The pie-chart on the radio crap- [View All]

[diamondsoul]

Ok folks, listen up. Someone decided to throw this at me in another thread that wasn't too kind to their candidate, as if I should be embarrassed for some reason.

I'm not embarrassed, and in point of fact, I'm proud of my candidate. I'm completely and totally embarrassed by the people who have opted to ignore the very important statements that accompanied the use of said pie chart! From the WaPo transcript, page three linked-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59300-2004Jan6_3.html


KUCINICH: It's interesting to hear Governor Dean's assertion about how he won't balance the budget -- or how he will try to balance the budget when he refuses to admit that there needs to be cuts in the bloated Pentagon budget.

I don't see how in the world, when you have something that at this point takes up about 50 percent of the discretionary budget...

CONAN: Congressman Kucinich is holding up a pie chart, which is not truly effective on the radio.

KUCINICH: Well, it's effective if Howard can see it.

KUCINICH: Fifty percent of the budget's taken up by defense: How you going to balance the budget if you refuse to cut the bloated Pentagon budget?

People, do you GET this? Does Howard Dean GET this?? FIFTY-freakin' PERCENT of our "discretionary spending", this ain't chump-change and I'm stunned that so many people would ignore this important information to focus on the way it was presentend and smear my candidates intelligence. THIS is the kind of foolishness that got us into this mess, people not paying attention to the message because they were too busy attacking the messenger.

GROW UP, people! More than that use your brains and think about what Kucinich did in that debate- he risked his own reputation to make a solid and important point to the other candidates in this race. He concedes that there is a chance he'll lose the race, and he's trying to HELP YOU! Even if he wins, again USE your brains, folks! How many of these candidates will remain in congress if their Presidential bids fail? How many of them will have a direct impact on the legislation he wants to see passed, including cuts to the Pentagon budget? Oh but hey, let's not use a little logic here and care about the American people because it's all about image, right? Kucinich doesn't look, sound or act "Presidential", right?

SHOW ME any candidate who has taken the lead as often and with as much personal risk as he has in this race. Please, I'd like to see one of them show me as much leadership potential as Dennis Kucinich has shown me. I'd like just one of them to put US above themselves the way Kucinich does repeatedly. And most of all I'd like to see Dennis Kucinich get the respect and the credit for that they way he deserves instead of BS smears like this one.

**Mods, please let me know if any of this is considered "personal attack" and I'll be glad to edit. I'm angry and it shows, but I tried to keep it pretty general and not outside any rules.