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View Full Version : Iowa Democratic leaders trying to "rig the game" by excluding Kucinich




specsaregood
09-15-2007, 07:52 PM
I know most of us are not fans of Kucinich's policy; but at the same time, we probably like the fact that he is in the Democrat field of candidates.

I got this email today from his campaign:
------------------------------------------------------
DES MOINES, IA - Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis
Kucinich said Iowa Democratic Party leaders and other groups
aligned with the entrenched political power structure are
"rigging the game in Iowa" by excluding him from two
Presidential events this week.

"The whole purpose of the primary and caucus season is to
provide voters with opportunities, not to enable a carnival of
interest groups to subvert the process," Kucinich said. "When
Party leaders and their allies pre-select which candidates they
will allow the voters to hear, it's a disservice to the
voters. Iowans deserve better than a rigged game."

Congressman Kucinich, (D-OH), was not invited to Sunday's
Democratic Steak Fry in Indianola, nor to a Democratic
Presidential Forum Thursday in Davenport. Representatives of
both events have falsely claimed that Kucinich does not have a
sufficiently "active organization" in Iowa.

However, statewide and national polls consistently show Kucinich
running ahead of Senators Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd, who
were invited to participate. A recent American Research Group
poll in Iowa showed Kucinich getting 3% of the vote, ahead of
Biden and Dodd, who were at the bottom with 1% each. In the Los
Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll in Iowa two weeks ago, Kucinich and
Biden were both at 2% and Dodd was at 1%.

In the most recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll,
Kucinich was at 3% nationally, Biden was at 2%, and Dodd was
below 1%. Another national poll, Rasmussen Reports, showed
Kucinich tied with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson in fourth
place, behind Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and
former Senator John Edwards. Richardson was also invited to
participate in the Iowa events. Kucinich also won a post-debate
poll on ABC's website after the last Iowa debate.

"We're doing better than some of the establishment candidates,
and we're moving up," Kucinich said. "Instead of spending
millions of dollars on high-priced consultants, and slick
advertising, we have a highly motivated grassroots
organization."

He also questioned the decision by the American Association of
Retired Persons (AARP) Iowa Public Television to exclude him
from Thursday's Democratic Presidential Forum, which will focus
on the issues of health care and financial security.

"The Presidential debate on health care has been largely fake,
with phony claims from candidates that they are providing
'universal health care' when, in fact, they are preserving the
for-profit system of private insurance companies who make money
not providing health care," Kucinich said.

"I am the only Presidential candidate to offer a true universal
healthcare plan for America, HR676, Medicare for All. It is a
comprehensive, not-for-profit, national health insurance plan,
and everyone is covered," Kucinich said. "No premiums, no
deductibles, no co-payments."

"How can AARP and Iowa Public Television claim they are
committed to educating and informing the voters of Iowa on the
Number One domestic issue in this campaign when they deny a
voice to the only candidate who is leading the effort to bring
real reform to the health care system by ending the control of
for-profit insurance and pharmaceutical companies? Since the
AARP's own insurance sales interests would be affected by HR
676, serious questions must be raised about their decision to
deny me a place on the platform," Kucinich said.

In one highly publicized incident in July, unaware that their
microphones were still on and the cameras were still rolling,
Clinton and Edwards whispered to each other on stage about
eliminating some candidates from future debates. "It is most
interesting," Kucinich noted, "that a number of post-debate
analyses determined that I performed better than all the other
candidates (AFL-CIO, ABC, Howard University, Logo Forum). I can
well understand why the other candidates do not want competition,
but the credibility of the Democratic process is at risk if
sponsoring organizations join in the subversion of that
process."

"You would think that the Iowa Democratic Party leaders,
fighting to preserve the state's status as the first caucus
state, would be a little more careful about giving other states
the impression that they and they alone have the right to
determine who the next President will be." Kucinich said.

Hook
09-15-2007, 08:10 PM
Yeah, Kucinich isn't part of the insider club. Sucks for him as well as us.
Not that I agree with most of his ideas.

amonasro
09-15-2007, 08:55 PM
I'm sure RP can sympathize with him--he mentioned at one point they were friends.

Dustancostine
09-15-2007, 09:46 PM
"I am the only Presidential candidate to offer a true universal
healthcare plan for America, HR676, Medicare for All. It is a
comprehensive, not-for-profit, national health insurance plan,
and everyone is covered," Kucinich said. "No premiums, no
deductibles, no co-payments."



This made me barf in my mouth.

MadEmperor
09-15-2007, 11:29 PM
"no deductibles"

People would be going to the doctor for an upset tummy and bruises.

V-rod
09-16-2007, 02:16 AM
Wow, if every leader in history was like Kucinich, we would just have improved leech bleeding in the medical industry.

Lois
09-16-2007, 05:44 AM
How do you barf in your mouth?

Most people barf in the toilet or on the floor or down the front of themselves.

It must have been difficult keeping your mouth shut while you were throwing up :)

bbachtung
09-16-2007, 11:07 AM
He should host competing forums the way the good doctor did.

eloquensanity
09-16-2007, 11:37 AM
"no deductibles"

People would be going to the doctor for an upset tummy and bruises.


Medicaid patients already do, some of them actually go to the emergency room with a cold.

I'm an OB RN and they come to the hospital frequently to get attention when there is absolutely nothing wrong with them, but they may have had a fight with their boyfriend.

Of course we have to triage them and run tests on them.
They are abusing the system and we all know it but we have to cover our butts incase they go home and take meth and end up coming back and blaming us if they cause an abruption and lose the baby.

This happens on a daily basis not once in a while. We call some of them frequent flyers because they come several times a week.

Imagine if the whole population did this.