Dennis Kucinich: Conscience of the Convention
I
wish this article painted Dennis Kucinich in a better light. And
I hope he makes a big stink at the convention like he is promising to
do, especially since it is highly unlikely that Howard will sign off on
a floor fight for the VP position. I'm itching for a good
fight. I hope Dennis and his supporters give us one.
“There's no question that I intend to create a new progressive
organization. It's called the Democratic Party.” Dennis Kucinich
AlterNet.org
Last
month, [Dennis] Kucinich – the only Democrat other than John Kerry
still actively running – opened his Democratic National Convention
headquarters in a cramped fourth-floor office on Temple Place, just off
Boston Common. Addressing his assembled supporters by speakerphone from
Oregon, where he was campaigning in the run-up to the May 18 primary,
the Ohio congressman promised to push the party to the left when the
convention opens in July.
“We'll
have dozens of delegates inside the convention, but we'll have
thousands of people in the streets of Boston,” Kucinich declared. “We
can put pressure on the party to take the right positions on civil
liberties, health care, Iraq, and the Patriot Act. We're going to be
the conscience of the party. And that will help the Democrats win.”
(more)
Tell Them What You Think
The Nation
With
just a few days to go before the Democratic Party's Platform Committee
convenes in Miami on July 9th and 10th, supporters of Democratic
Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich are gearing up to give the
committee a political earful.
Readers
of The Nation should join them in signing a petition demanding that the
Party's platform acknowledge that millions of loyal Democrats seek a
coherent and responsible exit strategy from Iraq. (Click here to sign on.)
Hundreds of Kucinich campaigners and political allies will also push
hard to strengthen the platform language on health care and fair trade.
(more)
Here's an update on the plans of the Kucinich supporters to influence the Democratic Party Platform this weekend in Miami.
Florida
Progressives will have an unprecedented opportunity to influence the
Democratic Party Platform next week at the National Platform Committee
meeting in Miami, Friday, July 9 and Saturday, July 10.
Together
we can ensure that the progressive voice is heard within the Democratic
Party, and help John Kerry get elected by adopting a platform that
progressives will vote for.
The
Platform Committee meeting is being held at the Westin Diplomat Resort
& Spa in Hollywood, Florida, and is open to the public. The
Kucinich for President campaign is making special arrangements to give
Florida Progressives better access to the Committee members, and will
be sending several key campaign staffers to Miami to help direct our
efforts (there are also two Kucinich delegates on the Committee, plus
delegates from Dean and other progressive campaigns). The following is
an outline of the meeting schedule and our plans for presenting our
message to the Committee.
Friday, July 9
3 PM –
Registration for platform committee members. If possible, Progressives
and Kucinich volunteers will arrive about this time as well, and will
help to greet the committee members and provide information about our
positions. The Kucinich campaign will have a “Progressive Caucus Room”
set up nearby with banners, information, petitions, a sign-in book, and
a laptop presentation. This room will be open continuously throughout
the two days, and we need progressives with a good understanding of the
issues to invite committee members to visit the caucus room and discuss
our positions with them.
5-7 PM –
The Kucinich campaign will hold a “Progressive Open House” at a
bar/restaurant in the hotel, during which we can all interact with each
other and with any Platform Committee members who accept our invitation
to attend.
Evening
– Other official events will be going on at this time, which we may or
may not be able to get into. We will be on the inside whenever
possible, or doing whatever else we can to interact with committee
members and provide visibility for the issues we care about.
Saturday, July 10
7-8 AM –
Progressives and Kucinich supporters would ideally arrive early. Our
Progressive Caucus Room will open at 7:30 AM, and we are trying to
arrange a brief meeting with Committee Members to hear our concerns
before the official proceedings begin.
9 AM –
Official proceedings begin (open to the public). We hope to have Dennis
Kucinich present issue petitions that have been collected by the
Kucinich campaign to the committee at the beginning of the official
meeting (this has not yet been confirmed). Progressives and Kucinich
supporters will be in the audience with shirts and buttons, staffing a
table outside the meeting, manning the Progressive Caucus Room,
speaking to the press, and monitoring the proceedings so that we can
provide updates via the web to everyone nationwide. The meeting will
continue throughout the morning and afternoon, and possibly into the
evening.
Part of
our strategy is that progressive delegates on the Committee (including
two for Kucinich) will present key positions such as withdrawal from
Iraq, the Department of Peace, fair trade policies and universal
healthcare during the meeting. Even if these measures are not adopted,
they can be included as part of a minority plank that goes to the
national convention in Boston if they receive 20% of the vote. It is
rare that we get the opportunity to have such an immediate, concrete
impact on the party platform, but we need your help to do it.
Now THAT is what I call organized! Good luck to you!
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