Goodbye Dennis

Dennis Kucinich has been my representative, well as long as I can remember. I grew up with the legend of the boy mayor who stood up to the banks, which lost him his position. I've had issues with his politics along the way, of course. I've been frustrated by the politics he plays, and like every other politician sometimes I wanted to and did remind him of who he represented.  All that being said, Dennis was a progressive, a leftist, and he will be missed in the House.

Marcy Kaptur won last night. Dennis and Marcy represented two very different populations in Cleveland that were forced into one district, District 9 (fitting in a way, because Ohio Republicans were trying to force two very progressive areas into one to isolate the votes). Marcy is also a progressive though not the way Dennis is.  Unfortunately, the campaign got kind of ugly, which is probably the most difficult for me to understand because I expected so much more from these two. I would have assumed that two people who were interviewed together and described one another as friends would have been able to run against one another with a little decorum, but I guess not.

In the end I was pro-Dennis, despite his short-comings. He was the one I knew. He tried to save our schools, and I'm sure Marcy did the same kind of things for her district and constituents. But Dennis took it upon himself to keep Democrats honest, and that is needed.

We're going to have to see how this plays out. A few things are for sure:
1. Marcy is anti-choice. Given the attacks on women in Ohio and nationally, this could be very bad.
2. Dennis will be back. I mean he comeback after a humiliating defeat after he was Mayor, you can't keep this man down. However, Representative Kucinich could come back as anything at this point.

President Obama announces 2012 Campaign

Ok, so he is the sitting President and is certainly going to receive the Democratic nomination for President. Additionally, he did a few things that I completely agree with [nods to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act].

That being said I demand a Democratic challenger in the primary, yeah I'm looking at you Dennis and Feingold. I'm serious, it is time to bring Obama back to the fold by any means necessary. I'm advocating anything short of force at this point. I'm not advocating a third part candidate yet, but I'm also not ruling it out.

A few reasons we should want a challenger in the primary?

• cutting spending for the poor
• a third war, because two we can't afford just wasn't enough
• caving on health care
• and just about everything else
• extending the Bush tax cuts
• a serious lack of support for labor

The list can go on, but I have class in a few and need to wrap this up. The most important thing is not to give this campaign your money!!! The prediction is that the 2012 Obama campaign will break all kinds of fundraising records, but I refuse to give until we see and hear some of our concerns being brought up. So I am advocating ransom. He has appeased the right every chance he could, and I don't want a moderate President. I want a liberal.