Wake Up Cleveland!

Wake Up, Cleveland! Congressman Kucinich Part of The Problem

Kucinich Ignores Own Unique and Overwhelming Role in Cleveland's Struggles

(INDEPENDENCE) Yesterday at the Democratic National Convention, Dennis Kucinich was greeted as a conquering hero by Democrats from California, Massachusetts, New York and elsewhere as he ranted on about the perceived wrongs of the Bush Administration. Meanwhile, the people of Cleveland are starting to wake up to his ineffective reign as Congressman and his votes and policy statements that hurt the economy, raised the cost of food and energy, and contributed to the regions economic woes.

"Dennis Kucinich has been a City Councilman, Clerk of Courts, Mayor, State Senator and Congressman in Cleveland over the past 39-plus years. He has served during the terms of six different Presidents, four since his sole, disastrous term as Mayor," said former State Representative Jim Trakas, 10th Congressional District Candidate. "Cleveland has been in a steady decline for 30 years. Presidents, mayors, senators, governors have come and gone, but one constant has remained: Dennis Kucinich."

"Dennis Kucinich's anti-employer, anti-jobs crusade over the past 40 years has devastated our regional economy and contributes overwhelmingly to the flight of jobs and out-migration of young people. "Remember the bar mill with over 100 jobs that then-Mayor Kucinich almost single handedly chased from town? Dozens of Corporate Headquarters and employers left Cleveland because of the Kucinich Administration directly, yet the blame is always on someone else, "commented Trakas.

Trakas pointed to the following points in the Kucinich Wake up Call to wake up voters in Ohio's 10th Congressional District:

Kucinich Rhetoric: "We now pay four times more for defense, three times more for gasoline and home heating oil and twice what we paid for health care."

Wake Up Call: Kucinich opposes drilling for oil in America and is actually opposed to both coal and nuclear power. These are the most inexpensive forms of energy, so his ideas would greatly increase the costs of energy in America, not decrease them. Further, he advocates for more crops to be grown as energy, which dramatically increases the cost of our food for working families. Kucinich also advocates for solar and wind power, and while important, solar power currently is six times the cost of coal power and wind is four times the cost. His "plan" would also continue to allow foreign countries to profit from America's real demand for oil that is not going away.

Kucinich Rhetoric: "Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, their homes, their health care, their pensions."

Wake Up Call: Kucinich has voted for and proposed billions of dollars in new costs and regulations on American industry, which has made us much less competitive and has driven companies to ship jobs overseas. He voted to outlaw the light bulbs we have been using, putting hundreds of electrical light bulb workers out of jobs, and allows for mercury tainted light bulbs to be imported to this country in droves from China.

Kucinich also voted for The American Dream Home Ownership Act that encouraged lending institutions to lower their standards, fool home buyers into thinking that they could put no money down, and deceive people who least could afford a home to buy one. This had a major negative impact in allowing so many people in Cleveland to lose their homes.

Look in the mirror, Dennis, you have great culpability for the loss of American jobs. By the way, Department of Labor statistics indicate that Unemployment in Cleveland was worse during the Carter-Kucinich years than it is today.

Kucinich Rhetoric: "Now we have another cold war with Russia, while the American economy has become a game of Russian roulette."

Wake Up Call: Kucinich opposes further expansion of NATO to protect the free countries that are threatened by Russia, including Ukraine. He opposes nuclear weapons, and has called for unilateral disarmament. Had Ronald Reagan listened to him, the Soviet Union would still exist.

What role does a 12-year, 6-term incumbent play in all of this? He has one of the most anti-jobs voting records in Congress, but it is all George Bush's fault. His votes have dramatically increased food and energy prices and made it more difficult for working families to eat and earn a living, but that is somebody else's fault. His energy ideas would enrich foreign countries and increase costs to American consumers, but that is not his fault. His tenure as an elected official in Ohio is mediocre at best, and was voted one of the single worst Mayors of all time in an independent analysis.

On November 4, 2008, with your help, Greater Cleveland is going to Wake Up and finally say "NO" to rhetoric, empty promises, political extremism, and the dark shadow that has been cast upon our city since 1969. Yes, Congressman Kucinich, Cleveland is going to wake up to the fact that you have done virtually nothing for us, while you have benefited tremendously, making $170,000 per year, with full pension and health benefits while supporting policies that have devastated your constituents. Finally, the people of Cleveland are going to rise up and give credit where credit is due.

Paid for by Trakas for Congress