Présentation
On War in Iraq:
Kucinich has made ending the war in Iraq one of his major campaign themes. Kucinich voted against the authorization of the use of force in Iraq in 2002 and has voted against funding for the war since then. He has called the war "an illegal war," and he introduced articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney in April 2007, arguing that Cheney "manipulated the intelligence process ... by fabricating the threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction." Kucinich proposes the creation of a Department of Peace that he said would "make non-violence an organizing principle in our society" based on the "teachings of Christ, of Gandhi, of Dr. King, and of other religious leaders."
On Gay Marriage:
Kucinich supports "marriage equality for all" and has said that "those who happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, these are God's children. They should have the same rights." When he first ran for Congress in 1996, Kucinich said he opposed a law to allow same-sex marriage. In 2003, he said that "there should be a federal law that would allow gay couples to be married."
On the Death Penalty:
Kucinich opposes the death penalty. He says, "Morally, I simply do not believe that we as human beings have the right to 'play God' and take a human life – especially since our human judgments are fallible and often wrong." Kucinich says that his position on the death penalty is "derived from my moral and spiritual convictions."
On Poverty:
Kucinich advocates the concept of ending the war in Iraq and using the money saved to fight domestic poverty, calling things like homelessness, joblessness and poverty "weapons of mass destruction." In July 2007, Kucinich said that he was in favor of reparations for slavery, saying, "The Bible says we shall and must be repairers of the breach. And a breach has occurred. … It's a breach that has resulted in inequality in opportunities for education, for health care, for housing, for employment." He favors raising the federal minimum wage.
On Immigration:
Kucinich has said that "those who have been here, who have paid their taxes and paid their dues and been part of our economy for the last decade need to have a chance to have a path to citizenship." He has also said that he believes all American children should learn to speak Spanish.
On Education:
In 1998, Kucinich voted against a proposed constitutional amendment to allow organized public prayer in public schools. He has voted against several bills that would have authorized school vouchers, saying that "funds for vouchers compete with funds for overall improvements in America's public schools." In 2001, he voted against a bill to allow school prayer in the wake of Sept. 11 and the U.S. fight against terrorism. He has called for universal free kindergarten and the elimination of No Child Left Behind.
Dennis Kucinich for President!
