Um... anyone else get this e-mail from Kucinich?

[Naturyl]

I am sure many others must have gotten this, but it felt really weird to read this e-mail. It was as if the Kucinich staff had read my posts on DU last night, because the message specifically addresses every one of my concerns. It has to be a coincidence, but this sent a chill down my spine:

--------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Supporter,

For the record:

1. New Hampshire is the first state where we are aggressively campaigning. Due to the Party lockout in Iowa, we chose to focus on New Hampshire.

2. I am the only person running for President who voted against the war, against funding the war 100% of the time, against the Patriot Act, and who stands for a universal single-payer not-for-profit healthcare system. Nevertheless I was excluded from Saturday night's ABC Presidential debate, or four tone monologue as it was.

3. In answer to your questions about why I didn't support former Senator John Edwards on the second ballot in Iowa: I have serious concerns about his connections to a Wall Street hedge fund, Fortress Investment Group. While attacking others for accepting campaign money from Washington lobbyists, he is up to his ears in money from Wall Street special interests.

He made half a million dollars in a single year for attending a few meetings for Fortress and has invested a substantial part of his own personal wealth in the hedge fund whose portfolios are responsible for sub-prime predatory lending practices, Medicare privatization, and an entire range of corporate sharp dealings that are driving the middle class into poverty.

While I indicated Senator Obama as a preferred second choice in Iowa, Progressives have fundamental disagreements with him and all of the other Presidential candidates on most of their major positions on the issues.

We must have the courage of our convictions to fully support and vote for what it is we really want. For once, we must realize our power, stop playing tactical games, and vote as a bloc - which, as you know, is what the religious right does and why they often win.

We Progressives are in the majority in this election. We will win only when we refuse to compromise and vote with integrity.

Dennis Kucinich

[Bicoastal]

1. Edward-heads aren't going to like this one bit...

:popcorn:

[Naturyl]

2. Probably not

I think Edwards is great, although I do acknowledge these concerns. What I'm hoping to find out here is how many other Kucinich supporters got this. I'm wondering if the Kucinich staff is monitoring DU, because the way this e-mail specifically addresses things that were brought up here is just weird.

[blonndee]

3. I got it but figured it was a response to the email I sent about his sending support Obama's way.

Must have been one of several emails, huh.

[dweller]

4. 2 posts concerning it

are on the Greatest page.

dp

[Naturyl]

7. Oh,okay. Somehow I missed them, sorry.

Anyway, the Kucinich staff deserves a lot of credit for making people feel like they are listening.

[dweller]

11. no need to apologize, i thought you might find them interesting n/t

dp

[Naturyl]

13. I did, and thanks again.

Just had a look. A lot of Kucinich-bashing happening these days... that's unfortunate.

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. He whined that he was excluded from the Iowa debate, saying that

he had a active campaign organization in the state. Now he claims he wasn't "aggressively campaigning" there.

[dweller]

10. as you whine that he's not a serious candidate

and join in any Kucinich thread to trash him.

got it.
dp

[scarletwoman]

6. Seeing as how this same email has already been posted several times on DU today,

I imagine it's just one of his regular mass emails to the people on his list.

[Naturyl]

9. Yeah, I figured it went out to the list

What I was wondering is whether it came from reading some of the concerns posted at DU. I guess there's no telling.

Anyway, it doesn't matter, now that I think about it. I'm going to stick with Kucinich a while longer because of this. I feel like my concerns were addressed.

[scarletwoman]

12. I imagine that he heard from many dismayed supporters from all over, not just DUers. (nt)

[Naturyl]

14. Yeah, undoubtedly

I was just taken aback by how specifically this e-mail addressed my own concerns. I'm under no delusion that Kucinich was speaking to me personally, of course. But it's amazing how the e-mail read as if he was. I guess a lot of people had the same concerns about the Obama endorsement, and were switching over to the Edwards camp for various reasons (including the "can't win" problem, which was a big one for me).

But once again, Dennis is right. Settling for second best is not the answer. I wouldn't have listened to that from anyone but Dennis Kucinich himself. This man just won't stop fighting to give me a voice.

[DesertRat]

8. Yes, I received it as well.

:kick:

[NMMNG]

15. No. I unsubscribed from his mailing list after he threw me to the wolf.

Or, rather, after he threw me to the wolf and I got this feeble explanation when I e-mailed:

Hello *****,

Thank you for your comments. Here is the information I
have been given regarding Dennis’s statement to Iowa
caucus goers.

From Dennis’s statement to Iowans:

“If for some reason I do not make the 15% threshold in
caucuses, I ask you to cast your second round ballot for
Senator Barack Obama.”

http://www.dennis4president.com/go/newsroom/kucinich-urges-supporters-to-back-obama-on-second-iowa-ballot/


*This is not an endorsement. It is Dennis's response to
questions from Iowa supporters, about what they should do
if the Kucinich caucuses failed to reach the delegate
thresholds. He is suggesting that they consider casting a
second vote for change for Senator Obama, if they need to
re-caucus.

*Dennis is still focused on New Hampshire, where the
voters are only allowed to vote once next Tuesday. He
will be asking each New Hampshire voter to support him if
they want to end the war, win serious health care reform,
stand up for working men and women, and bring about real
change in our politics.

*Dennis is also encouraging his Iowa supporters to go
ahead and try to get elected as delegates or alternates in
their precincts. This is a long process, and the Iowa
caucus results are not really final until June.

In hope and peace,

Gail Heyn
Volunteer
Kucinich for President 2008
http://www.dennis4president.com/

Not an endorsement? It seems many people took it as one and acted as such. Yay for Obama and too bad for us.

[Naturyl]

16. I agree the Obama thing was a mistake

And I think Kucinich is realizing that. If he had problems with Edwards, he should have just done nothing, rather than endorsing someone like Obama, who is not particularly progressive and raises a lot of problems for many Kucinich supporters.

In the e-mail I got today, Kucinich basically acknowledges that a lot of supporters weren't pleased with the Obama thing. I don't think he will do something like that again.