Why Did We Ever Leave Ohio?

Jesse Walker | July 15, 2004

Dennis Kucinich and John Kerry strike a deal.

Comments

|7.15.04 @ 10:42AM|#

"Did Kucinich sell out anti-war democrats?" asks the title of the article.

Did Dean sell out deaniacs? Does Nader sell out whomever are his supporters? Did Bush sell out (fiscal) conservatives?

Why even ask ... in politics, they would call it 'compromise'

Aldon Hynes|7.15.04 @ 11:25AM|#

I run a website, http://platform.smartcampaigns.com where we listed the initial draft of the platform and how to contact platform committee members. One of the platform committee members, Marla Camp, from Texas, who is pledged to Kerry, but is a big Dean supporter, posted several comments there about what went on.

There also has been a great discussion on the Kucinich Forum at http://us.denniskucinich.us/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=33686 about the platform meeting and the outcome.

The idea that Kucinich sold out his supporters is way off base and reflects a complete lack of understanding of the political process. Kucinich had two committee members at the platform committee meeting. Much less than the fifteen necessary to get an amendment seconded which is what was necessary for debate at the meeting, and way less than the thirty seven necessary to submit a minority plank to the convention.

Instead, they were very well organized, negotiated hard and managed to change the language of the platform, less than their supporters would have wanted, but much more than they had any right to expect.

|7.15.04 @ 12:51PM|#

I think two quotes from the interviewer are particularly illustrative:

"But if you're concerned about Democrats winning in November, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, by a margin of 56-38%, people who identify themselves as Democrat, say United States troops should leave Iraq as soon as possible..." A majority of the electorate this November will consist of people who DON'T consider themselves Democrats. You twit.

"Thank you for remaining one of us." This isn't about effecting change, it's about identity.