by Waldo News

Created on: May 21, 2008

Dennis Kucinich: Tireless Crusader, Hot Wife Included

The notion that Dennis Kucinich is an annoying dwarf who provides little more than a distraction to the American political landscape is not an entirely baseless one. The media's insistence on focusing their criticism around his friendship with Liza Minelli and his close encounters of the third kind, however, should not be followed by a call to shrink from the national spotlight.

During his time in the House of Representatives, Kucinich has been a frontline defender of American civil liberties and against the malevolent growth of government. Besides voting against the war in Iraq, and the USA PATRIOT Act, Kucinich has been adamant in opposition to Diebold Electronic Voting machines, thus supporting the right of everyone to have their votes fairly counted. This stance also aligns with his strong opposition to letting corporate media interests define the way our elections are decided. This was evident during the 2008 Democratic Primary, when he campaigned unsuccessfully against being excluded from MSNBC's Nevada Debate. Despite this setback, Kucinich continued to rally supporters and represent a non-traditional platform for the Democratic Party.

He has also been a staunch advocate for global disarmament, including multilateral United States nuclear abolition. His support of the Space Preservation Act of 2001 shows that he is committed to bringing forth a peaceful future, where science can be used for non-destructive means.

In addition, Kucinich has helped energize the left wing of the Democratic Party by bringing more Greens and progressives into the Democratic fold. This newfound influence is one of the main reasons Barack Obama has seen such a meteoric rise to stardom. He has done so by representing a pragmatic, but liberal, platform and connecting with a part of the Democratic Party that is disillusioned by the conservative shift represented by candidates like Hilary Clinton.

For all of these reasons, Dennis Kucinich needs to remain a part of the American political landscape, even if he will always be defined as a "vanity candidate" and will possibly never gain as much political clout and credibility as the major players in the presidential race. His work in the House of Representatives stands on its own merits as that of a great American congressman.

Besides, he has an incredibly hot wife that needs more TV time.

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