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On December 10, 2007, publisher and longtime Irvine resident Kamron Jabbari, Ph.d and his family hosted a fund raiser for Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich at their lovely Turtle Rock home. The evening was a cornucopia of political figures, from surrounding city mayoral candidates to former Irvine mayor and current city councilman Larry Agran, who was introduced by Dr. Jabbari and who, in turn, introduced Congressman Kucinich. Councilman Agran remarked that Kucinich offers a revival of hope of courage that has been lost since the 1960s and "welcomes any and all presidential candidates to come to Orange County and specifically Irvine. We're trying to build a kind of community here that is reflective of the kind of national community that Dennis Kucinich wants to build."
Standing in front of the Jabbari's fireplace, Congressman Kucinich noted, "This will be my first fireside chat," recalling President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's evening radio talks during the Great Depression. The crowd roared with applause, the comparion between FDR and Congressman Kucinich being greater than just speaking beside a fireplace. "My fellow Americans," he began, "we've been through a very difficult period and now we are about to reclaim America's role as a peacemaker instead of a disturber of the peace. We will reject war as an instrument of policy. We believe in diplomacy."
During his speech, Kucinich discussed his plans upon entering the White House, including not-for-profit health care, free college tuition for students attending two and four year schools, and implementing green energy, like wind and solar technology, into government and American's daily lives.
Kucinich certainly is unique among the Democratic candidates. According to his website, www.dennis4president.com, "Dennis Kucinich is the only Democrat running for President who has voted against authorizing the war in Iraq and against funding its continuation. He has proposed a bold, new policy to re-establish America's place in the world." He also has plans to save the middle class, ensure constitutional democracy, build an environmentally-friendly and sustainable future for America, end poverty, and rebuild the United States' reputation across the world. His combination of idealism and over twenty years of experience in government has garnered Kucinich loads of support- even in typically Republican South Orange County- and for many, makes him the candidate to beat in the primary's next year.
The Democratic nomination is by no means a slam-dunk for Congressman Kucinch. The latest USA Today/Gallup poll has him at only 2%- a far-cry from Hillary Clinton's 45% and Barack Obama's 27%. But Kucinich stands out from other candidates because he is able to truly identify with the working American and his own story of overcoming poverty to achieve the American dream is inspiring to others. Kucinich is certainly no old-money, Ivy League legacy candidate- he really did start out as an average guy with below-average opportunities at his disposal. As he says in his brochure, "I still lives in the same working class neighborhood in the same home I purchased thirty-five years ago... [Growing up,] we lived in twenty-one different places by the time I was seventeen, including a couple of cars." How many politicians and Presidential candidates can say that?
The strong turnout at the Jabbari's fund raiser speaks volumes and shows that in an impending election that can change America as we know it, more and more people are paying attention to candidates like Dennis Kucinich, who's campaign slogan says it all: "Strength through Peace."
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