Yesterday, the 9th district congressional candidates — incumbents Dennis! Kucinich and Marcy Kaptur, and political newcomer Graham Veysey — sat down for the taping of an hour-long debate, moderated by Bob Conklin, that will air on Time Warner’s NEON channel (23) at 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. today.
Among the often heated exchanges on topics like the deficit, Bowles-Simpson commission, the living wage, job loss in the region, infrastructure appropriations, reproductive choice, and gay marriage was this little gem, reported by Roll Call:
< At no time, did I ever state I was leaving the area. I’ve never said that, and any claim to the contrary is fictional.”
That would be … false.
On May 11, 2011, Kucinich sent out an email to his followers titled “My Next Move?”
In it he said,
You may have heard some rumors over the past week, so I wanted to set the record straight with you: While I'm committed to representing the 10th District of Ohio, I will not rule out a run elsewhere should my district be eliminated or radically altered through redistricting. … I've been approached by supporters across the country — from Washington to Maine — to explore options outside Ohio should redistricting force me out of my current district. It has been truly humbling to see the support that has been expressed for me to continue my work in Congress. Right now, my efforts and focus remain on representing my constituents in the 10th District and fighting for peace and justice, but as we plan for our movement's future, I will consider all of these ideas to keep our voice in Congress.
And on May 23, 2011, the following quote appeared in the New York Times:
“My district appears to be on the block, so I am looking at options, and I am not limiting those options to Ohio,” Mr. Kucinich said.
OK, so he didn't say "I have decided to leave the area." But Dennis! is clearly splitting hairs here, knowing that his threat to move to potentially friendly climes didn't go over well among Ohio voters.
It probably won't go over well either that, during an exchange on the David-Besse nuclear power plant, when Veysey mentioned that the people of Ottawa County (where the plant is located) "say they have never seen Dennis Kucinich before," Kucinich responded, "I do my work in Washington D.C." — Anastasia Pantsios
