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P rimary C olors
Dennis Kudnich encourages queer voters to send
the Democratic Party a clear message by Jim R ad o sta
U .S. Rep. D ennis K ucinich, D -O hio, congratulates newlyweds Bonnie Tinker (left) and Sara
G raham on April 17 in Portland
" 'W
t ain’t over ’til it’s over— and, as far as the
Oregon primary election goes, that won’t
happen until May 18.
So, even though U.S. Sen. John Kerry
J L . of M assachusetts is the presum ptive
Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Rep.
Dennis Kucinich of O hio has refused to drop out
of the race, maintaining that his grassroots can
didacy gives voters a real choice at the polls.
Unlike his moderate rival, Kucinich supports
same-sex marriage without exception. He even
attended the wedding of Love Makes a Family
founder Bonnie Tinker and her partner of 26
years, Sara Graham, April 17 in Portland.
T he longtime vegan sat down with Just O ut
at the Daily G rind natural food store to explain
why a vote for him would not be made in vain.
Jim Radosta: N ow that K erry has the nom
ination locked up, w hat are your goals in stay
ing in the race?
D ennis K ucinich: Since the nom ination’s
no longer a question, now we can vote for what
the party stands for. A nd so my candidacy gives
people a chance to say the party ought to stand
for an end to the war in Iraq; bringing our troops
home; a peace plan; an end to the Patriot A ct
and any assault on civil liberties; making human
rights, workers rights, environm ental quality
principles the bedrock of all trade agree
m ents...and, finally, a national health care plan
where everyone’s covered for everything.
JR : A re you concerned that your candida
cy could splinter votes at a time w hen some
might say that unity should be our goal?
DK: T he general election’s for unity. T he
primary’s for debate within the party. Otherwise,
why have a primary at all? ...A n d our party’s
ability to win is going to depend on our ability
to have this debate. For example, are we going
to end up asking the people to choose between
a Democratic version of the war in Iraq and a
Republican version of the war? ...I t’ll make the
difference between victory or defeat. I mean, if
the Democrats don’t take a strong position to
get out of Iraq, how are we going to win the elec
tion? How? ...O u r party’s about to buy the war.
W e’re about to buy a train wreck.
hasn’t taken a strong enough stance on this?
DK: I never put my energy into frustration,
ever. I believe in creation, not frustration....
You get frustrated about something, you create a
new scenario— th at’s what I say, and th at’s
exactly what I’m working on doing. I mean, I’m
standing alone— not just in this race hut in the
Congress— in talking about a peace plan.
JR : A nother major difference between you
and K erry is your views on same-sex marriage.
DK: The Oregon Constitution makes it very
clear that people should not he discriminated
against for any reason whatsoever, and sooner or
later that will he upheld. But there’s a broader issue
here: Why should people have to go from state to
state...to find a place to enjoy a whole range of
legal rights? This is a test of who we are as a coun
try; it’s a test of what it means to be an American.
And, frankly, I think America will meet this
test...because we’ve always met the test on civil
liberties questions, and I don’t think we’re going to
fail now .... People are going to stand up and say
there’s no reason for anyone to be discriminated
against. Let people be who they are, let people love
who they love, and let people celebrate their own
humanity. I mean, we’ve got to get past the point
of judging each other. There’s real power when we
affirm each other’s humanity— real power.
I talk at a lot of high schools and colleges,
and...there’s a young generation that’s ready to
really take America in a new direction—one that’s
more tolerant and loving and peaceful and hope
ful, and they need to be heard from.... They just
need to know that there’s someone in the genera
tion ahead of them who’s ready to take a stand,
and I am. And to me it’s not even a close question.
JR : W hat was it like for you to actually
attend a same-sex wedding?
DK: O n one hand, it was wonderful. O n the
other hand, it was no big deal! It was like, “And.7”
You know, it’s not, like, shocking. No, it’s two
people love each other, and they want to recog
nize that in front of the community and in front
of their families.... It’s only a big deal because
some people are starting to equate it with the
decline of Western civilization. Please! j n
For more information about DENNIS KUCINICH
JR : H ave you been frustrated that Kerry
WHETHER YOU'RE STARTING A FAMILY
OR CREATING ONE AS YOU GO.
visit wuAv.kucmich .us
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