022209630)

...after all, their ratings have been dropping very fast lately.

on edit.
Right now!

You got to be fucking kidding me? I used to love the man. He once personally responded to an email I sent him back in 2002. There's no whitewashing this. You can't gild this steaming turd. Kucinich working for Faux. Jesus.

This doesn't mean he can't start his own think tank, like an "Institute of Peace". I wonder what the length of his contract is? Dennis likes a challenge. Look, he's doing them a favor, not vice versa. Maybe he will be the only shining light on FOX News. A little stroke of truth, every day, for a certain amount of time, just might not be a bad thing. Go Dennis!

nor shied away from the truth. I don't expect him to start now.

....Dennis will be Dennis. He's never been a word mincer. If people think he's going over there because he's changing his political stripes, then they can think again. I bet FOX will regret hiring him. As a matter of fact, their ratings might drop as their regular brain-dead watchers are not going to like him one bit.

It's not in his DNA

...they're deluding themselves.

I think he's gonna go on there and flame out.With a purpose.

in order to form my views on a variety of topics.

For example I often watch The Five on Fox News channel and root for Bob Beckel as he tries to stand up for liberal values against four conservatives. Of course Fox feels four against one is "fair and balanced."

Currently I am watching Anderson Cooper on CNN as I type this reply. I could be watching O'Reilly but I find him to be a bombastic host with an inflated ego. Piers Morgan on CNN appears to be trying to emulate O'Reilly in order to increase his ratings.

I really find Rachel Maddow on MSNBC insightful, informative and extremely intelligent.

I feel I will enjoy watching Kucinich on Fox as he takes on a number of conservative hosts. In the past he struck me as an unusually honest politician with some very interesting views.