Progressives Nationally Boost Kucinich Campaign

Feb. 18, 2012 - PRLog -- CONTACT: Tim Carpenter 413-320-2015

A statement released Tuesday by Progressive Democrats of America was signed by Daniel Ellsberg, Mimi Kennedy, Medea Benjamin, Norman Solomon, Tim Carpenter, Andrea Miller, Tom Hayden, Jodie Evans, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Ray McGovern, David Swanson, Carolyn Eisenberg, Steve Cobble, Jeff Cohen, Sandy Davies, Mike Ferner, and David Shreve. It read in part:

"On issue after issue, [Kucinich] stands alone among Democrats. And above. He is doing the progressive agitation from within government that we activists are doing from the outside. Perhaps the biggest contrast between Dennis Kucinich and his opponent, Rep Marcy Kaptur, is in the area of war funding. Nothing frustrates antiwar activists more than Congress members who rhetorically oppose wars but vote to fund them. Unfortunately, Kaptur has voted YES on war funding over and over . . . while Kucinich voted NO. Besides rejecting war funding, Kucinich stood virtually alone in Congress in working to impeach Bush and Cheney."

Grassroots groups are urging support for Kucinich also on the grounds that Kaptur has an unfair and corrupting advantage. The statement released Tuesday states:

"Dennis Kucinich needs funds because that is another point of difference between him and Kaptur. While he does not get money from war contractors, Kaptur's contributors include General Dynamics, Teledyne, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin."

Prominent progressives who have released their own statements urging support for Kucinich include Alan Grayson and Barney Frank. "Congress is full of replaceable parts," says Grayson. "But Dennis Kucinich is not one of them. Dennis is unique." Frank's endorsement -- besides commending Kucinich's strong support of gay rights – notes their joint work on behalf of "substantially reducing America's military activity across the world."

Mike Ferner is a lifelong resident of Ohio's Ninth District. "It's not easy to stand up when no one else will," Ferner said. "It's always easier to let the status quo stick, allow popular opinion to remain popular. The person who sings in a chorus is a lot safer than the solo. As a former President of Veterans For Peace, I know standing up to conventional wisdom isn't easy.  But there's one leader who's always had the guts to call it for what it is, to ask the tough questions, to stand up for those who have no voice -- Dennis Kucinich."

Read PDA's full statement, and Grayson's and Frank's at http://www.pdamerica.org/candidates/rep-dennis-kucinich/i...

Progressive Democrats of America was founded in 2004 to reform the Democratic Party and restore its focus on first principles including social and economic justice, environmental protection, ending corporate rule, promoting fair and transparent elections, fair--not "free"--trade, and ending wars and occupations. PDA strives to rebuild the Democratic Party from the bottom up--from every congressional district to statewide party structures to the corridors of power in Washington, where we work arm in arm with the Congressional Progressive Caucus. In just seven years, PDA and its allies have shaken up the political status quo.

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PDA is a federal PAC and has endorsed several candidates for Congress in the upcoming 2012 elections including Norman Solomon, Ilya Sheyman, Wenona Benally Baldenegro, and Elizabeth Warren as well as PDA National Board members seeking reelection: Congress members John Conyers, Raul Grijalva, Jim McGovern, and Donna Edwards. Endorsements of Rep. Barbara Lee and Rep. Dennis Kucinich are pending. Other PDA Board members are retiring Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, and activists Mimi Kennedy, Tom Hayden, Jim Hightower, Michael Lighty, Thom Hartmann, Andy Shallal, Lila Garrett, Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans, David Swanson, Steve Cobble, and Bill Fletcher. For more on PDA, please see: http://www.PDAmerica.org

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