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Politics

Kucinich fights from the fringe

By BILL ADAIR
Published April 30, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] On paper, Dennis Kucinich sounds like the perfect candidate for liberal Democrats: an early opponent of the Iraq war, a supporter of gun control and the author of a bill to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - As Rep. Dennis Kucinich made his way through the hot and crowded media "spin room" after a debate Thursday night, one question came up again and again. Why, the reporters asked, is your campaign still struggling?

On paper, he sounds like the perfect candidate for liberal Democrats: an early opponent of the Iraq war, a supporter of gun control and the author of a bill to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney. His antiwar views, which in 2004 were considered extreme, are now in the political mainstream.

But truth be told, Democratic leaders - and most Democratic voters - do not take Kucinich seriously. He is the quirkiest of the candidates, sometimes breaking into song during speeches This Land Is Your Land or Sixteen Tons, or suddenly reciting passages from the Declaration of Independence. A Washington Post columnist joked last week that the "USS Kucinich" should contact planet Earth.

"He doesn't connect, " said South Carolina state Rep. John Scott, a supporter of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. "You've got to connect to make the sale."

Zoe Sanders Nettles, a Democratic activist in Columbia, S.C., is undecided in the presidential race but never "even remotely thought about him. I applaud his guts, but he just doesn't have that leadership quality."

Kucinich, 60, is a reminder that issues are only one aspect of a presidential campaign. Voters want someone with a commanding presence who can take charge, run the federal government and be the leader of the free world. They say Kucinich doesn't fit that bill.

Equal footing

Debates like the one at South Carolina State University are critical for Kucinich because they are one of the few times he's on equal footing with his rivals. Kucinich gets an identical podium and - the most important part - an equal amount of TV time.

Suddenly it doesn't matter that his fundraising is anemic or that polls show him at 1 percent. At debates, Kucinich is taken seriously.

The questions from moderator Brian Williams allowed him to get a few digs on his opponents for continuing to fund the war: "You're reauthorizing the war all over again." He had a chance to emphasize his plan for universal health care and to explain his impeachment effort. ("This country was taken to war based on lies.")

After the debate, he slid into the back seat of a police sedan (equal footing also means he gets chauffeured by a state trooper) and declared the debate a success.

"I had the opportunity to demonstrate to the American people that I have the wisdom and judgment to be president of the United States, " he said.

Kucinich, who is well accustomed to operating in the political margins, is not concerned about the public's apparent indifference to his message.

The Kucinich campaign will soon become a juggernaut, he predicted. "It's only a matter of time. I fully expect to win the nomination."

As he spoke, his wife, Elizabeth, who is 31 years his junior and has been described as "a tall, British, red-headed bombshell, " had her hand on his thigh. They are constantly holding hands, touching, hugging, even as they walk through the spin room.

He told one reporter that the highlight of the debate was "looking out in the audience and seeing my wife's eyes. My heart swelled up."

'Lying warmongers'

Elected mayor of Cleveland at age 31, Kucinich was the youngest mayor of a major city, but the city ran into financial problems and he became so unpopular that he had to fight off a recall attempt. He seems better suited for Congress, where he has served since 1997, because he can be a voice for the left without having to worry about the messy details of governing.

He remains a darling for the left wing. Democrats.com, a liberal Web site, last week celebrated his impeachment resolution against Cheney with a posting that said, "At long last, the pro-impeachment majority has a spokesman - Dennis Kucinich."

His campaign blog is filled with similar adoration, like the comment a week ago that said, "THANK YOU FOR TAKING ON THE LYING WARMONGERS - Each time I see you speak, I am reminded why you will be the best president America has had."

Indeed, even though Democratic leaders do not intend to proceed with his impeachment plan, Kucinich plays a useful role for them, as a protest candidate. He provides a voice for the most liberal Democrats and keeps them from jumping ship to a third party. By staking out extreme positions (he wants an immediate withdrawal from Iraq), he makes the party's current plan of a phased withdrawal seem more moderate.

Extreme positions, though, have a way of becoming mainstream.

"Issues raised by a protest candidate take root and bear fruit years later, " said Jack Bass, a professor of humanities and social sciences at the College of Charleston. "They can raise issues that nobody is talking about."

Four years ago, polls showed a majority of Americans supported the war. Now, a majority believes the United States should not have invaded Iraq.

So why doesn't Kucinich get any benefit from leading the charge against the war?

Here in South Carolina, which has an early presidential primary, Democrats applaud Kucinich's words and his quixotic plan to impeach Cheney.

"I think it's great, " Nettles said about his impeachment plan. "I think the whole Iraq war was a lie."

Yet that doesn't make her warm up to the idea of a Kucinich presidency.

"His style is not particularly presidential. He's sort of like a dog with a bone - Grrrrrr! - I love that. But he might be better as chairman of a party."

Matt Bodman, a Columbia attorney and longtime Democratic activist who is considering supporting Sen. Barack Obama, said Kucinich is not a contender.

"I don't think people take him seriously, " Bodman said. "Even people who agree with him, they want someone who has a chance to win."

Washington bureau chief Bill Adair can be reached at adair@sptimes.com or (202) 463-0575.

Fast Facts:

Dennis Kucinich

- Born Oct. 8, 1946 in Cleveland.

- Married Elizabeth Harper, 29, of England, in August 2005. Twice divorced, one daughter by previous marriage.

- Mayor of Cleveland in 1977-79. Elected in 1996 to U.S. House from Ohio's 10th District.

- Ran for president in 2004.

- Supports universal health care, immediate withdrawal from Iraq and ban on handguns. Opposes the death penalty, NAFTA and privatization of Social Security.

[Last modified April 30, 2007, 02:12:06]