Maxspeak makes the case for Kucinich as Democratic president’s candidate:
The question is, in the meantime, what broad messages ought the public to hear? I would say, full-throated progressive ones, unhampered by narrow, tactical electoral calculation. People need to hear a different side of the story. Kucinich is telling the story. The other candidates are running to not lose. Kucinich is unconstrained by fear of losing, for obvious reasons.
I appreciate the fear of a second Bush term. I for one have never said there is no difference between Bush and the Democrats. But consider the logic of a desperation-driven, anti-Bush posture. His name is Joe Lieberman. What is the basis for his appeal? The pragmatic argument is to adhere to Bush on questions of national security. But where does that leave you.
Bush has already coopted the education issue. He is in the process of getting a new Medicare benefit, the inadequacy of which will not be evident for some years, and he is putting more money into Medicaid. Race and the environment are not going to tip the race. What’s left? Lieberman wants more Clinton-Gingrich style welfare reform. No Democratic politician has a strong critique of welfare reform. It’s like Iraq; the Democrat will “do it better.”
The bottom line is that small, well-wrought distinctions will not swing voters away from Bush. To beat the champ, you have to knock him out. You don’t win on points.