The American Left arguing with itself over a Progressive 'hero' here.
I always though Kucinich was largely a self-absorbed bag o'douche, but I can see how many on the Left would like him if only because he speaks loud and proud for issues from the Left. Still, the accusation stands: Ineffective.
What has he accomplished? What has he done? What can he point to and say 'I did that for America' (or even his constituents)? Turns out, not much of anything.
Pat Moynihan was a progressive that got things done. Ted Kennedy was a progressive that got things done. Anthony Weiner is the most promising progressive legislator I've seen since Obama and he wants to get things done (including this current Health Care proposal). Dennis Kucinich is a gimmic. And, quite frankly, his threat to vote against the current bill because it isn't to his liking is repulsive.
Of course, it's far from ideal. Of course, it is flawed. But to vote against the first real chance at universal health care for Americans after almost 100 years of effort, a bill that covers 10s of millions of America's most vulnerable, a bill that will save the lives of 40,000 Americans every year, a bill that most experts believe to actually be pretty good...positively unforgivable for any self-styled progressive to vote against it. The aggressive stupidity and arrogance that would take is mind-numbing and Kucinich should be rightly lambasted if he does such a thing.
