KUCINICH GETS GREEN SUPPORT

Congressman Dennis Kucinich supports legalizing gay marriage, repealing the
death penalty and the Patriot Act, withdrawing from the World Trade
Organization and scrapping the North American Free Trade Agreement,
implementing national ranked choice voting and publicly financed political
campaigns, ending the occupation of Iraq, creating universal single-payer
health care, forming a Department of Peace, cutting the Pentagon budget by
15 percent, legalizing medical marijuana and upholding legalized abortion.
Those positions may not land the Ohio Democrat his party's presidential
nomination, but they have a number of third-party and independent
progressives solidly behind his candidacy.

Thursday in San Francisco, three of California's most prominent Green Party
members voiced support for Kucinich, though stopping short of formal
endorsements because of the party divide.

"If Kucinich is the Democratic nominee, I am sure the Democrats and the
Greens will work collaboratively to oust George Bush in next year's
election," said Matt Gonzalez, president of the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors, who introduced the candidate at a breakfast for his supporters.

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Global Exchange and Code Pink Women for Peace
and U.S. Senate candidate for the Greens in 2000, told The Examiner that
Kucinich is "as green as you can get."

"He's so genuine, you wonder how this guy ever got to Congress," Benjamin said.

Peter Camejo, California's Green Party candidate for governor, said if
Kucinich were to win the Democratic nod, he "would favor calling an
emergency national convention of the Green Party" to discuss how to support
the progressive candidate.

In a U.S. Green Party conference July 18-20, party leaders had affirmed
plans to run a candidate in the presidential race.

Gonzalez urged progressive Democrats and independents voting in the March
primary to support Kucinich.

In a press conference prior to a sold-out speech at the Commonwealth Club,
Kucinich, who calls himself "a green Democrat," said his candidacy is
reaching out to third parties such as the Greens, National Law Party,
Reform Party and Libertarians.

While even core progressives doubt that Kucinich can capture his party's
endorsement, the candidate says he presents the only alternative to
President Bush who will fully engage the left.

"It's difficult to poll on the kind of support I have because they don't
come out for the primary," Kucinich said. "They are going to be there when
I am on the ballot for the United States presidency."

San Francisco Green Party activist Jim Dorenkott, who attended the
breakfast with Kucinich, said the congressman (who in his Thursday speech
quoted the prophet Isaiah, called for progressives to react politically,
not with gut-level anger but from the heart with love, and drew several
rounds of applause and standing ovations) "represents the political,
spiritual, psychological connection that's been missing since the '60s."

Dorenkott said people who have stepped out of political activity because of
distaste with the system are engaging with Kucinich.

"Kucinich understands the pain and anger people are feeling because of
their difficult life situations but challenges us to rise to a level of
hope and expectation so people will be empowered," Dorenkott said.

Gonzalez is critical of progressives lining up with former Vermont Governor
Howard Dean, who has positioned himself as more liberal than leading
Democratic rivals but stops short of endorsing many key progressive causes.

"Dean is not really progressive," Gonzalez said.