Dennis Kucinich: the Kuro5hin interview

Dennis Kucinich: the Kuro5hin interview (Politics)

By mikepence
Wed Dec 24th, 2003 at 03:18:00 AM EST

These are times, Dennis Kucinich says, for hope, not fear. We're standing in Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport, transformed by the recently raised national terror alert into a hive of police and security guards. We seem to be surrounded by fear, yet Kucinich is undaunted. There is a gleam in his eye, and a rising excitement in his voice as he leans still closer to me, fixing my gaze with his.

What's got this Democratic congressman and presidential hopeful excited right now isn't universal healthcare, an unjust war, or a national media bent on excluding underdog candidates before a single primary vote has been cast. He will speak passionately about all of those things and more before he steps through the security gate and presents himself as another shoeless potential terrorist to the guards. What has Dennis Kucinich excited right now is open source software, creativity in the development process, and the need to keep IT expertise here at home.

Kucinich is no klieg-light populist. He and his staff embraced the opportunity to talk to Kuro5hin, to address the tech community directly about issues that we deal with every day. As I stood there for over 30 minutes with him in the din of the airport, slightly disheveled with a digital voice recorder in hand, I got the sense that more than anything else, what Dennis Kucinich wanted to say to us is, I am one of you.


Your platform reads like Progressive pillow talk - universal healthcare, full employment, fully funded public education through college - but is America ready for that radical of a shift to the left?

What is radical about healthcare for all? What is radical about education for all? What is radical about jobs for all? When that starts to be radical, we have to ask ourselves, what in the heck has happened to this country? All of a sudden somebody starts talking about peace and prosperity and is seen as a radical? My God, where are we going as a nation? What does that say? All of a sudden "mainstream" is supporting monopolies? Mainstream is supporting war? Mainstream is supporting a healthcare system that is stopping people from being able to get care? It's like America has gone upside down, and so, you know, I am here to help put it right side up.



How would you fund these sweeping initiatives? Things like universal healthcare...

We are already paying for it. 1.4 trillion dollars a year goes toward healthcare in America. The allocation of those dollars, that is the question. Hundreds of billions of dollars go toward things like stock options, corporate salaries, profits, advertising, lobbying, marketing. The cost of paperwork is 15 to 30 percent. I want to take all of that money and move it into care. People can have all of the care that they need - dental health care, mental health care, long term care, prescription drug benefit, complimentary and alternative medicine, it can all be covered. We're paying for it now. The question is, do we keep a for-profit system? Then we can't take care of everyone.

<SNIP>

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/12/23/171559/76

:kick:

and from what I can gather...Mike Pence used to be a Dean supporter...I think this interview may have helped change his mind to support Kucinich!


Great interview....posted this in P&C with a link

Peace
DR

:D Thanks for a GREAT Christmas, Mom!! :hug: :loveya:

It really, IMHO, illustrates who Dennis is, why we support him, and why he is the best choice for the future of our country.

My favorite quote from this interview for Christmas night:

The current administration is ideologically bent toward Christian fundamentalism. General Boykin's recent comment about a Muslim warlord - "I knew my god was bigger than his" - went un-condemned by the White House. Is religious extremism in the White House causing a problem for America?

I think that we should pray for the people in the White House, or not, depending on our religious disposition. This approach of 'my god is bigger than your god' is, shall we say, unsophisticated, lacking in common sense, and provocative. It is not mindful of the founders intention that this country achieve a separation of church and state. On the other hand, the founders never wanted us to be separate from spiritual values. It is very unspiritual to claim that anyone has cornered the market on ancient wisdom, on metaphysics, on transcendence, on paths to redemption. So, I think that we should pray for these people.

too many 'polls and money' posts :)

wonderfully appropriate!