Norma Sherry: My Candidate

Whenever I say who my candidate is, I'm either greeted with, "What? Have you lost it?" or "He's my choice, too!"

He's a man of high principles. That alone sets him apart. He's a man of the people, for the people. That too, makes him a novelty. He's a man that truly believes that each one of us can make a difference. He's idealistic, yet pragmatic. He's caring, but not blindsided.

He reminds me of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Meet John Doe, and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town; he's pure Capra. He's guileless and comely. He's easy-mannered and impassioned. He's every man; an average man, yet a man with a destiny few would be willing to embark.

He's a fighter but eloquently so. He knows the pain and anguish of the working-class man and woman. He's empathetic, not patronizingly so as so many who have sought this office are, but truly has an empathy and an innate understanding of the struggle for survival. His words are not meaningless or empty; they come from deep within his soul. He says what he means and means what he says. He's a man of profound dignity and immense character.

He's definitely Capraesque.

He promises healthcare for every child, and affordable healthcare for the rest of us.

He believes in, and has fought for the preservation of the Medicare system. He believes that we must have a prescription drug plan that will reduce the cost of prescribed medications for all Americans, with special emphasis for the elderly population. He is also the original co-sponsor of the Medicare for All Act. It is a bill that would assure all Americans a universal high standard of medical care. Every citizen would choose his or her own physician; go to their own dentist or eye doctor. There would be equal care for every citizen, rich or poor.

He stands firm on his belief that all Americans should have the freedom to work in a friendly environment. That ending discrimination is and must be the goal of society. He co-sponsored a bill to end racial profiling by police.

He believes in healthy agriculture. He introduced first-of-a-kind legislation to label all genetically engineered foods, HR 3377. He introduced the "Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act of 2000". Bill HR 3883 requires mandatory, scientifically valid safety testing of all genetically engineered foods.

He believes in a woman's right to choose. Personally, he doesn't believe in abortion, but he does believe in choice. He holds strong to the belief that women have the right to determine their reproductive choices, and that criminalizing abortion would be unconstitutional.

As the elder of seven siblings, he knows first-hand the struggle of families and of mother's in particular. As has been his practice in all his years of political life, he would continue to invest his energies and create programs that would instill and promote the ideals of family while teaching parenting, family planning, contraception and sex education.

My candidate believes every worker has a fundamental right to financial security. He has fought repeatedly to save jobs from corporate malfeasance. He has openly voiced his concerns regarding outsourcing American jobs to faraway lands. He has been at the forefront of the battle to protect and preserve Social Security. He also stands firmly against privatization of Social Security.

He has consistently spoken out when he foresaw an injustice. He spoke up when a lie was being propagated. He reminds me of the fairy tale, "I cannot tell a lie", the difference being, he is stalwart and irreproachably honest.

Furthermore, he has been a voracious voice against the war against Iraq. He believes in the principles of peace, peaceful interaction among the citizenry, peaceful negotiations with the countries of the world, and peaceful resolutions of disagreements and aggressions. As president, he would form a Department of Peace that would promote non-violence within our society and create conditions for a peaceful co-existence in the world.

I firmly believe that if he is at the helm, he will work to reunite the countries of the world. That he will give America, back its dignity, back its world prominence.

My candidate, the one without any money, without the big machinery behind him, without the press reporting his applauding audiences, is the man that has the potential to give America back to its citizens. He is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He stands tall and proud. His name is Dennis Kucinich.

Bio: Norma Sherry is co-founder of TogetherForeverChanging.org, an organization devoted to educating, stimulating, and igniting personal responsibility particularly with regards to our diminishing civil liberties. She is also an award-winning writer/producer. Email Norma: norma@togetherforeverchanging.org

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