Ledger-Dispatch

By Scott Thomas Anderson (sanderson@ledger-dispatch.c= om)=20

Elizabeth Kucinich, the wife of = Democratic=20 presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich, made an appearance at Jose's = Restaurant in Jackson Saturday, where she urged gatherers to = seriously=20 consider her husband in the upcoming primaries.

Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger=20 Dispatch

Elizabeth Kucinich spoke to a crowd on = the=20 outside patio at Jose's Restaurant in Jackson Saturday.

Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger=20 Dispatch
Primary fever touched down in = Amador=20 County Saturday night when Elizabeth Kucinich, wife of presidential = hopeful=20 Dennis Kucinich, met a star-struck crowd of Democrats at Jose's = Restaurant in=20 Jackson.

Elizabeth stood on the outside patio and told the crowd = she=20 hoped they would help push the Kucinich movement in California and not = let the=20 24 news networks dictate who they vote for.

"The media would have = you=20 think that Dennis is not a viable candidate," she said in her soft = British=20 accent. "But we know that's not true because poll after poll shows he's = closer=20 to what Americans believe than any other candidate regarding universal = health=20 care, bringing jobs back to America and ending the war in Iraq. He is a = viable=20 candidate."

Thus far into the election year, Elizabeth has had = her own=20 share of media attention. Her reputation as a young captivating spouse = lead to a=20 few of the lighter moments in the Democratic primary race. During a = Democratic=20 national debate, former candidate Sen. Joe Biden said, "Dennis, the = thing I like=20 most about you is your wife," while comedian Bill Maher declared on his = HBO=20 show, "New rule: Whomever wins the presidency, the first lady should = have to be=20 Elizabeth Kucinich."

However, during her appearance on Saturday,=20 Elizabeth, who works in international humanitarian aid, struck a rather = serious=20 note as she implored the gathering to consider how her husband's stances = and=20 congressional voting record set him apart from the other=20 candidates.

Kucinich does have major differences from his rivals. = He's=20 the only candidate running on the Democratic side who, in addition to = not voting=20 for the war in Iraq, consistently refused to fund it. Along similar = lines, he's=20 the only Democratic candidate in Congress who didn't vote for the=20 now-controversial Patriot Act.

In a recent debate, Hillary = Clinton and=20 John Edwards sternly criticized the Patriot Act, though both voted for = it. When=20 Kucinich was asked in the same debate why he voted against the act, he = rolled=20 his eyes at Clinton and Edwards and responded dryly, "Well, I actually = read=20 it."

Kucinich also stands out as the race's the most vocal critic = of=20 North American Free Trade Agreement, which he blames for the loss of = countless=20 American jobs to overseas nations - nations he accuses of human rights=20 violations, as well as having the luxury of not competing on a level = economic=20 playing field.

For Cheryl Scott of Volcano, the six-term = congressman from=20 Ohio who always carries a copy of the Constitution in his pocket, has = her vote=20 for another reason.

"He will not accept money from any = conglomerate or=20 big corporation," she said. "That's the reason he's only raised $2 = million as=20 opposed to the $26 million Hillary Clinton has raised. It's hard to run = like=20 that, but it means he won't be obligated to special interest when it = comes to=20 voting on issues. He's not there to make money. He still lives in the = home he=20 purchased in 1979 for $20,000. He really is the people's=20 candidate."

Campaign financing was something Elizabeth Kucinich = addressed=20 during her Jackson appearance, in which she conceded that a recent = decision by=20 her husband's campaign to challenge the New Hampshire primary results = had cost=20 them dearly.

"It's not that we thought we won in New Hampshire,"=20 Elizabeth told the crowd. "But there was a lot of evidence from the exit = polls=20 that (Clinton) was not the real winner and that the voters were not = being=20 represented. Unfortunately, the candidate who may have actually won = (Barrack=20 Obama) did not step up and demand a recount. Our campaign made a = principled=20 decision to pay for a recount to make sure the people of New Hampshire = weren't=20 cheated. I was in tears earlier tonight at an event as I explained that, = because=20 of that, we had virtually no funds to advertise in tonight's Nevada=20 primary."

Before leaving, Mrs. Kucinich fielded questions from = the crowd.=20 She was asked why the main stream media was ignoring her husband's = campaign. She=20 speculated that part of the media's cold shoulder could have to do with = the fact=20 that General Electric, who owns NBC News and two other networks, has = billions of=20 dollars vested in defense contracting and nuclear power - industries = that would=20 stand to lose greatly if Kucinich was president.

Mrs. Kucinich = was also=20 asked if she had any direct words of encouragement for Amador County's=20 Democrats, who often feel outnumbered and over-matched by the area's = much larger=20 Republican base. She responded by pointing that the primary system = empowered=20 each party, regardless of whether they lived in a "red" or "blue" area. = She also=20 added that she felt her husband wasn't given enough credit for his = potential to=20 unite the parties.

"At the moment, Democrats are having this = battle=20 within their own party for people to truly stand on the courage of their = convictions," she said. "But when we truly have a leader who understands = how to=20 bring people together, you'll see the commonality between the parties. = Everybody=20 - Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green - everybody wants a job, to = educate=20 their children and to have affordable health care. These are things that = united=20 the American family. My husband also has many Republican and Libertarian = admirers because he really fights to uphold the = Constitution."

Yet, for=20 some of Amador's Democrats, it was party differences and not = commonalties that=20 had them rallying behind Kucinich, particularly his anti-war=20 platform.

Nora Coryell of Amador Citizens for Peace, which holds = monthly=20 candlelight vigils against the Iraq War in Jackson in conjunction with = Code=20 Pink: Grandmothers for Peace, watched the Elizabeth Kucinich visit = alongside her=20 son, Damian White, a former officer in the U.S. Air Force. She felt the = event=20 was a morale booster for her cause.

"I've found there are a lot = of=20 progressive people in Amador County who don't want this war," she said = quietly.=20 "Much more than people realize. The problem is, they're afraid to speak = up. I=20 hope an event like this helps them."

Liz McCulloch, president of = the=20 Amador Democratic Club, saw the event in more general terms: "I just = think it's=20 really good that a figure like Elizabeth Kucinich, who's famous on the = national=20 scene, would come here and speak," she said. "It's great for Amador to = be=20 connected like that to the race for president."

Scott Thomas = Anderson