Frankbeaton.com

Just shut up about Dennis Kucinich, already

[My goal is to get all my political ranting out of the way now, before the blogosphere gets even more annoying than it already is.]

Ahem.

Attention well-meaning idealists:

Dennis Kucinich will never, ever be President.

Ever.

Nor should he be.

This is not because his policies are bad (I agree with almost all of them), or because his wife is too pretty, or because there’s a vast, media-run conspiracy to keep him down. It’s because he’s an even more divisive figure than George W. Bush is, and having him as President would do more harm than good. Not entirely his fault, sure — much of the Kucinich-bashing is completely unwarranted, but there’s no point in denying that it’s had an effect. ALL of the right, most of the middle, and a good chunk of the left all think the guy’s a crackpot, and that is never going to change. If you support Kucinich, it means you actually LIKE the increasing polarization of the last eight years — you just wish your side was in charge of it.

It’s sad, but you know what he is? He’s our answer to Pat Buchannan. Extremists love him, but he’s not electable by any stretch of the imagination. If you believe otherwise, you are delusional.

I mean, the teabag thing — that says it all, right? His supporters love that he carries used teabags around in his breast pocket, because it means he’s walking the walk. They find his eccentricities endearing, and indicative of his deep commitment to the issues. Everyone else thinks it makes him look like a fucking mental patient.

There was this girl I knew a few years ago, an environmental activist — spent literally all of her spare time doing volunteer work. Walking the walk. This girl used to keep a tiny shovel in her backpack so she could bury her feces rather than waste water using a toilet. THAT is dedication, my friends. That is believing in your convictions and living by your principals, and I can honestly say that I admire that girl’s commitment to what is undeniably an important cause.

But I sure as shit wouldn’t elect her to public office.