Reaching Across The Aisle

Description: Kucinich talks about frustrations with the Democractic Party over healthcare and with the Republicans over the Patriot Act.

Question: What element of the Democratic platform do you most disagree with?

Transcript: You know I smile because I’m probably the only one running for president who took an issue to the democratic platform personally and asked them to act on it.  And let me tell you what the issue was: healthcare.  In 2000, I took this proposal for a not-for-profit healthcare system – Medicare for all – to the democratic platform committee.  I was asked by the campaign of the presidential candidate to withdraw the proposal because it was . . . it was not favored by the insurance interests who were contributing mightily to the Democratic party.  And virtually the same thing happened in 2004.  So here’s the Democratic party, these candidates are saying “universal healthcare” like it’s some kind of mantra.  “Universal healthcare, universal healthcare.”  And people go, “Oh, they’re for me.  They’re gonna give me universal healthcare.”  The insurance companies want universal healthcare as long as the government is subsidizing them so they can maintain their . . . their holding their privileged profit position.  I’m talking about no more healthcare for profit.  Everyone knows these insurance companies make money not providing healthcare.  Everyone knows that.  So I’m saying no more for-profit healthcare; not-for-profit system; all the money goes into care for people.  And then you have enough money not only for basic care, but for vision care, dental care, mental healthcare, long term care, prescription drugs – all covered 100 percent under the Kucinich program.  The Democrats, noooo.  They wanna protect the insurance companies. 

Question: What element of the Republican platform do you most agree with?

Transcript: I don’t know that . . . that I accept much of the platform of either party, but I will tell you this – that I work with Republicans in Congress who stand for protecting the Constitution; who are absolutely opposed to the Patriot Act; who believe that wire tapping, eaves dropping is an undermining of constitutional protections to be free from your person for unreasonable searches and seizures; who believe that government functions best when it stays out of people’s private lives.  So that aspect which seems to go more towards, you know, what Republicans think are things that I support.  And I also think that . . . that this idea of . . . of Democrats and Republicans is a good idea as long as there’s a real debate.  But when the debate becomes blurred because you have corporate interests contributing to Democrats and to Republicans, then you have the American people being disserved.  Then people in those parties maintain their privileged position while the economic status of their constituents begins to erode. 

Recorded on: 10/19/07