Monday night on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Congressman Dennis Kucinich said that he would be willing to be the deciding vote to sink health-care reform. Video below.
This was news to those who heard him speak on the issue the night before at the annual Cuyahoga County Democrats’ dinner. There, in front of Congresswomen Marcia Fudge, he not only gave no indication that he’d made this hard-and-fast decision about his vote, but suggested that he was still open to discussion. He mentioned meeting with President Obama Thursday and hoping that some kind of agreement would be worked out.
This turnabout vividly demonstrates why Kucinich, for all his stated noble intentions, has proven to be so ineffective. You don’t build coalitions by telling your fellow Democrats — including someone like Fudge, who shares his goals but is far more practical-minded — you’re willing to talk when you’ve already decided you won’t budge from your single-payer-or-nothing position. — Anastasia Pantsios
