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Just what keeps Dennis Kucinich on the run?

Does the candidate who refuses to quit have a message for Portland’s progressives?

By Abby Sewell

Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich made two trips through Oregon this April, campaigning for a primary that he knows well enough has already been won by John Kerry. The most anti-establishment of the Democrats, Kucinich still retains his faith in the electoral process. While many leftists have come to regard the Democratic Party as a sinking ship, Kucinich still believes that the voters can reclaim it as the party of the people.

As I followed him along the campaign trail on April 6, everywhere he spoke, he said, “We know the direction of the nomination, but the Democratic Party’s direction has yet to be determined. That is why Oregon’s primary is so important.” His hope, and his reason for staying in the race, is that if enough Democrats vote for him in the primary, the party will realize that it needs to take some strong stands: against the war in Iraq, the USA PATRIOT Act, and free trade; for environmental protections, renewable energy, fair trade, universal healthcare, and workers’ rights.

The corporate media has consistently blacked out his campaign, and it is easy to see why. Kucinich’s views, which sound so reasonable, even moderate to many Portlanders, look like radical fantasies in comparison to the other Democratic candidates and their race to the center. In person, Kucinich is pleasant, mild-mannered, and clearly dedicated.

His cameraman and media coordinator, Chad Ely, told me, “The reason I know that he’s a good guy is that his editing is so easy. He speaks from the heart, so I never have to fix anything.”

Kucinich made several unorthodox stops on April 6, which he spent primarilyin the town of Hood River. He spoke to orchardists concerned about competition from Chinese pears, to workers in the Hood River factory, Turtle Island Foods, Inc., which produces Tofurky, to an interviewer on a Hispanic community radio station broadcasting (legally) out of a garage, to his fan club at a potluck, and finally to a crowd of supporters at the swanky ColUmbia Gorge Hotel Ballroom.

With the farmers, he primarily listened to their concerns and promised to put together a policy paper on the issues they raised. With the Turtle Island workers, he spoke about the Democratic Party and the war in Iraq, which he frankly assesses to be about oil.

“The Democrats are energized to defeat Bush, but they’re not energized to stand for something,” he told them. “Make sure you vote in the primary.”

Earlier in the day, he had spoken about the chokehold of the oil and nuclear industries on the federal government. When I pointed out that the same corporations that make campaign contributions to the Republicans also contribute to the Democrats and asked if he saw this as a problem, he said, “It’s a huge problem.” Asked what he thinks can be done about it, he said, “The people can direct the party. That’s why I’m here.”

On the radio station, he spoke about immigrant rights, the war, and civil liberties. However, it was at the potluck, during his after dinner speech, that his tone became most forceful.

“We’re now on a path to something that’s undemocratic, and we’re on a path to destruction that most Americans can’t even imagine... If we continue in Iraq, there is just no question there will be a draft,” he said.

He went on to talk about the supposed handover of power from the U.S. to the Iraqi people scheduled to take place on June 30. “They’re doing this deliberately to confuse people,” he said. “They’re talking about transferring power to an Iraqi government structure run by the U.S. They’re not talking about bringing the troops home. They’re asking the Iraqis to agree to a constitution with the right for the U.S. to remain there as an occupying power written into it.”

He advocates seeking help from the United Nations in drafting an Iraqi constitution and supervising elections. He would also turn over Iraq’s oil assets — currently being privatized and bought up by U.S. corporations — to the UN to be held in trusteeship for the Iraqi people until their elected government takes power. Finally, he believes the U.S. should pay reparations to Iraq for the war.

The audience at the Hotel Ballroom was responsive and clearly enthusiastic about the idea of voting for Kucinich in the primary, but not so enthusiastic about the prospect of voting for Kerry in November. The question that kept coming up was, “Can one person’s vote really make a difference?”

Kucinich claims it can. He is, after all, a congressman. It would be strange if he were completely disillusioned with electoral politics. However, many of his supporters, even those who plan to vote for John Kerry regardless, expressed little faith in their votes’ ability to move the Democratic Party.

When I asked Kucinich what he thought would happen if the Democrats do not change their ways, he said, “All we can do is try. I think something will happen.”

But what if something does not happen? I pressed. What will be the next step? “The next step after that?” he said. “I can’t tell you till we see how this step goes.”

Abby Sewell is an intern with The Portland Alliance and a student at Reed College.