Fear Ends. Hope Begins.

Opportunity

It's not often we get an opportunity to initiate sweeping changes on a national scale. We have that opportunity now, but it won't last long.

As you know, if you've spent any time surfing around GreenSense, we have a lot of faith in the power of individuals to stimulate change, regardless of what the government may be doing. There's no question that even small numbers of citizens in our society can catalyze significant, incremental change .

And, so can our leaders. But, when you put the two together, the results can be dramatic, and much more than incremental. Recently, we have witnessed a perverse example of this synergy: In less than 3 years, our President, working with a small group of wealthy friends, has managed to substantially damage 30 years of environmental legislation, gut the Constitution, create a national climate of fear and paranoia, alienate the entire world, and take us from economic surplus deep into debt.

Perhaps it's time for a different kind of change.

Wouldn't it be interesting to see what we could accomplish with a different "small group" - maybe the millions of Americans without access to healthcare, or the millions who've watched their jobs go South, or the many millions who think that clean air to breathe might be a tiny bit more important than a few percent more profit for Exxon? Wouldn't it be interesting to see what we could achieve when working with a leader who had vision, integrity, and no corporate strings attached?

Unfortunately, our bought-and-paid-for political process makes the emergence of such a person impossible. Or does it? A survey of the current candidates for the Democratic nomination reveals a lot of promise along with an impressive tangle of "strings". Many of the candidates seem to have good intentions. Most of them also have serious flaws in their vision, integrity, or indebtedness to corporate donors..

But there is one striking exception. There is one candidate who wants to accomodate, not small groups of corporate lobbyists, but the rest of us Americans who actually work for a living (or would like to) and rescue America from its fear-driven, negative path of late to one inspired by Hope. One candidate who wants to work with us to create an America where we are not forced to choose between civil liberties and security, between food and prescription drugs, between employment and a healthy environment.

Strangely, the media refuses to take this candidate seriously, because he's not tall, a millionaire, a movie star, or a household name. Oh, and it's not a nice, "easy-reader" name either, like Kerry or Clark or Dean. Instead, it's a name you have to think about a bit when you first encounter it, but not all that hard to pronounce, once you do: Kucinich. Just three easy syllables: "Ku" - as in "Kool", "cin" - as in "synergy", "ich" as in "which do you prefer, Hope or Fear?" Try it: Kucinich.

Apparently, to those who refuse to take him seriously, it's irrelevent that Dennis Kucinich happens to be the one and only candidate brimming with vision, integrity, courage, and competence, with not one corporate "string" attached. Apparently, it's irrelevant that when ordinary people hear him speak, they stop worrying about his looks or his bank account. They feel the sincerity. They see the determination. They understand that he speaks for them and not the moneyed interests. And once they understand, they stop doubting and start campaigning. Don't take my word for it. Try it yourself:

www.kucinich.us

I suspect that what Kucinich says will make a lot of sense to you. If it does, I urge you to make a difference: Get out and tell people about him - now, before the nomination die is cast. It has to be now, because, of all the reasons people have for not taking him seriously, one really is a barrier: He is not well known. And he must become known in order to win the nomination.

But can he win?

Kucinich's lack of fame is a serious barrier, but it really is the only one. And it can be overcome - if we act fast. Because once people do find out about Kucinich, and especially when they hear him speak, they are inspired - His message is more than just liberal/progressive. It's truely democratic. He speaks to everyone (except the very rich, who have good reason to dislike his message). I know this from personal experience: Two months ago, I had never heard of Kucinich. There were no candidates I really liked, including Dean, after having observed his performance as governor here in Vermont. Then I discovered Kucinich and I haven't looked back.

Another thought: So far, Kucinich has done poorly in the polls because people don't know about him. However, his positions do very well. Ironically, when asked, the type of candidate most Americans actually want looks a lot like Kucinich. Too bad they don't know he exists!

Oh, yes, there is one other barrier - one group of people who know of him - intellectual liberals, mostly - are afraid to support him, not because they don't like him, but because they're afraid his positions are "too liberal" for the majority of Americans. We think these folks should get out more often. As noted above, Most of Kucinich's positions are highly appealing to the majority of Americans. For an argument that puts this and other "liberal" fears to rest, please click here.

So what can you do?

• First, start talking! Tell your family, friends and coworkers about Kucinich. They can't vote for him if they don't know he exists.

• Visit www.kucinich.us. There, you can order tools like yard signs, videos, and brochures, network with other Kucinich supporters, and keep track of the campaign's progress.

• Throw a party! It's a great way to introduce people to Kucinich and a powerful motivator for campaign contributions. Call (866) 413-3664 and ask for a house party package. They'll send you all the materials you need.

• Send money! Kucinich spends his money wisely, but he still needs some to work with. He doesn't accept any corporate perks; he's not traveling around the country for free in corporate jets like some of the other candidates, and he's not going to attract money from the rich, so that leaves you and me.

  Before you throw up your hands in despair, consider this: 3 million people voted for Ralph Nader in 2000. If each one of them contributed just $10, Kucinich would have $30 million to work with. And Kucinich doesn't need to spend as much as the competition - When an article is genuine, and it shows, you don't need a lot of glitter and hype.

  To contribute, click here, or call (866) 413-3664.

Pity the Poor Pentagon - The Pentagon (and its supporters) would argue that Kucinich's 15 percent cut is too much. Find out whether that's true here.

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