Groupthink Central on why the candidacy of Kucinich is import for the Democratic Party:
Kucinich is the one shining light for us lefty types who are dismayed at the direction of the Democratic party, yet refuse to swallow the Nader/Green poison pill. By merely discussing these issues throughout the Democratic primary, Kucinich will be doing a tremendous service for progressives and (hopefully) will move the Democrats in a more favorable direction, which is what the Naderites disengenuously claimed they were doing in 2000. All of the other detritus–his New Age proclivities, his inane “Department of Peace” proposal–are immaterial. That’s why I’m so disappointed by the smug, condescending reaction of many liberal bloggers to his campaign, even though they agree with many (if not most) of his positions. People can still support their favored candidate (Clark/Dean/Kerry, whatever) while still acknowledging that the Kucinich campaign is serving a valuable role. Is that too much to ask?