Big Challenge
Okay, maybe the Bernie Sanders upswing could happen twelve years earlier in 2004. For there were the corporate scandals of Enron in 2001 and Global Crossing in (?) 2002.
And let's set aside the conventional wisdom that foreign policy only has a minor effect on domestic policy. Let's say the peace movement seriously focused on whether or not we were doing a solid job rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq, including going there to run nonprofits and going there to run businesses and treat the people fairly. Which they didn't, probably expecting too much, but let's say they did.
And the first stuff people find out about Dennis is pretty good. That he was the youngest mayor of Cleveland. That he made a difficult decision, accepting default (?) on some city bonds rather than reducing pensions to city employees who are already retired (?)* . That he's a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. And maybe we should consider a Representative once in a while and not just Senators and Governors.
But then, what the hell was the guy doing all through the 1980s?
He only got elected to the U.S. House in '96. So, it's like the second and third things we find out about the guy aren't as positive, and that's probably enough to sink him.
* looks like it was about Muny Light -- Municipal Light and Power, the city-owned electric plant. Monied interests wanted the city to sell it. In some narrow sense, it may gave been time and may have been logical to sell. Dennis didn't sell. And they punished the city for it.
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a3600/kucinich1107/
Dennis Kucinich sounds like a stand-up guy. But with eight years federal experience, no experience as governor, just don't think he has enough.
PS I know Obama had less, but we can't count on getting lucky every time.