As a self-hating leftie, I find it a little embarrassing to see my politics refl ected back at me. And no one in politics today sums up the values of small-L liberals than Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. For better or for worse, it’s all there in that peculiar little face.
Kucinich is, in many ways, a caricature of his beliefs. He’s short, elfin, and excitable. He’s a devout New Ager, and reportedly at one point consulted a spiritual guru for advice. His dating troubles worked their way into his campaign during his first presidential bid in 2004: the twice-divorced Kucinich, publicly lamented his bachelorship rather pathetically. “I still hold open to hope, but I can tell you that that’s one area I’m not going to be trying to give anyone any lessons in,” he told ABC’s Peter Jennings. He then became the centre of an unsuccessful online dating contest called “Who Wants To Be a First Lady?” Karma has since made ample reparations in the form of his current wife: Elizabeth Harper, a beautiful British do-gooder 31 years younger and five inches taller than Kucinich. You couldn’t find a better example of the carnal circuit between aging radicals and their young, nubile torch carriers.
But Kucinich also holds the distinction of being the only candidate to be Right About Everything. Though he often gets brushed aside in debates, Kucinich doesn’t need to waste his airtime explaining past mistakes: he was the only Democratic candidate to have voted against the Iraq invasion, he has consistently voted against funding the war, and he opposed the PATRIOT Act. His plan for health care (single-payer, not-for-profit, universal coverage) exceeds even that proposed by John Edwards in terms of fairness and he is currently the only hopeful, along with Mike Gravel, to vocally—and with a trademarked whimsical grin—support gay marriage.
Social security? Workers’ rights? The environment? Check, check, check goes my liberal pen. He’s nearly beyond reproach since reforming his nasty pro-life voting record in Congress. Even his more harebrained ideas—impeaching Dick Cheney, a cabinet-level Department of Peace, repealing NAFTA and the WTO immediately upon gaining the presidency— he puts forth with such earnestness and benevolence it makes one simultaneously swoon and blush with mortification.
It’s shocking how steadfastly Kucinich sticks to his principles, however outlandish they might seem. In 1978, as Mayor of Cleveland, he refused to sell Muny Light, the city’s publicly-owned electric utility corporation. The banks which were poised to buy out the company, in turn refused to excuse, as was routine, the city’s debt. The city defaulted for $15 million. The Cleveland mafia, who also had a stake in the deal, put a hit out on Kucinich, and planned on shooting him at the Columbus Day Parade, a fate he escaped when a burst ulcer kept him from attending. He was voted out of office the following year, and was unable to find work for years after. His declared income for 1982 was $38.
Fortunately, Kucinich’s other distinguishing characteristic is his resilience. Fifteen years after the Muny Light debacle, Cleveland recognized the error of its ways— keeping the utility public had saved the city almost $200 million—and congratulated Kucinich, spurring his return to public life after several failed attempts. He was finally elected into the House of Representatives in 1997. Now he’s running for the Democratic nomination for the second time. Of course, he doesn’t stand a chance. But despite being a very easy target, Kucinich will not yield to bullying. He sticks it to his high-power critics and smiles adorably for the audience amid charming comebacks. The fans go wild, even though voters won’t.
Kucinich knows he’s right. Other candidates know he’s right. Even the Right, I suspect, in their heart of hearts, know he’s right. Still, it’s awful to see how stupid your cherished values can look when pressed against the backdrop of the real world. It might be easier if Kucinich didn’t proudly exhibit all the traits that make leftists a laughingstock. But if that were the case, nobody would even pay attention to him.
