Reply #4: What exactly is his position regarding Choice? [View All]

[patrice]

Recent email I received from a long-standing Democrat:

During his first three terms in Congress, Kucinich compiled a
> > consistently pro-life voting record, earning a 95-percent rating
> > from the National Right to Life Committee in 2000. "He absolutely
> > believes in the sanctity of life and that life begins at
> > conception," Kucinich's spokeswoman explained last year.
>
> > Voted YES on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May
> > 2001)
>
> > Voted YES on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other
> > crimes. (Apr 2001)
>
> > Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)
>
> > Voted YES on barring transporting minors to get an abortion. (Jun
> > 1999)
>
> > He voted to criminalize partial birth abortions, to deny American
> > servicewoman the right even to pay for their own abortions overseas,
> > to prevent Washington, D.C. from funding abortions for poor women
> > with nonfederal dollars, against research on RU-486, even against
> > health coverage of basic contraception for federal employees. In
> > 1996 he told Planned Parenthood that he did not support the
> > substance of Roe v. Wade. He received a a 95 percent position rating
> > from the National Right to Life Committee, versus 10 percent from
> > Planned Parenthood and 0 percent from NARAL. .....
> > This is a biggie for me. While a candidate does not have to
> > personally support choice, they should not deny others the right with
> > their votes.
>
> > On the Iowa thing:
> > Dean and Kucinich were the only two anti-war candidates at that
> > time. On the day of the caucuses, Kucinich made a deal with Edwards
> > (who at the time was NOT anti-war) that his delegates would go to
> > him, basically screwing Dean. It also turned out that Kucinich
> > participated in the plan with the other candidates to take down
> > Dean, not much of a principled stand in my eyes.
>
> > On the Leadership Thing:
> > While he has support for his positions among much of the very left
> > base - it is all for his stances and votes, most of them meaningless
> > in terms of enacting law. On the other hand, look at Russ Feingold,
> > who is just as left but managed to actually get legislation passed
> > and move the country with him.
>
> > Finally, Kucinich continues to regularly go on Fox Noize and
> > legitimize that network while the other candidates abandoned them
> > long ago.

........................

At least he earns street-cred for being anti-Choice by also being anti-War, but I wonder why he abandoned the anti-War position when he should have supported Dean instead of Edwards.