Kucinich challenges status quo

By Bill Rautenstrauch
The La Grande Observer

Published: May 11, 2004

The Observer/PHIL BULLOCK CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT: Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio congressman and Democratic presidential candidate, speaks to a crowd of about 250 at Eastern Oregon University's Hoke Center Monday night.

A crowd of about 250 turned out at Eastern Oregon University Monday night to hear a maverick Democratic presidential candidate speak out against war, abuse of government power and a host of other other controversial topics.

"The nomination's been decided, but the direction of the Democratic party has not been decided," said Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio congressman who refuses to withdraw his candidacy even though John Kerry has the nomination sewn up.

"My candidacy presents people with an opportunity to get into a deeper narrative about what the country stands for."

Kucinich said he thinks America first of all should realize it is not alone in the world.

"The world needs a lot of healing. This country has helped exacerbate the divisions," he said.

He said he believes in an inter-connectedness among nations, and in solutions to the world's problems through cooperation.

"Sustaining a global environment is the great work. I challenge the ‘us vs. them' mentality," he said.

Kucinich, probably the first presidential candidate to appear in La Grande since the days of Bobby Kennedy, spent much of his speaking time condemning the Iraq war.

"We need to take a new direction. We must recognize the folly of the invasion of Iraq," he said.

He asserted that the invasion was carried out on false pretenses and in violation of international law. "We must disabuse Americans from the notion that the Iraqis had anything to do with 9/11. That is not any more true than is the claim that there were weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq.

"We must make America see that it was wrong to go in to Iraq, and it's wrong to stay in," he said.

Urging an immediate pull-out of American forces, Kucinich said the solution to the Iraq crisis should be brokered by the United Nations.

"There should be U.N. peacekeepers there until the Iraqis are self-governing," he said.

"The handover of power the Bush administration keeps talking about means nothing as long as U.S. troops are there. For as long as the troops are there, the world will believe this is about holding on to Iraq's oil."

Kucinich said that the U.N. and not the U.S. should be responsible for running Iraq's oil business until the country is able to do so on its own.

He added that the system of awarding Iraq contracts to big American corporations should be abandoned.

During a lengthy question and answer period following his speech, Kucinich spoke strongly against the USA Patriot Act, which gives government broad powers in the terrorism fight.

"It was passed as a response to fear," he said. "We can't keep this democracy working in fear. When an administration passes a law that separates us from our liberties, it's a desecration of our constitution."

Kucinich said he has introduced legislation calling for repeal of the act.

Other topics covered in the question and answer period included health care, gay marriage, and the high cost of education.

Kucinich said a single health care insurance carrier is the answer to skyrocketing insurance costs.

"Health insurance has become a racket. People keeping paying more, and getting less," he commented.

"The insurance companies make money by not paying for health care. They look at people and they see a fine cash crop. Some families are paying more than 50 percent of their disposable income on health insurance — Washington just ignores it."

On gay marriage, Kucinich said he believes that people are entitled to equal protection under the law regardless of race, creed, color or sexual orientation.

He added, however, that the issue is distracting the nation from more pressing concerns.

"We have to ask why people are trying to get us to stand up about this. We've got more important things to talk about," he said.

Kucinich said he thinks higher education should be affordable and accessible to all.

"The tax cuts for the people in the upper brackets — some $87 billion — should be taken and placed in a fund for education," he said.

Kucinich's talk was well-received by the crowd, with many applauding his remarks and virtually none expressing opposition to them.

Before Kucinich began his talk, college students and professors took turns speaking on issues ranging from the war in Iraq, to corporate control of big media, to budget cuts at the university.

Contact Information

University Advancement Eastern Oregon University One University Boulevard La Grande, OR 97850 phone 541.962.3740 fax 541.962.3680 email University Advancement