CLEVELAND, Ohio, Jan. 24, 2008
Democrat Kucinich To End Presidential Bid
Ohio Congressman Says He Wants To Continue To Serve In The House
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U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich announces his reelection bid for Ohio's 10th district seat at the Laborers International Union hall in Cleveland Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008. He will announced the end of his presidential bid Friday, Jan. 25, 2008. (AP)
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Joe Benny, the district director of Kucinich's congressional office, confirmed to CBS News that the Ohio congressman was dropping out of the race.
In an interview with Cleveland's Plain Dealer, the six-term House member said he was quitting the race and would make a formal announcement on Friday.
"I will be announcing that I'm transiting out of the presidential campaign," Kucinich said. "I'm making that announcement tomorrow about a new direction."
Kucinich has received little support in his presidential bid; he got 1 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary and was shut out in the Iowa caucuses. He did have a devoted following.
Kucinich, 61, is facing four challengers in the Democratic congressional primary March 4, and earlier this week he made an urgent appeal on his Web site for funds for his re-election. Rival Joe Cimperman has been critical of Kucinich for focusing too much time outside of his district while campaigning for president.
His decision comes a month after his youngest brother, Perry Kucinich, was found dead.
Kucinich said he will not endorse another Democrat in the primary.
Kucinich brought the same sense of idealism to his second run for president as he did in his first bid. He said he was entering the race again because the Democratic Party wasn't pushing hard enough to end the Iraq war.
Once dubbed the "boy mayor" of Cleveland, he made an unpopular decision to refuse to sell a publicly owned utility that pushed the city into default and drove him from office.
After the city's financial troubles, the mayor faced death threats, and was forced to wear a bulletproof vest when he threw out the first ball at a Cleveland Indians game. He barely survived a recall vote.
But he lost his bid for re-election as mayor of Cleveland in 1978 to Republican George Voinovich, who went on to become governor and then U.S. senator. His life and his political career were derailed. Kucinich spent more than a decade trying to get back into politics — traveling around the country and then working as a teacher, consultant and television news reporter.
In 1994, Kucinich was elected state senator and he then won a seat in Congress in 1996. His once unpopular stand against the sale of the municipal electric system was praised as courageous. In 1998, the Cleveland City Council issued him a commendation for having the foresight to refuse to sell it.
During his time in Congress, Kucinich has been one of the most outspoken liberals, opposing international trade agreements like the North America Free Trade Agreement and marching with protesters in Seattle during a meeting of the World Trade Organization.
As a presidential candidate, he has proposed a Department of Peace, backed universal health care and supported gay marriage. He also pushed for impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.
At a debate last October, Kucinich delivered one of the night's lighter moments when he confirmed seeing an unidentified flying object at the Washington state home of actress Shirley MacLaine. With a smile, he said he would open a campaign office in Roswell, N.M., home to many alleged UFO sightings.
Kucinich married British citizen Elizabeth Harper, in 2005, ensuring his 2008 campaign would have one dramatic difference from his first campaign. Kucinich told New Hampshire audiences during the 2004 race that he was seeking a mate. Women then vied for a date with him during a contest arranged by a New Hampshire political Web site, but nothing romantic evolved from Kucinich's breakfast with the winner.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 57 CommentsPosted by brianbwb at 11:41 PM : Jan 24, 2008"
Good point.
Agree. He is exactly what we need as president, and therefore, never stood a chance.
I like this man mostly because he fessed up to seeing a UFO. I wish they would just land and get it over with.
But really, Dennis stands on principle and doesn''t seem bought by strong-arm influences. He knows Washington and the games. He seems to operate, to see, and to be outside of the polluted circle of overly-privilaged, disgustingly wealthy politicians we have up there now.
Bye, Dennis. See you at the Landing.
Thanks, can you get your war-supporting buddies another stack of applications, Mr. Recruiter?
It is so refreshing to read your posts and see just how adverse to freedom of choice, dialogue, and opinion you consistently show yourself to be.
Have a great Bush day, while it lasts.
I hope he gets beat.
I''m glad he''s against guns and murder. This sound like what Jesus stood for! And let the immigrants in. Let most of them in, unless they are criminals. You are no better than any of them. They are just trying to find a better life. I love diversity and I love Mexicans!
I''m glad he is against the death penalty. Murder is murder. You say don''t kill an unborn child but then support the death penalty. Hmmmm???
Global_chick, Kucinich isn%u2019t the nutcase here. Bush''s policy was responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians in Iraq. There were no weapons of mass destruction, and the U.S. foreign policy of bullying and putting our nose into everyone else''s affairs are the main reason why we are the object of terrorism and are despised around the world. Dennis Kucinich Rocks and I''d gladly fly in a UFO anytime with him! I''ve got to go global_chick. I''ve got a date with a hot green alien man.
He is an intelligent, visionary man with fantastic ideas such as non-profit universal healthcare, a much needed Dept. of Peace, and equal rights for ALL Americans, including GLBT. He is also an environmentalist and favors free college education. He knows that we could have spent the war money on domestic issues. He''s served honorably as a six-term U.S. Congressman and I hope he is reelected again. We need him in Congress!
He is an intelligent, visionary man with fantastic ideas such as non-profit universal healthcare, a much needed Dept. of Peace, and equal rights for ALL Americans, including GLBT. He is also an environmentalist and favors free college education. He knows that we could have spent the war money on domestic issues. He''s served honorably as a six-term U.S. Congressman and I hope he is reelected again. We need him in Congress!
He is an intelligent, visionary man with fantastic ideas such as non-profit universal healthcare, a much needed Dept. of Peace, and equal rights for ALL Americans, including GLBT. He is also an environmentalist and favors free college education. He knows that we could have spent the war money on domestic issues. He''s served honorably as a six-term U.S. Congressman and I hope he is reelected again. We need him in Congress!
Only thirty-one years old when elected, Cleveland''s "boy mayor" had failings that were not the sins of venality or graft for personal gain, but rather matters of style, temperament, and bad judgment in office. Kucinich earned seventh place the hard way: by his abrasive, intemperate, and chaotic administration. He barely survived a recall vote just ten months in office, then disappeared for five weeks, reportedly recuperating from an ulcer. When he got back into the political fray, his demagogic rhetoric and slash-and-burn political style got him into serious trouble when he stubbornly refused to compromise and led Cleveland into financial default in late 1978 - the first major city to default since the Great Depression. That led also to Kucinich''s defeat and exit from executive office. Out of office, he dabbled in a Hollywoodesque spirit world and once believed that he had met Shirley MacLaine in a previous life, seemingly confirming his critics'' charges that he was a "nutcake." After that, he experienced downward mobility, losing races for several other offices and finally ending up with a council seat; but more recently, he climbed back up to a seat in Congress. Bad judgment, demagoguery, and default also spelled political failure in the eyes of twenty-five of our experts, who ranked Dennis, whom the press called "Dennis the Menace", as seventh-worst.
Kucinich''s tenure as mayor is often regarded as one of the most tumultuous in Cleveland''s history.[14][13] After Kucinich refused to sell Muni Light, Cleveland''s publicly owned electric utility, the Cleveland mafia put out a hit on Kucinich. A hitman from Maryland planned to shoot him in the head during the Columbus Day Parade, but the plot fell apart when Kucinich was hospitalized and missed the event. When the city fell into default shortly thereafter, the mafia leaders called off the contract killer.[15]
In the book Best and Worst of the Big-City Leaders, 1820%u20131993, Melvin G. Holli, in consultation with a panel of experts, placed Kucinich among the ten worst big-city mayors of all time for reasons of temperament and performance.
And if he is successful in leading the charge against the war criminals, a grateful America would probably reward him with two terms, should he ever decide to enter the contest in the future.
For supporters who want someone with Dennis Kucinich''s Passion, Honesty and sincerity to become our next president, please listen to the message of Ron Paul. I really hope that Kucinich supporters who sincerely want to take back America will listen to Ron Paul on YouTube, and many other places on the web.
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