August 1, 2003 by lonbud

Kucinich in 2004

Hope springs eternal.

That’s the old canard, yes? Well, I’m here to say it’s true.

Even in these hopeless times, when war seems to be a constant state of affairs in every corner of the globe, when jobs seem ever more difficult to come by at home, when your dollar buys fewer of the goods and services whose costs increase with each passing month.

Even in these hopeless times, when fear is our motivating force, when we excuse lies in the service of “higher” ends, when we accept duplicity, and secrecy, and unaccountability as concomitants of security.

I sat today for over an hour in the crowded room of a meeting hall in downtown San Francisco, listening to a man outline his vision of the world we might live in. I listened as one in a crowd of whooping, hollering supporters of this man’s hopes and dreams and plans for the future of America and the world. And I was struck by two things.

First, I was amazed a person who purported to outline elements of domestic and international public policy spoke in clear, unambiguous terms I was able to understand, whose views left no doubt as to his agenda or the moral basis for his recommendations. In addition, I was astounded by the degree to which I agreed with everything he had to say.

I have made an effort, halfheartd at times, I admit, to listen to the current President of the United States speak on many of the same topics I heard addressed today. I have tried, even, to listen to the more educated and eloquent members of his administration address similar issues. And in an effort to fully disclose my bias in the matter, I must say I have never been able to pay attention for more than a hundred and twenty seconds at most.

Aside from my disagreement with the perspective from which the President and all of his spokespeople seem to come, I have cringed at his inability to communicate in his native language, and felt insulted by his and his handlers’ disrespect for my intelligence.

Today I sat enraptured by a candidate for public office who used vocabulary beyond the level of Fifth grade. Today I sat emboldened by a man who easily quoted Tennyson and the prophet Isaiah, and who elucidated concepts of Taoist philosophy to describe ways we might assure bright prospects for ourselves, our children, and our childrens’ children. Today I saw the possibility of choosing a different path from the one we seem to have been swept on in the past twenty five years. Today I heard someone make sense of the chaos and violence and terror gripping our nation and our planet.

Yes, hope springs eternal. And I hope people across this land will hear the message Dennis Kucinich is attempting to bring forth. His message is that we do not have to dominate the world in order to live comfortably and peacefully and securely; we must recognize the value in each member of our society if our society is to thrive.

I heard this candidate for President speak of making America a willing partner in the community of nations addressing global challenges of trade and healthcare and energy and the environment. I heard him speak of taking the vast resources and wealth of this country to ensure equal access to education and employment, to financial security, and to the freedoms enshrined in the founding documents of this nation.

I heard him speak, truthfully, honestly, from the heart, about compassion and inclusion and acceptance of all that we have -the good and the bad and the ugly.

To date, he and his campaign have been ignored by the mainstream press. But it is early on in this election season and based on what I heard today, based on the visceral reaction I had to his presence, his message, and his vision of all we might become, I feel confident saying Dennis Kucinich is the only person courageous enough to stand in opposition to what we’ve come to accept as business as usual.

I can’t wait to hear him debate George W. Bush live on network TV.

http://kucinich.us