EDITORIAL: Kucinich: I know why Trump was elected
VIDEO:
I know that many people see the former
Kucinich is 71 now, his national candidacies behind him, and gerrymandered out of the congressional seat he held for 16 years. He was at a pipefitters union hall in
Agree or disagree, and I disagree with a good deal of what he says and thinks,
Kucinich, alone on the left as far as I can see, said on national TV a few week back that the real Trump scandal is not Russians running fake ads on Facebook but the fact that candidate Trump was spied upon (as Kucinich once was) and the Deep State wants to bring a duly elected president down. That, he said, is the real political and constitutional crisis. It sounds like a spy novel, he said, but it is all too real -- a politicized intelligence community. We even have a politicized FBI. And, he added, people need to put party and ideology aside and see this plainly.
That didn't get a lot of press.
Mind you, Kucinich is no born again Trumpite. He deplored the President's
But, Kucinich told me, "I do understand why
Kucinich would close American military bases throughout the world and assert civilian control not only over the military, but intelligence. He has long opposed military adventurism, and understood its human costs. Read the
Kucinich would put America first by investing in single-payer health insurance and affordable housing. He introduced the first single-payer bill in
Read more from
It is rumored that Kucinich might run for governor in 2018. And though it might seem unlikely, when I asked him if he was "done" with politics, he replied: "Do I sound like a guy who's done?"
What would be his slogan, his theme, his mantra, in such a campaign? It might be a line he started his Sunday presentation with: "What is the purpose of our country?"
I'm not a vegan, or a socialist, and I have my doubts about single payer (and most of the alternatives), but I find that question refreshing.
Kucinich told me that, in the House, he often looked up at the tally board and realized he was part of the tiniest of small minorities. "I'd see the wave, but just say to myself, well I disagree." Standing alone doesn't bother him. That's not a bad slogan either.
Contact him at [email protected] or 419-724-6266.
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