Posts Tagged Dennis Kucinich
Voinovich Only Absent U.S. Senator for Big Healthcare Vote
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in People, Politicians on November 22, 2009
November 22, 2009… Ohio’s Senator George Voinovich was the only U. S. Senator to not cast a vote yesterday on moving the historic healthcare bill. It didn’t make a difference since his would have been the 40th Republican vote against moving the bill to a floor vote.
Democrats had 60 votes to overcome a filibuster by Republicans. The vote was 60-39.
Voinovich didn’t want to waste time voting, as The Plain Dealer explains here: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/11/sen_george_voinovich_why_waste.html
According to a Huffington report Voinovich was celebrating at a party marking his 30 year victory over Dennis Kucinich in 1979: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/21/sealed-with-a-kiss-dems-u_n_366626.html
Here’s a man who, with his family, has enjoyed public health by virtue of his service in various government positions at least half his life. I figure more than 40 years since he was a state representative.
Yet, he would have voted to delay health coverage to some 40 million other Americans, if he had been at the job yesterday.
But he had more important things to do.
Dennis Kucinich Votes the Way George Voinovich Will Vote… NO!
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Media, Politicians on November 9, 2009
November 9, 2009… Ran into an old friend this morning at University Hospital where we older people are likely to meet. Boy was she angry. At Dennis Kucinich, a favorite of hers.
Kucinich, as you may have noted, vote NO on the healthcare bill the other night. He gave good reasons. It squeaked in by a couple of votes. So his NO vote was a typical Kucinich vote.
But this fan said she had given him her last dime. And I’m sure she’s given him a lot more than that.
I don’t know if Kucinich would have voted NO if his was a deciding vote. Maybe not.
But his NO vote isn’t a surprise to me. Kucinich is playing to the crowd. His crowd. And he’s a hero with his crowd.
They respond. They love the little fighter. Kucinich drew immediate attention on the local Cleveland Leader website. Today there are nearly 7,500 hits on the posting about his vote. Most I’ve ever seen. I assume that many people around the nation have Dennis Kucinich on a Google alert. Every time his name appears they get a Google alert. They click and read about their hero.
It attests to his national drawing power as a political celebrity.
I can’t find fault with his desire for more comprehensive health care. However, where’s the magic wand that will get us there? Does he have it? Of course not.
We take baby steps, unfortunately. Some can argue that that’s the problem; we never get to adult steps. What we actually need.
Dennis has always played to his crowd, a limited crowd to be sure.
However, the image that clicks to my mind is a State of the Union speech during the George Bush years. I cannot get out of my mind a smiling, seemingly elated Kucinich, hand extended. To George Bush.