Rep. Dennis Kucinich challenged Oberlin to adopt a more holistic, interconnected and sustainable vision for America in an address Wednesday night at Finney Chapel.

The Democratic presidential candidate used the speech to kickoff his campaign in Ohio for the March 2 primaries. Kucinich’s campaign picked up some momentum in Maine and Washington when he placed third after Howard Dean and John Kerry. Though polls and pundits consider Kucinich a long-shot, he plans to stay in the race until the end.

Kucinich promised that as president he would help America rejoin the world by signing the international landmine, chemical and biological weapons treaties, the Kyoto Protocols and that he would recognize the International Criminal Court of Justice.

Kucinich pushed his plan to replace the 138,000 American troops from Iraq with UN Peacekeepers, offering reparations to Iraqi citizens, spending more money to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure, and relinquishing control of Iraqi oil and contracting to the UN until elections can be held for an Iraqi government.

Kucinich, the only presidential candidate endorsing a universal not-for-profit health care system, spoke of the 43 million Americans without insurance or access to adequate health care.

“Americans can’t afford to be sick and can’t afford to be well because health insurance companies make money by not giving health care,” Kucinich said.

Kucinich also alluded to presidential candidate Howard Dean’s refusal to attempt such a system as conceding profits and control to health care companies.

Kucinich called for legislation requiring 20 percent of the energy supply be solar, wind, geothermal and biomass by the year 2010. He criticized nuclear power as unsafe and too expensive. He also referred to the transportation of nuclear waste by truck and train across the country to Yucca Mountain as “mobile Chernobyls.”

Kucinich called for repeal of the Patriot Act and pledged his support for gay marriage, music and arts education and prison reform, including the decriminalization of marijuana. He advocated giving drug offenders treatment rather than jail time, ending three-strike systems and mandatory minimum sentences, tripling funding for providing public defenders and using executive power to block all federal capital punishment.

Most organizing for the event was done by the Lorain County Kucinich Committe, and a small group of dedicated Oberlin College Democrats. OC Dems chair Melissa Threadgill has worked since Winter Term to make Kucinich’s visit a success.

The Dems are considering inviting the other presidential candidates as well, according to Threadgill. Though she says she never found her dream candidate, she expressed overall satisfaction with all the Democratic candidates.

“All of them are one thousand times better than our current President,” she said.

She stressed the importance of students voting in the primaries as well as the presidential election.

“The rich and the elderly vote in far higher proportions than any other groups. Why do you think we see all of these tax cuts for the wealthy? Why are Medicare, social security, and prescription drug benefits perennial VIP issues, but almost never increased aid for higher education or student loan repayment assistance? If younger people don’t get out to vote, we will be ignored in the upcoming election.”

Threadgill believes that voting in the Ohio primaries is important, despite being so late in the nomination process.

“While on the one hand our primary votes don’t seem to matter, this is an opportunity to vote ideologically and not strategically,” she said.

Regarding the presidential elections, Threadgill stressed the importance of voting in Ohio.

“In the general election, Ohio is going to be a supremely important state, perhaps the most important,” she said. “Ohio is winnable. Gore put almost no resources into the state in 2000 and came pretty close to winning it anyway. If Ohio were to become the Florida of 2004 your votes might mean a whole lot in this state.”

While Threadgill agreed that Kucinich’s chances of winning the nomination were slim, she maintained that there have already been many surprises in the primary and could be more. Either way, Threadgill said that more left-wing candidates like Kucinich add to the discourse of debates and can push front-runners to incorporate some of their ideas.

Senior Lauren Goshen said she intends to vote for Kucinich because she feels he has been the most consistently progressive candidate. Noting his strong environmental record, his vote against the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq and his single-payer health care plan, Goshen called Kucinich a voice for the people.

“Even as mayor of Cleveland, he has a record of not backing down to corporate powers and sticking up for people.”

Kucinich’s seat in the House of Representatives is largely due to support for his decision to block privatizing Muny Light, Cleveland’s municipal power service. Kucinich resisted pressure from banks with a vested interest in the competing private power company, Cleveland Electric Illuminating.

“The primaries should be about supporting who you believe in,” Goshen said. “Kucinich is someone that people can vote for, not as the lesser of two evils but as someone who really does represent the interests of the people, rather than the interests of profits.”

Goshen did admit one small reservation about Kucinich.

“What is it about kielbasa and polka that is so appealing to this guy, and how can a vegan have anything to say about kielbasa anyway?” Goshen asked.

While Kucinich has respect, if not support, from many progressives, some progressives find his stances too simplistic to work.

“As a Congressman, I respect his defiance of economic policies, but there’s not actually a lot I like about Kucinich as a presidential candidate,” senior Christine Clarke said.
Clarke cited Kucinich’s plan to save American jobs by withdrawing from NAFTA as an example of his simplicity.

“I don’t think Kucinich understands the reasons for job loss in Ohio,” Clarke said. “Kucinich thinks jobs have gone to Mexico through NAFTA, but it has more to do with a lack of social spending on capital investments, unemployment, welfare, and labor relations.”

Clarke stressed the importance of capital investment in particular, about which she said none of the candidates are talking.

“We have a lot of old, outdated factories in Ohio. Without some kind of state intervention in the form of investments, subsidies or tax breaks, it is just cheaper to build a new facility from scratch in a low-wage country instead of repairing or rebuilding in Ohio.”

Clarke cited lower numbers of job loss in her hometown of Seattle, where production facilities are still new and modern.

“Talking about NAFTA just obscures the issue of why the American worker is having such a hard time,” Clarke said.

Kucinich’s vegan dinner was provided by OSCA.

Also in attendance was State Senator Eric Fingerhut (D), who is running against Senator George Voinovich (R) for the Senate.

The OC Dems will be registering students to vote all semester.