Dennis Kucinich: What Happened to the Soul of the Democratic Party? (Report from Washington archive)

Dennis Kucinich: What Happened to the Soul of the Democratic Party? : "Being a Democrat can no longer entail a laundry list of slightly less harmful policies than our opponents. The vision of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy as enunciated in the Book of Matthew must be returned to Congress. As you know, 'Fear Ends, Hope Begins' was the theme of my campaign for the Democratic nomination for President in 2004. I continue to call not just for new policies, but a renewed vision of a politics of trust and compassion based on our most basic values of caring for one another.
Who ever imagined that we would live in an America where the 'merciful' would be called soft on crime? Where those who 'mourn' would be called whiners and where the 'meek' would be told that arrogance is a virtue? Who ever imagined that the sacred role of 'peacemaker' as described by Matthew in the Beatitudes would be recast as a traitor? The inversion of truth and the perversion of our basic values must be challenged.
The path for our renewal based on these sacred values is clear. Living Wages, Advocacy of Universal Health Care, a new WPA jobs program funded from military waste, Universal Pre-Kindergarten, tuition-free college, protection of Social Security and all pensions, the green energy of wind, solar, hydrogen, peaceful exploration of space, participation in the Kyoto Climate Change Treaty, and the International Criminal Court are part of a vision of the America that can be, if we are willing to take a stand."