Dennis Kucinich on Running for OH Governor Against the Democratic Establishment

Broadcast 4/19/2018 at 11:29 PM EDT (15 Listens, 23 Downloads, 2678 Itunes)
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Dennis Kucinich is running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio. We chat about his positions on issues and his relationship to the Democratic establishment

Kucinich.com

Washington Post article basically says that the Democratic party's positions have come to you. Medicare for all, free tuition, reining in the surveillance state, opposing trade deals that hurt workers

WaPo "rare politician who is now occupying that sweet spot where Sandersism meets elements of Trumpism."

Primary challenger is Richard Cordray--who has an A rating from NRA

Cordray--difference between you and him

Is he the Democratic establishment choice

Attacked by former Dem governor Ted Strickland

What's your relationship with the Democratic party, the DNC, the democratic leadership?'

What's the story with Center for American Progress's Think Progress attacking you?

Survey USA mid-march 21 to 21

Kucinich's platform includes banning assault weapons, banning fracking, investing in infrastructure, providing not-for-profit health care to all, curtailing for-profit charter schools, and setting a $15 minimum wage.

What about your broadband plan?

(Image by Dennis Kucinich)   Details   DMCA

and welcome to the Rob call bottom up

show sponsored by op-ed news.com

Pacifica Radio and progressive radio

network and I'm convinced calm slash

podcasts my guest for this show is

Dennis Kucinich when a member of

Congress and is running for governor in

the state of Ohio

welcome to the show Dennis it's great to

have you back in a while it's been a

while and I'm just pleased to be with

Robin it's a very important moment in

the history of our state and we have an

election on May 8th people want

information about it they can go to

Kucinich calm but right now let's have a

chat and be glad to talk to you and

bring up to date about what's going on

here okay so the Washington Post just

had a pretty great article about you

basically saying your time has come

what's the message you take from that

article

well the Washington Post article was

really extraordinary because it it

reviewed my involvement in the politics

of our country over the last two decades

and it went over several issues that are

important to Americans and in this is in

their last Sunday article was called the

vindication of Dennis Kucinich and they

put a subject that was something like

this it said a decade ago he was

ridiculed and dismissed turns out he was

the future of American politics and you

know I think that what they recognized

and what I'm very grateful for the

recognition is that the things that I've

been talking about and working on and by

the way with many people are your

listeners and viewers are things that

relate to peace and prosperity to the

jobs for all for it

to healthcare for all for safety in our

public spaces and I think that

they're recognizing that it's not so

much that my time has come as that these

issues have matured to the point and the

public's awareness where people are

starting to say that I was right and

what I was talking about years ago and

these things are coming of age at this

moment which is a good thing absolutely

now the article The Washington Post

article says for the rare politician who

was now occupying that sweet spot where

Sanders isn't meets elements of trumpism

well you know that's the interpretation

of a really good writer I so let me tell

you what I think it might mean but you

probably have to interview the writer to

know I both both Bernie Sanders and

Donald Trump have stood for challenging

the status quo from you know

dramatically different perspectives but

the fact is that the challenge to

Democratic Party and a challenge the

Republican Party came in in the same

year representing an awareness that the

party apparatus of both ruling

institutions as failed the American

people and has become only about their

narrow concerns and not and not the real

concerns that people have so I think you

know to to achieve a kind of a synthesis

of that is to recognize the moments

arrived for a deep challenge to the way

things are and those changes are

continuing by the way that Donald

Trump's election didn't reflect the end

of that process it may very well reflect

the beginning of it not even though

there's a real well there's you know if

you can think of the 16 election as the

shifting of tectonic plates the movement

started way before that you know it and

so

it may have it may have started in the

administration of George Bush his taking

us into Wars who didn't need to be in it

they continued through the

administration of Barack Obama and the

hopes that were so high and the

difficulties in delivering and also the

Wall Street bailout and continuing into

Donald Trump Americans are our ladies

they don't feel that government's

working and so this process that

produced Donald Trump is still moving

across the land there's no predicting

where it'll take us it may take it may

take several years to play itself out

and so the politics that gave rise to

Bernie Sanders the politics that gave

rise to Donald Trump there's still it's

still out there it's a movement and it's

just coursing along but to predict where

it might go it's kind of difficult right

now okay well where's where are you in

relationship to the Democratic

establishment the DNC I mean you just

got attacked by by former Democratic

governor Ted Strickland what's your

relationship well the party lost touch

with the American people so many years

ago you know when they started taking

corporate contributions as the

Republicans were they've blurred the

differences between the two parties when

a party continued to support the war in

Iraq despite the fact that people voted

in a Democratic Congress to get out of

Iraq that was a violation of trust when

the party went with all these trade

agreements that broke trust with working

Americans when the party took a position

in favor of the wall street bailout that

violated the economic aspirations of so

many Americans who saw their homes put

in jeopardy the value of their home sank

the crushing of their equity in homes in

some cases going underwater and

in the worst cases people actually being

subject to foreclosure and and losing

everything they worked their lifetimes

to achieve and was the party do you know

I it did not respond it matter of fact

Tim Geithner told the Democratic caucus

after the election of Barack Obama in

2008 the meeting was in January 2009

that millions of people are going to

lose their homes it was said so blithely

that it showed a shocking lack of

awareness and sensitivity the plight of

millions of Americans and I looked at

that and I said you know these guys

don't get it they're out of touch this

is a there's an elite group within the

Democratic Party that will never

understand the aspirations of working

men and women and neighborhoods like I

live in in Cleveland where I brought

home for $22,500 in 1971 still living it

saw the value of a collapse and a

subprime meltdown and as did many of my

neighbors and saw homes and in other

parts of town just totally destroyed by

no doc no low-doc Loan peddlers from big

banks look the parties sat on the

sidelines all these things are going on

and the economic problems of Americans

have festered so you know what do I

think of our party it's like it for

change that people are running it do to

be replaced and that's true at every

level well I sure hope that you become

the leader of the party for Ohio why I

have a chance there's a poll taken by us

a survey and it showed a dead heat

people may want to be of help you can go

to Kucinich calm because Senate's calm

you can either sign up the volunteer or

contribute we have about 19 days left

until the election and so may 8th is

fast approaching and we are in a in a

real contest here which we have a chance

to win I think one of the reasons why

the party leaders are opening up on May

is because there's polls out there that

show me leading and there

to hold on to their Sinha cure their

their personal gains that they've been

able to achieve through whether the

Democrats or the Republicans were in

power and that's on what government

supposed to be about it's not it's not

supposed to be about the Agron diving

instincts of a few at the expense of the

men it's supposed to be about we the

people that still has motto of our

campaign - tag we the people power to

weigh the people actually and so we you

know we're challenging this entire

system and working to transform it how

are you doing that how is your campaign

different opponent is Richard Cordray

how do you characterize well it looks

let's look at some issues and that can

explain a lot assault weapons I'm for an

assault weapons ban he's opposed to it

but it's more than that he's an a-rated

NRA candidate in the primary yeah yeah

he's got an A rating with the NRA and

here's how he got it when he was a high

Oh Attorney General in 2010 he repealed

the Cleveland assault weapons ban took

it to the Ohio Supreme Court knocked it

down did that on behalf of the NRA and

as a result of affected not only

Cleveland but every other city in Ohio

where they couldn't enact an assault

weapons ban because of this action that

that mr. Carter had taken and then more

than that worse for the country is that

he went to the US Supreme Court with the

Attorney General of Texas and was a lead

Attorney General in a case called

McDonald versus the city of Chicago

where the where the case resulted in a

nullification of a gun ordinance in

Chicago that affected gun laws across

the country because it's Supreme Court

decision so and he did that on behalf of

the NRA he's held a rally on the steps

of the state out of which people had

assault weapons brandish you know

literally carrying us

weapons understand the steps of the

State House of the state of Ohio and he

has talked in almost religious terms

about about about guns calling them a

god-given right a natural right and a

part of the anglo-american tradition so

yeah this is Democrat and he's and he is

the candidate of the Democratic

establishment and he's got to he's got a

better grade with the NRA then then the

Republicans and the potential Republican

nominee Mike DeWine so you know we're

looking at at this is who lose what the

Democratic Party's become it's the party

of war in our streets you know it's it's

it has helped the fester wars abroad and

it's the party of war in our streets and

it's a militarization of our society a

militarization of our culture but that's

not the only difference we have mr.

Cordry believes that these oil companies

in Ohio which frack shale oil and shale

gas that they have some kind of an

inherent right to do so and let's let me

tell you what's happening

Ohio it's thousands of these wells that

we made the southeast part of the state

of sacrifice so and you're going to

communities there look at the land looks

like it's a pin cushion of fracking

going on every frag pad uses eleven

million gallons of fresh water these

companies are not even paying a market

price or if they're paying anything at

all for fresh water they injected with

700 chemicals into the ground to

dissolve the rock and then they bring

this stuff back up in the form of a

toxic waste and then they reinjected

into the earth causing earthquakes not

only that but Ohio brings in toxic waste

from Pennsylvania in West Virginia now

quarter he wants that to continue I said

as governor I would stop the fracking by

the telling Department of ODNR Ohio

Department NASA research not to show any

more permits and their existing wells we

would monitor them for air and water

pollution which they will never be able

to pass muster on so we'll just shut

them down and then in the fracking we're

not going to permit any of this stuff to

come in from out of state just up with

the State Patrol at the borders and stop

these people from bringing toxic waste

in Ohio we're not in there any

obligation accepted so again

toxic waste and and fracking which is

really creating havoc with our water

resources Corddry and i have differences

of opinion on that and then i'm

marijuana it's a very easy issue it

ought to be legalized licensed and tax

he's opposed to that he's opposed to

legalization so he could be running in

the Republican primary and you know the

the Democratic establishment in this

state basically as is in league with

banks utilities real estate and and

insurance interests and they don't want

anybody's going to come up and upset

their comfortable game where they play

pattycake and line their pockets with

tax dollars so you're really going up

against a pretty big foe when you're

going up against the fracking industry

they've got billions of dollars but

you're not stopping there not only that

you're going after the industry as well

talk about that well I want to establish

a broadband in Ohio a state utility and

what do they'll do it'll block this this

idea of of being able to set many

different tiers to charge people for

different different speeds and access

net for a latino establish that as a

principle statewide enable people to

have have access to the Internet at good

speeds in some areas in the state right

now they can't get any speed up at all

you know much much of a speed going

takes a long time to download things

people are complaining that sometimes

again we get a signal I want to change

that now the next thing is and so you

know the this is an industry that has

had enormous influence in Washington and

at a state level but I think the way to

try to make some changes in a

marketplace is for the state to become a

player and that'll bring the prices down

and it will improve service that's great

you're listening to the rob hall bottom

up show sponsored by op-ed news.com

available on Pacifica Radio progressive

radio network

op-ed news.com and my guest for this

show is Dennis considered former member

of Congress and running as in the

Democratic primary in Ohio for governor

so yeah yesterday or the day before you

were attacked

because you gave a speech talk about

that I gave a speech in London

advocating a path towards achieving

peace in Syria which has been beset by

many different elements trying to not

just knock out the government but take

over the country and and apply a

different type of governance to it you

know I don't take league with any

interest group my interest is the

interest of peace and reconciliation but

I was attacked just for you know giving

a speech and and I I will tell you that

it says a lot about the current state of

the Democratic Party that someone's

aspiring to be governor of Ohio it's

being attacked by interest who are in

league with the NRA for weapons here at

home and in league with with those who

are practicing the dark arts of war

abroad you know I'm I've spent my career

trying to end wars stop us from going

into wars stop the interventions change

America's policy get out of these 130

some countries that we have a presence

and with 800 bases take care of things

here at home and so here I am running

for governor and I am you know I'm in

the middle of a battle with the very

elements in a Democratic Party who just

want to keep Wars going and who aren't

for peace and they're not even

pretending that anymore

so you know that's where we're at and

that's why anybody listening this is the

in our type of battle here and if you

want to help we've got a couple weeks

left you can go to casino comm and make

a contribution or if you're an Ohio

volunteer for the campaign in the final

weeks we're we're really in a position

where we could have a profound impact on

a Democratic Party and not just in Ohio

because if someone who is really in tune

with the practical aspirations a and

which do not include war I get selected

or wins a big primary in the leading

states it has a national impact it

starts to make it better for Tanna dates

across the country to be emboldened to

come forward to challenge the status quo

well Rob you know I don't know any other

way to do this I mean I'm not look I'm

not a guy who who goes along to get

along

I mean I'm someone who's who recognizes

the moment which is a moment of crisis

fraught with peril for our country where

the economy is has a false is a veneer

to it that is not real there are a lot

of people still struggling to survive or

a lot of people need health care and

their kids in a decent education and

opportunity at college and we have an

infrastructure that's failing we need to

rebuild and all these things going on

and we're made to believe that well

things are fine they're not and it's

wrong when America is is playing a game

of brinksmanship with Russia they could

put us any under Eva and the edge of

World War three and I've been speaking

out about that consistently and the idea

that somehow when you talk for peace

that you're in league with a foreign

power says a lot about the Democratic

Party today it is it is in need of a

great great change and if I'm elected if

I win the primary that'll be the

beginning of it in this state when I win

the general we will usher in a new era

which will show Americans the potential

of government to lift up people's lives

but also the put potential of government

to unlock the power of the private

sector listen to this

which is often hamstrung by politicians

they're just trying to shake down

businesses and so you know that's the

other side of it we have a political

system that is that is designed to be

corrupt and I'm about to change that

with the help of of your listeners and

viewers or with the help of a millions

of Ohioans so how you're saying you're

gonna help business

yeah well listen the listen business is

used to a system where they have to pay

to play that systems over when I get in

you know they can they can they can come

without as proposals and if there's a

way to participate I'll do it but I'm

not what I won't do though there won't

be a system where somebody says why give

giving you money now expect you to do

this that's not happening and it won't

be a system where politicians will find

some comfort and going hat in hand or an

interest group to keep them in office

because the interest group believes

that's the only way that they can

survive is to give money to politicians

I mean you have to understand the other

side of it I've talked to people in

business who tell me you know they

they've got to give it to these groups

otherwise they'll get shut out why

should that be why should anyone who has

an honest case to present have to pay to

be heard not under my administration

hell will life be different for the

average Ohio in under your

administration start with a $15 minimum

wage I will sign an executive order for

a hundred thousand state workers that

they'll be paid $15 minimum wage anyone

under state contract $15 minimum wage

work for a $15 minimum wage and push for

it for all oh hi Owens a push for a

program which will not be modeled after

my legislation Medicare for all HR six

seven and six I want an Ohio care plan

that eliminates the for-profit health

insurance companies so there's no more

premiums co-pays and deductibles where

people won't have to worry about going

broke being able to get the health care

needs to themselves or their families

met so we're talking about health care

for all we're talking about reviving

public education which right now there's

a dual system

set up over for-profit charters that

give to members of the Statehouse who

then give them money which comes right

out of public education and we've got a

dual system set up with about a billion

dollar zero get section from public

education so for-profit charters can

have their day and and an assistant

keeps going as they give money to

politicians to fund them I'm gonna end

that put the money into public education

make it possible for every young person

in Ohio to be able to have a good

education at a public school and beyond

that when someone's of college age we're

working on a plan and we will we are

quite confident that we can execute it

to have two years of college tuition

free and young people right now are

being denied opportunities Kizzy they or

their families can't afford to go to

college that's wrong it's the reason why

Ohio is losing young people we're going

to change that and the other part of the

equation is for those people who may be

in their 30-city they're strapped with

educational loans that are crippling

their ability to be able to move forward

financially I'm looking at a plan to be

able to cause the state to meet with

lenders write down the loans state's

finances them gives the the those who

are in debt and opportunity not only to

be absolved of the loan but to serve the

public interest for a couple of years as

a you know is in volunteer programs for

public service across the state create a

win-win situation so these are just some

of the ideas I'm talking I want to

rebuild Ohio you know we have billions

of dollars in needs of rebuild our roads

or bridges or water systems or sewer

systems I'm ready to lead we're going to

do that and create every billion dollars

had spent creates the opportunity for

13,000 new jobs so I'm ready I'm ready

to go forward to be governor of the

state how about Trump supporters there

are an awful lot of unhappy Trump

supporters why would they vote for you

some of them come from my own

neighborhood

I'm one of them and you know they people

recognize when someone understands their

plight and the the vote for Donald Trump

was also rejection of the status quo in

the Democratic Party so I think you know

people would vote for me because they

trust me and know that I stand up for

them that's why I've been able to win

elections over the years and some of my

constituents are in the 2016 election

voted for Donald Trump I understand that

but they felt that they weren't being

represented when I as I'm running they

know there will be now your opponent

Cordray it's suggesting to voters that

the world might be more complicated and

nuanced than you portray what's your

response to that one the world view

depends on who one runs with and I

imagine that the circles that he moves

and might be a little bit more rarefied

than the circles I'm over but I can tell

you that there's nothing complicated

about health care for all they have it

in countries all over the world there's

nothing complicated about banning

assault weapons five states already have

assault weapons bans which have been

upheld in a federal court of appeals in

Virginia there is nothing complicated

about recognizing a Democratic Party

which has failed but East part of that

they drafted him he was drafted by a

dead brokerage I don't understand what

do you mean Cordray was drafted by a

dead brokerage yeah that's right that

the that the bosses in Columbus are part

of a dead brokerage they cannot

represent the interests of the people

and they're not representing anybody

except himself

it's the brokerage which is dead and

they drafted him to rot and yet he has

the endorsement of Elizabeth Warren

what's no comment okay well I will say

that he ran the agency found maybe

that's why there's a connection between

them well wait a minute you know he

didn't didn't just run it ran away from

it

he left nine months before the end of

his term and turned the keys over to

Donald Trump I mean hello I don't know

if anyone mentioned you know has

realized that but he his term didn't end

until July and he left it early so he

could run for governor which I could

argue that posted he held was just as

important if not more important in

governor of Ohio but he chose to leave

it leaving millions of people at risk of

losing billions of dollars to these

payday lenders and you know what I'm

sorry but if you want to take credit on

one part of the equation you've got to

look at what happens when you desert

your post all these payday lending

organizations profited Mitel he went he

took off and you know it's can't cry

crocodile tears for for people when you

throw them overboard and he was replaced

by an appointee from Trump who has

literally done zero since he was

appointed he didn't have to leave is

what I'm saying he could have stayed he

chose to run for governor we had a right

to do that but he knew what was going to

happen the minute he left the Trump

administration would have the keys to

the consumer the you know affairs and

would do what they wanted which in some

cases nothing or stop the enforcement of

various rules to the benefit of various

of some you know significant financial

interests whose concerns are inimical to

American consumers you know that was his

responsibility he walked

host and it's unfortunate to say that

but he did it right so I'm sorry I'm

sorry

you know there's he really hasn't been

held to look for that that's a fact in

the video I have since you're on the

phone I have a picture of you with -

pretty amazing women your your wife

Elizabeth and your your person you're

campaigning with I forget her name

what's your name again Oh carrot samples

well I've got a Councilwoman from Akron

look a band look about women and the me

to movement and what your take on that

is look at me - movement is important

because what it does is it recognizes

there's an inner equality that women

have with men and you don't have to read

Goethe learners the creation of

patriarchy but it would be a good thing

to read it so you could understand that

there's old thinking that causes some

men to feel that they can take license

or Liberty with women but you know

that's never been appropriate and so

women standing up yes absolutely and and

being willing to come forward to assert

their what's right yes and being ready

to claim their power absolutely if we

you know we have to have a society where

we recognize the Co equality of all

people and men and women are inherently

co-equal not only that but we have to

also make sure that as we do that women

are fully accorded the rights they have

to make choices and decisions regarding

their own bodies that attack must end

and I intend to end it in Ohio I'll use

that veto to knock down every single

piece of legislation that tries to

encroach on women's rights to choose or

any other of women's rights and we have

to have a society which is more peaceful

which starts with educating young men

about and boys about their attitudes

about women and now you know you can't

you have to have respect and you you

have to be appropriate in your conduct I

mean these are things people can learn

but apparently it's not something

our culture made a major effort to do it

in Ohio we're going to make an effort to

help teach the kind of of appropriate

conduct and do it in an elementary

school that fosters non-violence that

fosters cooperation and and and spirit

of a brotherhood and sisterhood we can

we can have a society like that it's not

you know not violence or you know

violence as a learned response the

violence towards women in our society

needs to be addressed over and over

domestic violence spousal abuse major

problems I want to create an adjunct to

the Health Department of the state of

Ohio which would deal with domestic

violence spousal abuse child abuse

violence in the school gang violence gun

violence racial violence violence

against gays the the police community

interactions that sometimes go awry for

reasons and so I I think there's a

chance to create new possibilities here

in the state of Ohio and I'm I'm very

excited about having the opportunity to

to do that but it it can only happen if

on May 8th the people in Ohio the

Democrats vote for me in the primary and

that's coming up in just a little more

than two weeks and I'm I'll be on the

ballot Dennis Kucinich is a Democrat and

if people want to help go to casinos

calm if you're in Ohio you can still

volunteer and if you're not or if you

are you can contribute as well

because those contributions will help us

get on the air and on the internet and

make our case all right listening to

Dennis Kucinich candidate for governor

you know hi thanks so much for being on

the show Dennis

well I really appreciate it and I look

forward to talking right after the

election thank you so much thank you

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