Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich in '08?

It seemed 2008 election talk began right after Dubya's "victory" in '04. Will it be Hillary or Obama? Guiliani or McCain? I say forget them all and focus on the underdogs. Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich has accomplished something radical in this time of perpetual media distortion, they've been able to communicate the truth. The truth about why we were attacked, the truth about our civil liberties and the truth about the nature of government. And, predictably, they've made enemies out of the right-wing and center-left Democrats. So, let's say these two, by some act of divine intervention, squared off in 2008...who would I choose? I sat in my thinker pose for a few hours and this is how it breaks down for me if the impossible should happen next year.

Impeachment:

And by impeachment I mean anybody in this administration who deserves it - King George, Cheney, the checkout clerk in the Whitehouse's gift shop. I just want to see some action, anything which breaks from Pelosi's "hands off" approach that's been so unsuccessful this far. With Kucinich it's clear. He has famously introduced articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney, H.R. 333. What about Ron? He doesn't agree with the bill, in fact, he doesn't think there's enough evidence for impeahment at this point. I disagree, we need to winnow down the mountain of evidence. On this one Ron Paul has it wrong.





Iraq War/"War on Terror":

This one's a toughy. Dennis Kucinich never voted to support Bush's actions during the lead up to the war or any funding bill thereafter. Pretty impressive. The same can be said of Ron Paul. Both voted against the PATRIOT Act and both have been outspoken critics of this illegal war from the beginning. I do believe this one's a tie. Bravo!

Dennis Kucinich - When Others Were Silent


Ron Paul on Now With Bill Moyers - October 4, 2002




Healthcare:

Kucinich supports universal healthcare, he wants a single-payer system that would ensure every American's medical costs would be covered. On the other hand, Paul, being a libertarian, would support tax credits which would reduce the cost of prescription drugs and hospital expenses. I realize this is supposed to grant relief from "big government" to the middle class but I know people from countries with national healthcare systems and they are proud of the type of care they receive. You show up to a hospital, they patch you up, you leave...that's how simple it could, and should, be here in the states. This round goes to Denny.



Taxes:

Ron Paul wants to eliminate the IRS, income tax and inflation tax lifting a significant burden on the middle class. I like it!

Ron Paul : Stop Dreaming


And what of Kucinich? He's got some pretty good ideas, not great. He believes we should bring tax rates back to that of the Clinton Administration:

"The Clinton period tax rates for the most affluent should be returned, while the tax cuts for those earning less than $405,000 a year should be maintained, for now, until we see how the economy fares."
--Dennis Kucinich, Source

That's a bit too safe for my liking. Who likes paying taxes? Ron Paul's got the right idea.




Old fashioned Feather-ruffling:

To my knowledge Dennis Kucinich never had the same kind of smack down with members of his own party like Ron Paul did with Rudy. Anyone who can stick to their guns like Ron even after the rabidly conservative audience attending that Republican Presidential Debate turned on him is bona fide Presidential material in my book.





It seems as though we've reached a stalemate, so I've got to look at the tie-breaker: Elizabeth Kucinich. I'd take four years of her over any of our last four first ladies.

And she's not just a pretty face, she's smart too. She got her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Kent and has done charity work with the British Red Cross and the House of Lords. Here's Liz in action:



Overall, either one of these men would make a superb President. Ron Paul is admirably principled and intolerant toward deceit and corruption, but for my money Kucinich, who possesses the same qualities, can contribute something extra to the Oval Office, therefore Kucinich pulls ahead of Ron Paul by a nose.