A debate and vote on the funding of U.S. wars seems to me to be an important issue for this country. On Wednesday and Thursday I made sure to tune in to Katie Couric (CBS) and the News Hour (PBS) to hear about this debate. It was not mentioned. I also listened to BBC. Nothing.
Was this not considered news? Well, the vote outcome is not really news because it's what we would expect from our Congress, an overwhelming vote to continue war. But was the debate itself not news? Perhaps it was ignored because it was initiated by Representative Kucinich, who is too radical to be taken seriously. And too short.
Well, here's some news for the media and the Democrats to take seriously: Dennis Kucinich is the hero of a good many Americans. He is one of the few people in Washington who stands up for the people's interests, not the corporations, not his own. He is well-informed and honest. Also courageous. Perhaps in 2012 he can be persuaded to run for president as an independent. It would take a lot of persuasion, I fear, to convince him to leave the Democratic party, but surely they don't deserve his loyalty.
He might not win as an independent, but I doubt if the Democrats would win either because he'd have the progressive vote, which the Dems have deserted. Maybe they, and the media, should start to take him seriously. After all, the American people do.
