In OTL the Kos imploded on Hillary/obama/kucinich as their candidate.
But was it ever realistic that Dennis Kucinich would win the nomination at denver then win the presidency?
Essentially, no.
Kucinich was one of the few candidates on the Left and as such, unless he was against an incredibly unpopular Republican would have no chance of winning, especially since he's to pacifistic and *gasp* supports Single-payer UHC, environmental regulations, labor rights and economic regulation.
Hillary/obama/kucinich
Most of his views on all the issues you mention are actually what the majority of Americans support, with the big exception of being anti-intervention when it comes to wars.
The problem is not that he's supposedly so far to the left. The problem is he has no corporate support and doesn't want it anyway. In the US that makes you a "leftist."
But yes, short of public financing of elections, no "leftist" or anyone anti-corporate power can win. That includes not just Kucinich but Ron Paul, Nader, or almost any 3rd party.
Short of someone with Kucinich's views being wealthy enough to finance their own campaign like Perot did, they can't win under the current laws.
Most of his views on all the issues you mention are actually what the majority of Americans support, with the big exception of being anti-intervention when it comes to wars.
The problem is not that he's supposedly so far to the left. The problem is he has no corporate support and doesn't want it anyway. In the US that makes you a "leftist."
No, a leftist is someone who wants bigger taxes and larger government.
Ironically, Kucinich was impeached during his term as mayor for refusing to privatize Cleveland's power- though Cleveland also passed a resolution in his honor a few years back for not privatising the power company.
... Wow. I'm just impressed with how many right-wing memes you managed to cram in there. You've got the juvenile out-of-place nickname in place of "Democrat", a swipe at Jimmy Carter, a snide remark about the United Nations, the laughable "centre-right country" thing, and for good measure some boogedy-boogedy references to MoveOn.org & the American Civil Liberties Union -- all in two paragraphs. Very impressive.Well, since I voted for the tough old guy and the conservative chick, Kucinich is one Democrap that McCain/Palin would've trounced. When people are voting for President, they want someone who can fix/maintain the economy (depending on how things are), be firm and tough in foreign/defense matters, and generally be someone who leads and governs from the center. A lot of Kucinich's ideas wouldn't even get out of a Democratic congress. And his foreign policy ideas make Jimmy Carter look like a Republican (a frightening thought in any case). I had a laugh when Kucinich suggested UN Blue Helmets for Iraq...and this after Zarquari blew up the UN's Baghdad offices! He's the Democrats' Ron Paul-the perinnal gadfly of the Party.
The U.S. is still a Center-Right country, last year's results aside, and anyone who runs on a platform that makes MoveOn.org or the ACLU look conservative isn't going to get out of the Primaries, let alone win the general election. The same goes for people like Ron Paul or Pat Buchanan: nice try in the Primaries, but even the GOP has enough sense to tell you to take a hike.
No chance, really, unless you go back several decades & change how American politics developed over the last half-century. Maybe if the Great Society programs were all instituted and passed in their entirety, or something like that.
... Wow. I'm just impressed with how many right-wing memes you managed to cram in there. You've got the juvenile out-of-place nickname in place of "Democrat", a swipe at Jimmy Carter, a snide remark about the United Nations, the laughable "centre-right country" thing, and for good measure some boogedy-boogedy references to MoveOn.org & the American Civil Liberties Union -- all in two paragraphs. Very impressive.
(Although to your credit you did use the correct "Democratic" instead of "Democrat" -- genuine kudos to you for that.)
Jimmy Carter gave carte blanche to the Soviet Union during his tenure.
Which would explain the military buildup, the grain embargo, etc.
1. Em, people disagreed with abortion and
2. his department of peace (newspeak for surrender IMO).
3. As well as that, his support for UN peacekeepers in iraq despite the fact that the blue helmets there would make rwanda and bosnia into successes by comparison.
4. No, a leftist is someone who wants bigger taxes and larger government.
5. Why all this maoist talk of corporate control.
6. before you trumpet scandinavia, i have this to say. Scandinavia and america are apples and oranges
7. Ron Paul did well with his campaign, and he is not a recluse.
8. Kucinich was wealthy enough to run his own campaign,
9. but was laughed down the DNC for having a 70s mindset.
This is entertaining.
1. Most Americans are pro choice.
2. Nice bit of red baiting. You do know that newspeak was a phrase coined by a socialist, right?
I don't know of any polls on a dept of peace. Nice of you to ignore what I said, that the one major issue most Americans disagree with him on is intervention. (Which is a tragedy IMO, a lot of misplaced attempts to prove manhood.)
3. And yet Bush himself trumpeted his alleged attempts at multilateralism with his phony "Coalition of the Willing."
It's more than a little ironic to see your 180 degree turn after getting trounced on the Rwanda threads you started.
4. Nonsense. Most anarchists are leftists, and some libertarians are as well.
5. Show me a quote where Mao ever said "corporate control." What you're doing is pretty silly red-baiting.
OTH, a simple google search can find hundreds of sites where Ron Paul supporters use the phrase.
6. I have no idea what you were trying to say, and I doubt you do either.
7. Relative to how people expected him to do, yes. Doesn't change the fact that his anti-corporate power stance cost him any support among the GOP establishment.
8. Hardly.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/17/candidates.wealth/index.html
"Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. His 2005 report showed assets between $196,000 and $352,000."
9. 1970s? The era when Nixon won and a moderate like Carter was the best Dems could do?