Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Transcript: Kucinich "Push for Peace" last week (for Keith)

[Charles Underwood (peacecalendar]

[NOTE TO MY PEACE CALENDAR READERS:  This week will be slightly higher
volume than usual.  Tonight I am sending you a rough transcript of Rep.
Dennis Kucinich remarks supporting Keith Ellison at the Cedar Cultural
Center during last week's Push for Peace.

[Tomorrow I hope to send out the peace calendar more or less as usual.

[There will be one more piece about Keith Ellison from me, either Saturday
or Sunday night.

[Let me be one of many progressive voices to tell you in the next few days:
please don't forget to vote in the Tuesday, September 12th primary.]



We can move forward to create an America of our dreams?. we are looking
for new ways to create possibilities because we are not paralyzed, we are
not giving into fear. That is the reason why Keith¹s election to congress
is so important. I haven¹t gone out there and campaigned for that many
candidates, because I have to look very carefully at what that person
represents. You have a very rare opportunity here, to send  to  congress
some one who has the intelligence, the heart, and who understands the
power of cultural diversity. who has shown a willingness to serve, and who
has shown in this campaign an integrity which merits election to the
United States Congress.

I am here because Keith believes as I believe we have to take a new
direction in this country, that we are in a civil war right now, we have
to bring the troops home. If someone tells you they are against the war
but they want to keep the troops there don¹t listen to them. If somebody
says they are against the war but they want to keep funding the war don¹t
listen to them. But if someone says Keith Ellison says it is time to bring
the troops home, it is time to cut off the funds, it is time to take a new
direction to diplomacy in the world, that is what we want in the Untied
States Congress. I am here because of what he stands for.  Now, I didn¹t
get a chance to meet him until he walked into my office. I didn¹t get a
chance to know him until we talked at great length, and that¹s when I knew
no matter what else was happening in my life I had to be here tonight.
The administration has made it clear that they have no intention on
rebuilding ( Iraq) There whole policy is based on keeping the whole region
unstable. They want instability, it what one of their policy architects
call creative destructiveness. It is a way of thinking, that cries out for
a new direction. I haven¹t spent this whole time here to talk about who
they are. The real question is who are we? What do we stand for? What kind
of country do we want? What is in our hearts/ What¹s wrong with our
politics is that we spend so much time tearing people up, oh I have
differences with the people in this administration butt if we spend our
time just destroying other people we miss the opportunity to take our
politics to a whole new level. That is another reason I am for Keith
because he understands that.

This could be the most important night of the campaign, because your
reflection of what it would mean to have Keith Ellison inn congress should
inspire you to do what ever it may take to get Keith Ellison inn congress,
to knock on doors to call, to raise those late campaign funds that are
always important. Just the people in this room have the potential to
change a close election inn to a powerful victory. And this election as
many of these Primaries are, is bound to be close and will be determined
by who has the ability to motivate people and to get out the vote. I watch
these congressional races very carefully. I look for people who have the
ability to make a difference in Washington, Washington is a tough place,
People go to congress, a lot of them want to get a long, they want to play
the game of getting along, and when they do that they are getting along
for themselves, they are not getting along for the people. I am not
casting dispersions on anyone, but I am telling you something it matters
who you send to congress. We¹re at a critical moment in human history and
it matters who you send to congress, it matters who you send to congress.
It matters if you can do something in the next few days , it matters
whatever you can do to help Keith get there, he is going to make a
difference in congress. In the last ten years I have seen a lot of
candidates come and go. But I will say this without any contradiction and
I have seen it you know? Keith Ellison is the best candidate for congress
in the last ten years! He deserves your support. He is going to be one of
the great members of Congress. He¹s going to help change this country! He
is going to help bring about universal health care! He is going to take us
to a whole new path towards peace! He is going to help it become a
government of the people!
Congressman D Kucinich D-Ohio 8/31/06 Minneapolis