Why Did Kucinich Fold So Easily On The Campaign Trail?

[ThomWV]

Considering what a feisty candidate he is it's hard to understand why Dennis Kucinich was so quick to dismiss his supporters and send them on their way to another candidate. It seems out of character. No vote has been case, no citizen asked to stand for a candidate. His effective concession seemed premature to me.

[Kolesar]

1. Why did he run in the first place?

Why are we born? What is the meaning of life?

[Tesha]

15. "Who am I? Why am I here?"

"Who am I? Why am I here?"

And other deep questions about the meaning of life.

[Kolesar]

19. That's perfect...eom

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

2. Dennis is on the campaign trail?

Where?

[cyclezealot]

3. Report on Huff post today.

Biden's staff on New Years' Eve had the same discussion. No decision has yet been announced.

[L84TEA]

4. kick in the teeth.

I would be royally pissed if I had been knocking doors for him.

Then he pushes OBAMA?? That's crack.

[robcon]

5. He never caught on.

I think a lot of people could not imagine him as president.

[ThomWV]

7. Do you think less so than in 2004?

His message is essentially the same and to be quite honest about it I think he looked better this time around than he did in 2004. Why you figure he didn't make it? I ask because whenever you hear his position on various things you know he's right, but nobody pays attention to him. I never have understood it. Granted, he doesn't have Clinton's name recognition (or ease of spelling) and he doesn't have Edward's looks, but he's got experience, conscience, and policy on his side.

[robcon]

27. His positions have nothing whatsoever to do with his failures

His naivete (Dept of Peace - read the proposal on his web site) among other things make a lot of people, including me, believe Kucinich would be an awful president.

People do not care as much for issues/positions/message as they care for character and "trust" in a president. I would summarize the problem with Kucinich is trust: a lot of people think he doesn't have the smarts, management ability and grounding in the world that is needed for a good president who faces at least one, and sometimes several, important, unknown and unpredictable events every month of every year he/she's in office. DK is naive to the point of dangerous, as his Dept of Peace proposal shows. He's a "the good is the enemy of the perfect" type, as his voting record shows.

It's not his positions - his abandonment of his long-held anti-abortion stance in 2004 has become much less of an issue this year. It's whether people can make a connection to DK, and see him as president. I can't, and I think a lot of other people (99% of Democrats according to the polls) won't vote for him, even though his positions on issues are fairly popular.

[wuushew]

34. I guess you like war then

Spend some time making yourself a nicer and more leftist individual please.

[robcon]

37. Your conclusion: if I don't want Kucinich's Dept of Peace I want war?

You're as stupid as your candidate, DK.

[laylah]

6. Good morning.

My guess would be that when his brother passed a few weeks ago, Dennis lost the heart to continue.

[cyclezealot]

10. Considering all the bull shit

he has had to endure from Wolf Blitzer, George Stephanapolis, Tim RUssert and Brian WIlliams. The media prejudices listeners to what they perceive unpopular ideas well before the first debate is held.And many gullible Americans, even here at DU suck up the b.s. / Had I been Kucinich ,I'd snapped & I'd punched Blitzer in the frickin nose long ago. The only one who treated Kucinich with respect has been Keith Olbermann. And to say Kucinich has not been inspiring. Look to his reception at the Chicago debate where labor was standing on their seats. Or the Black/Brown debate in Iowa, where he was enthralling.
The media leads and the gullible suck it up. Why bother. It's a pre-determined process, our votes mean little with a media determined to impose their choices upon us. And Kucinich has to endure all the crap Blitzer threw his way. Compare that to the soft balls thrown at Alan Keyes in the Debate series Kucinich was denied access. Keyes was given easy going , even tho his ideas are those of a religous crackpot.

[laylah]

21. Unfortunately

and even moreso, sadly, "It's a pre-determined process, our votes mean little with a media determined to impose their choices upon us". I must agree with you. But I also believe the death of his brother took the wind out of his sails, as the saying goes.

[cyclezealot]

22. I won't vote Biden

because of his Iraq vote. Still your and my candidate suffers from the same fate. Look to the time clock. Biden gets little more time than Kucinich. The media likes to perpetuate the horse race. Yes, with the media treating Kucinich the way they do, I sense Kucinich's patience he always shows as a COngress member and the good personal relations he enjoys with even Republicans - is being strained. But rightly so. Had I been present at the Blitzer harassment of Kucinich, they would probably had to cart me off becuse of my anger over his treatment of Kucinich. I'd been so outraged, security would have been called.

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. Out of character? He did the same thing in Iowa four years ago

[onenote]

13. exactly. a lot of folks here either have no memory or no knowledge of history

You would think someone who supports Kucinich now might know something about his 2004 run. He did pretty much the same thing in Iowa four years ago as he is doing now, only then it was Edwards and it was described as being more of a "deal" between the two than the current situation.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/19/elec04.prez.edwards.kucinich/index.html

[KharmaTrain]

9. Not Much Money Or Interest This Time Around

No knock on the DK supporters here, but I recall him having even more support on DU in '04...next to Dean, he was the DU flavor of the moment as he was on several other sites. He didn't maintain many of those contacts and didn't really reach out to new voters...hoping that word of mouth and showing up on debates would suffice for a campaign. He got all but back-benched at the debates and didn't even have the money to run an office in Iowa yet an organization that is needed to really do well. It's disappointing in the fact DK wasted the years between elections to build a better organization...instead he started from almost scratch.

Some will be cynical to say this was Kucinich's game all along...playing kingmaker in Iowa and at the convention...remember he didn't release his delegates til almost the last minute during the convention in '04. Not sure what Dennis' deal is here...should Obama win the nomination, we shall see.

[zanne]

12. I get calls from his people every day.

I like Dennis Kucinich. However, I like Barack Obama better. Anyway, I'm sure his campaign isn't swimming in money. I rarely see any campaign signs for him, though he has been a presence all along.

[KharmaTrain]

17. He's Invisible In This State

Our primary is Feb 5th...and I've already seen many of the campaigns on the ground here. The most visible are the Paulbots, but being in Obama's home state, he also has many bodies ready to hit the ground in the next couple of weeks...the same goes for Clinton and Edwards. They've had their organizations in place for a while and, in Edwards case, he's kept much of his organization intact since the '04 elections.

Yes, money is important in the primaries, but it's also how the money is raised and spent. IMHO, Dennis missed a golden chance after '04 to biuld on what he did in that campaign...not just in money, but in organization...so that when this silly season came around, he'd be in a better position than he was in the last election. It appears he back-slid.

Now if you're a DK supporter or even sympathetic, think about how that call could have been better used to reach out to an undecided or someone not familiar with him. Now those calls wouldn't be ones asking for a donation, would they?

I'm still blissfully uncommitted here and not leaning in any direction...I'll see where the primary game is in a couple weeks when it gets to my state.

[zanne]

20. Call for donations? HAH! Not Obama!

I've never made a call or asked anyone for a donation to Obama's campaign. We're not doing that. If you buy a bumper sticker at our headquarters, you have to fill out a campaign donation form. For a dollar item. No, there are no "donation" calls. He doesn't take PAC or special interest money, either.

[PCIntern]

11. for the same reason that all of us quit endeavors:

It's just...too much to go thru for nothing. For him, it was like peeing into the wind - everyone knows that he, of all the candidates was telling the 'truth' - did anyone ever lean over to him during a debate and say "you're wrong"?

It's just that almost no one wants to hear what he has to say - it's too painful. Denial Denial Denial.

It's has come back to haunt us terribly, I'm afraid.

[hayu_lol]

16. Dennis has always had some problems...

Now his congressional seat may be slipping away from him--he is heading back to defend it.

His refusal to comply with the rules of this and that debate and gathering has come home and bit him on the behind:

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_7867042

Texas Democratic Party has declined his application to be placed on the ballot in Texas because he crossed out a loyalty oath to the Party to support the eventual nominee.

Dennis appears to live in an alternate universe.

[EFerrari]

24. Yeah, in a universe where Bush is impeached and our troops come home.

[NavyDavy]

14. i heard some repukes talking and one says well he is a Dem

he just does what they do cut and run....i was pissed, i went off....my wife had to pull out of the room

[bowens43]

18. He's a realist?

Kucinich will never win a presidential nomination.

[Virginia Dare]

23. IMO, Ron Paul is stealing his thunder..

he realized he was losing traction fast. I think he envisioned a Dean-like grassroots campaign catching fire, and it just never happened.

[Zorra]

25. Because Americans are too propagandized to elect a genuine democrat.

And so, we will continue our glorious descent into the fascist hell that corporate control of government has waiting for us.

[BeHereNow]

33. Word.

BHN:thumbsup:

[flvegan]

26. Why are some DUers so quick to spin a story and through a true Dem under the bus?

Wish I had that answer.

[robcon]

28. Obama, Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, Biden and Dodd are true Democrats.

I think there are a lot better choices for president among the Democrats than Kucinich.

[Didereaux]

29. hey, when you shot your your foot you tend to lean over or sit down...Dennis fired several times.

[begin_within]

30. Commercial media gave him no airtime compared to O, C and E.

[Kucinich4America]

31. Sadly, his brothers death might have taken away his will to fight this time around

Your family should take precedence over politics. Nobody would blame him if he dropped out.

But I'm not assuming that one little statement about a contingency plan for one state caucus equals a concession speech.

Dennis is realistic to know that he may not win Iowa. Even though he should. :(

[bunkerbuster1]

35. I'm sure that was a factor.

Hearing him on Thom Hartman's show, arguing with Thom, based on the tone of his voice, it sounded like Dennis was just finished with the BS.

I've enjoyed hearing him in the debates, like the guy, wish him the best. This is a tough process and it grinds down good people.

[mdmc]

32. kick

for answers

[Snotcicles]

36. He traded Iowa for Michigan with Obama. And sold out Edwards. Just a hunch. nt