Rural North Carolina Sets Example for Nation
By David Swanson - April 19, 2004

Senator Kerry has the Democratic nomination wrapped up. I and many others for whom he was not the first choice are now working as hard as we can to win him votes. So is Dennis Kucinich. While most people never knew Kucinich was in the race, those who follow progressive politics closely know that he is STILL in it, pushing to make Kerry's platform more progressive. What many progressives understand is that this is the politically smart move for the Democratic party. Surveys suggest that the number of people who will register and vote for a candidate who takes a clear position for any one of the following outweighs the number who will be drawn away from Bush by quasi-Republican equivocating:

1. Ending the occupation through UN involvement and a halt to war profiteering,
2. Creating universal single-payer health care,
3. Repealing the "PATRIOT Act,"
4. Replacing NAFTA and the WTO with fair trade agreements,
5. Taxing corporations more and working people less, or
6. Creating free preschool and college.

If Kucinich can push Kerry to one or more of those positions, he will have done Kerry a tremendous favor. Kucinich can't do that alone. He needs the help of people who understand our political system. This means not just refusing to treat the general election like a primary by voting for Nader or another third party candidate, but also refusing to treat the primaries (as most Americans have already done) like a general election by voting for whoever won the previous primary in order to show a united front. Primaries – and there are still primaries to be held, still states where people have not had a chance to speak – are the time for voting for the strongest platform. A vote for Kerry in the remaining primaries means nothing. A vote for Kucinich sends Kerry a message.

Rural North Carolina this weekend sent a message to Kerry and to those in Oregon and other states that have not yet had their say. Kucinich won Saturday's caucus in Orange, Buncombe, and Watauga Counties, N.C. Statewide, according to unofficial early reports, Senator Edwards won his home state, followed by Kerry, Kucinich, Dean, and Sharpton. Kerry received 27 percent, but 73 percent of North Carolinian primary voters seized the opportunity to say something else. Most of those 73 percent will probably back Kerry from now on. Many of them want to also do what they can to make sure they are backing a winning candidate. The Democratic Party is not the you're-with-me-or-you're-with-the-terrorists party. This is the party in which people's voices must be heard.

The Ashville Citizen-Times reports:

"Buncombe County Democrats participating in the state's first presidential caucus Saturday came out big for Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. Kucinich won 643 votes, while Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina garnered 507 votes and presumptive presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts took 257. Vermont Gov. Howard Dean won 149 votes, while 15 went to the Rev. Al Sharpton of New York….Buncombe County Democratic Party Chairman Max Haner said 1,577 voters filled out paper ballots at four caucus sites, where people were waiting at the doors when they opened at 8 a.m. 'It's never stopped the whole day,' said volunteer poll worker Robin McConnell. 'I've been very pleasantly surprised.' Lines were out the doors at some sites, as voters ignored the fact Kerry will be the nominee and exercised their right to have their issues represented by other candidates at the national convention this summer in Boston.

'There's a party plank to be made, and we want to be heard,' said Robin Clark, a carpenter and builder who was stumping for Kucinich at the West Asheville Library caucus site. 'We're hoping to get a percentage (of the caucus vote) so we can get a delegate or two at the convention.' Kucinich's win in Buncombe came on the heels of a visit he made to Asheville two weeks ago, drawing some 500 supporters to City-County Plaza. None of the other major candidates visited the region during the primary campaign." To my knowledge that is the first newspaper article during the entire campaign that has referred to Kucinich as one of the "major candidates."