Letters to the NYT re: Kucinich profile

[redqueen]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/04/magazine/04LETTERS.html

He's short of stature and short on funds. No matter. Readers were overwhelmingly supportive of Dennis Kucinich and the substance of his platform.

The Optimist

When I first saw Marshall Sella's article on Dennis Kucinich, I was over the moon (Dec. 21). My elation faded, however, as I read it. Kucinich is short (a couple inches shorter than Lieberman), he's uncharismatic, he's a vegan, and he's on the left end of the spectrum.

I'd rather hear about his unwavering stance against the Iraq war, his plan for true universal health care, his commitment to guaranteed pre-K-through-college education, his stance on minority and gay rights and his willingness to face down corporate power. What makes a candidate electable? Is it stature and good looks? Is it money? The answer is that the biggest deciding factor of electability is coverage in the news media.

Is Kucinich too optimistic? Maybe so, but if he is, it's because he, like me, was raised to believe that America is a country where even a dirt-poor kid can make a difference without money, without influence and without media backing.
Jeremy Hart
Houston


I'm a senior, a white male, a small-business owner who doesn't belong to any of the fringe groups mentioned in your article. I have looked into Kucinich's background, seen him in person three times and looked at what he stands for in some depth. What has made me a passionate admirer of him and what he stands for I have learned in spite of the news media. I certainly didn't get anything worthwhile from your article. A few snickers, maybe.
Locke McCorkle
Palo Alto, Calif
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There are a few more published. Only one negative. :D

[revcarol]

1. TAKE THAT, NYT.

Superficiality no longer rules. They must report on candidates in depth.I hope they get flooded with mail against superficiality.

[redqueen]

2. More letters

If there aren't the same copyright worries, here are the rest of them, since you have to register to see them.

:D

I'm something of an optimist myself, so when I read Sella's article, I recalled a quote from Gandhi: "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." I'm sure Kucinich is familiar with this quotation, and so your article must be an encouraging sign to him that his campaign for president has progressed far into the ridicule phase. Can victory be far behind?
Stephen Burns
Madison, Wis.

While a candidate who is so idealistic and uninterested in things material may seem refreshing to some, others may wonder about the financial wisdom of a 57-year-old single man who has an annual salary of $136,700 and assets of only about $20,000.
Donald J. Isler
Irvington, N.Y.

The news media go for the bottom denominator, folks who can only pronounce simple one-syllable names like Dean and Bush.

With Kucinich we have a ray of hope. He is a far cry from those "electables" who are boring. By the way, Don Quixote is still well known after all these years.
Joan Sage
Philadelphia

Sella suggests that Kucinich is unelectable and focuses on his height — as if that stopped Napoleon or Berlusconi.
Nancy Holmstrom
Newark
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:thumbsup:

Go Kooch!

[Desertrose]

3. kick this up

:kick:



thanks redqueen...
Interesting...the DK name is getting out there!

Peace
DR

[ThirdWheelLegend]

4. Good ones

kick for Dennis!

TWL

[JohnKleeb]

5. People like what they see when they are given the chance to listen

:)