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Aaron Good's work (https://twitter.com/Aaron_Good_) on the tripartite state and his new book coming out shows how easily the three different kinds of powers in the US worked together to immobilize figures like Kucinich. He had to navigate the state (political circus), the corporatocracy (monied financial/media/pharma networks), and the hidden state (surveillance, military and foreign affairs, including the mob).

Understanding Kucinich in this context, really points to his bravery to take an ethical fight to power, but he was very lucky only to be sabotaged politically. There are worse things than that.

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Interesting interview. Reminded me of the famous interchange involving Adlai Stevenson. One of his supporters shouted to him, “you have the vote of every thinking person in America”!! Stevenson replied, “yes, but I need a majority”

I might disagree with Kuchinich and Stevenson but I respect their characters and integrity.

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Speaking as an atheist, I find Kucinich's seemingly sincere Christian faith very touching.

"Not really ever relying on material comfort and being informed by a Catholic education, I never really felt attached to the material world. So, the offers that could come didn’t mean anything to me.... I’m involved in a world of ideas, principles, things that I believe in. Materiality, I respect it, it’s not where my motivation has been."

"This education that I had, the metaphor of Christ being put up on a mountain and showing the whole world, you can have that as long as you go along with the plan of this other force in the world."

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I always loved him. Why is his integrity so rare? Are we really such a craven species?

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So the solution to the rackets of corporate monopolies and corrupt politicians supporting them is to give more power to the "public", aka corrupt politicians, so they can direct things themselves? While I sympathize with Kucinich with his observation of a major problem, his solution, from what I gather, would just create a different problem, potentially even larger. Unless Kucinich directs equal scorn at the corruption of public monopolies, such as teachers unions, as he does private monopolies, I don't see him being a politician I'd actually vote for. I certainly sympathize with his opposition to the two-party duopoly that exists in our country and the factionalism that many people support, but, as an example, I have absolutely zero interest in subsidizing tuition free ethnic studies courses so that anti-intellectual professors can live luxuriously and political factions can indoctrinate the country's youth.

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Interesting is right. I am going to buy the book.

Local zoning boards are cess pools-- in New Jersey, the FBI put away mayors and others for bribes, many hands over fists. One town recently lost a massive chunk of forest to a developer when the voters opposed it.

ATK Ammunition, Beretta, Federal Cartidge Co., Sigarms, Archery Trade Association run federal and state wildlife policy, which approximates an abattoir. It's corrupt and privatized.

Kucinich is a decent man. Thanks for giving him the attention he deserves.

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founding

Thank you for this seminal interview !! Dennis Kucinich is an American hero. We have a two right-wing parties monopoly - financed and ruled by same donors and -- playing us like a violin.

Lose ALL hope you who still try to idealize Biden administration – see below:

“The Rrrrussians come again.” - Pre-summit nonsense. Patrick Lawrence June 1

“The Rrrrussians come again.” - The Scrum (substack.com)

The Russia-gate hoax and impeachment “entertainments” were concocted by Obama/Hillary/Biden/Pelosi, Schumer, etc. and their intelligence and DNC executives on behalf of their Wall Street and military industry donors. That lying team is now back in full power -- even Kamala Harris (and her sister) is Hillary's protégé.

Remember, Clapper, Brennan & Hayden trio were among former Obama 50 intelligence officials stating that Hunter-laptop is classical “Russian disinformation”.

- They were also key promoters of the now five-year Russia-gate hoax.

- They were also key intelligence executives in Obama/Biden/Hillary government – the government which hunted Snowden (forcing Bolivian plane with Bolivia’s president to land to search it) and armed Al Qaeda (including “white helmets” hoax) and staged ALL chemical attacks in Syria to remove its secular government.

When asked about Hunter's laptops Pelosi stated "All roads lead to Putin"; commenting on Capitol invasion Schumer said - "worse than Pearl Harbor and 9/11"...

Deep and utter corruption -- DNC leadership is just a bit better in lying. And -- Assange must be silenced -- all the lying players agree. Deranged Trump was to incompetent to realize how important is pardoning Assange now that the old lying team is in power again -- instead he pardoned Black Water criminals who massacred Iraqis in Bagdad’s Nisour square.

Lose ALL hope - all of you who still try to idealize rotten and lying Biden administration -- the War party is back in power.

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The future certainly seems uncertain and bound for big changes. But even if a large segment of the population is not currently wedded to one of the parties, is there a realistic chance that any national candidate can, at anytime soon, overcome the two parties with their tentacles sunk deep into every recess of procedural controls along with access to big Wall Street/corporate $$ and the name recognition and opponent slander it can buy?

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Kucinich voted against NAFTA, PNTR for The People's Republic of China and The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, against both the Banking Modernization Act and the Futures and Commodities Modernization Act, against the invasion of Iraq, one of the most strikingly successful wars in world history, right up there with our invasion of Afghanistan, so successful we've haven't been defeated there despite being there for 19 years(take that, USSR), and was probably against the Vietnam war, too.

Just why would anyone listen to anyone with such flawed judgment?

Thank God/Yahweh the US people roundly rejected this loon years ago.

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I grew up in Cleveland. And I'm sorry to say I never thought much of Kucinich. Reading these pieces, I think about where we could be if he'd been president.

My disgust with the mainstream media grows stronger every day.

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"And the mob."

Why is it that no one talks about the mob or organized crime? We use euphemisms like "Oligarchy" and then pretend that there are actually two separate parties that represent different "Oligarchs".

Which judges aren't owned by the mob?

Is abortion going to be declared illegal because the prices will rise to get an abortion and it will revert to being practiced by shady characters who haven't the qualifications necessary?

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"I have vivid memories of an exchange in Houston, Texas between reporters who one after the other declared how furious they were that Kucinich had not yet dropped out of debates, so that “real” candidates like John Kerry and John Edwards could have more airtime."

In a sentence, the problem.

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I always admired Dennis Kucinich. While I didn’t support many of his positions, I always felt that he was fairly honest and principled. Looking back, it is now obvious that is the reason the Democrat establishment despised him...

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Kucinich points out the depth of institutional corruption at the local level. A fair point. But when you look at the US in 2021 most of the damage to this country has been done by Washington, no?

The corrupt entities in Cleveland did not cause poor and middle class wages to stagnate. They did not create this nations awful health care system, they did not negotiate our trade deals, they did not decide to bail out bankers and not homeowners.

Given that he offers literally no solutions other than dont give up hope i have to wonder what is relevant about him.

I have to think his appeal to this board will simply be that he dislikes Democrats. That seems to be the only thing that matters to most people on this board. Ideas to solve real problems always take a back seat to the more important issue of hating liberals.

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Was pulling for Kucinich back in 2008 so it's always good to hear from him.

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Thank you for this. I always liked Kucinich and the media’s portrayal of his being a kook in order to serve the status quo isn’t surprising.

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