Dennis Kucinich (page 3)
Kucinich has no trouble with "the vision thing." He asked the question, "What would a world in cooperation look like?" And he proceeded to lay out all of the specifics he would attempt to achieve as president. I couldn't write fast enough, but some of them were: "We need to build up the U.N., not tear it down," commitment to non-proliferation, abolition of all nuclear weapons, support of the International Criminal Court, Chemical Weapons Convention, Kyoto...
"We are the world, we are one."
"It is time!
It is time!
It is time!"
Quoting RFK:
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
He spoke of the need for unity, and warned all present that anger is not the path to the vision he outlined. It was a necessary thing for a lot of us to hear, I think.
In the same way that we deplore the right-wing cabal that has rushed us into war for choosing violence over peace, we have to understand that our anger is not the path to our victory, either.
He wrapped up with more rousing oratory I didn't write down, and then it was time for Q&A.
A huge line quickly formed. Kucinich answered every question in a direct way.
Impeach Bush? "The votes aren't there." Take care of the problem in '04.
Even when the questions were a bit loony or non-interrogatory, as when someone (not this woman) simply made a speech about why everyone should vote for Lyndon LaRouche, Kucinich took it in stride.
Kucinich is a good listener. He doesn't seem to be faking it like Al Gore, and he doesn't overdo the empathy like Bill Clinton.
But, like Clinton, he clearly likes people.
And he respects them enough not to ever turn a question from its subject toward some prepared remark about another topic. He didn't dodge once, that I saw. Frankly, he didn't sound all that much like a politician during the Q&A.
He spoke off the cuff well, unlike a certain White House occupant. One senses a President Kucinich wouldn't ever have trouble expressing his thoughts (or forming them, for that matter).
After Kucinich gave a short speech to conclude the Q&A, the crowd jumped to its feet and applauded.
A candidate who unashamedly uses the peace sign.
No wonder everyone wanted to touch his cloak.
Kucinich's speech will likely be up soon at this page.
You can get involved with his campaign here.
The sponsors of the event were:
Americans Against War With Iraq
Coalition for World Peace
Democrats.com
Neighbors for Peace and Justice
Addicted to War
Not in Our Name (l.A.)
Alliance for Democracy/San Fernando Valley
(Sorry I didn't have more quotes directly from his speech. I got a bit distracted by the opportunities for cool pictures.)
