Dennis Kucinich, Author of the "Strength Through Peace" Doctrine

by Joel Thompson

Friday's BLoTics post focused on a website designed to help you find the perfect candidate for your own set of beliefs. Curious, I took the test myself with the hunch that John Edwards would be my best match given how often I find myself agreeing with his "Two Americas" platform.

That intuition was apparently misguided. Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a man whose platform I've admired but whose personality I have found difficult to like at times, was the clear representative of my values, topping Edwards, Hillary Clinton and (surprisingly) Tom Tancredo by four points each.

This result both surprised and convinced me to take a closer look at Congressman Kucinich, a fellow rust-belt and on-Lake Erie citizen (he was born in and was mayor of Cleveland). Kucinich fortified his primary candidacy during the CNN/YouTube debate when he landed the first real applause of the night introducing his “Strength through Peace” doctrine (click below to view).



Kucinich, joined on the Democratic side by former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel as having originally opposed the Iraqi invasion with a congressional vote to match, finds himself in a rare position of power compared to the front running trio of Clinton/Edwards/Barack Obama. As he did during the debate, Kucinich should continue to remind Americans of that point if only to force Clinton and Obama to clarify what their idea of “phased redeployment” in Iraq really is.

Further wooing me in his direction, Kucinich maintains very clear positions on almost every topic from the mainstream (universal health care) to the extreme (impeaching George W. Bush and Dick Cheney). Dennis Kucinich could hardly be accused of flip-flopping.

Do I think Dennis Kucinich will be the Democratic candidate in November 2008? Realistically, no. But his clear cut stances on the hot button issues should force his fellow Democrats to similarly illuminate their own positions in an attempt to avoid the embarrassment that John Kerry endured in 2004.

If you’re curious about Congressman Kucinich, I urge you to check out his MySpace site and his Congreesional homepage. I’d love to hear your opinion so drop us an email here at BLoTics at BLoTicsBlog@gmail.com.

Picking Candidates the American Way

by Joel Thompson

I recently discovered an interesting and unquestionably American website. The site, http://www.dehp.net/candidate/, lists 25 hot button political issues, asks for the reader’s stance on and how important each is, and quickly determines which presidential candidate best represents your beliefs. Go ahead and try it.

Why is this unquestionably American, you might ask? Because at some point in the last 200 years, everyday people stopped doing their own homework on candidates and began allowing themselves to be force fed who the “leading” candidates were, regardless of how their own beliefs matched those of the hand-picked. This website feeds the beast that is general American apathy toward political participation and the terrible habit that is allowing the media and special interests to determine our candidates.

I find myself torn by irony, however. I actually wish more people used a website like this to determine their favored candidates. After all, some homework is better than none, and the only way I can come to terms with the fact that George W. Bush won reelection in 2004 is to believe that the people voting for him really had no idea why they were picking him over John Kerry or anyone else for that matter.

Propaganda on Saddam Hussein’s role on 9/11 and WMD aside, a tremendous amount of people must have voted for Bush with no understanding on where he stood on remarkably critical issues, like immigration and global warming. Bush is so out of step with the majority of Americans on so many issues, it continues to be the only explanation for his achieving four more years in the world’s most important office.

With primary season approaching, I hope Americans on both sides of the aisle take the time to do some research and support whoever best represents their beliefs. Heck, I hope they start with a visit to this site. If you do, drop BLoTics (BLoTicsBlog@gmail.com) a note to share the results and your thoughts.

My own results surprised me, and I’ll be back to tell you more….

And as a quick aside, I want to welcome anyone who stumbles upon our little parcel of the blogoshere. The opinions on this site will be those of some friends who are passionate about the political future of our great nation, and who look forward to discussing the same with people everywhere, regardless of stance.