Hello Friends!!

During this time of social and economic upheaval, I hope you don't mind these weekly requests for votes for my little dancing endeavors. I hope they are a little break in between all the challenging world events.

Please vote early and vote often and ask your friends to do the same today!

Vote here http://www.newsnet5.com/gmc/index.html - scroll down, voting box is half way down on the right hand side.

This voting closes tomorrow, Wednesday April 1st at 6am Eastern.

I remembered when talking to a friend last week that Dennis and I didn’t have a first dance at our wedding because I was too nervous at the idea of dancing in front of any one, so as silly as it may sound, making it to the third round of Cleveland’s Dancing with the Stars is quite a personal achievement – and it’s not over yet!

Big thanks and please keep voting!
Elizabeth

If you'd like to learn more about what the issues I am working on and projects I am involved in, please sign up for updates at
http://home.elizabethkucinich.com/sign_up.php

Week 2 Voting for Elizabeth in Cleveland's Dancing with the Stars

Well, having never (NEVER) danced before and after just an hour and a half of practice and a lot of votes from you, I made it to week two of Cleveland's Dancing with the Stars! Thank you for voting last week.

If your clicking fingers are at the ready, please vote again for me this week at:
http://www.newsnet5.com/gmc/index.html
You can also view videos of the dances there too. Voting is half way down on right hand side.

Voting closes at 6am Eastern, Wednesday March 25th so please vote now.

Thank you!
Elizabeth

MESSAGE FROM CONGRESSMAN KUCINICH:

I've been thinking about you. I'm grateful for your letters, your emails, and your support for my re-election campaign.

I don't have to tell you how challenging these times are for all of us. You and your family are living it every single day – worrying about your job, your savings, your pensions, maybe worrying about whether you're going to be able to make that next mortgage payment.


I've been there for you. And I'm here for you. And I've been fighting hard in Washington to stop the government from giving hundreds of billions of your tax dollars to Wall Street financial institutions, banks, and insurance companies who've been gambling with your money and your future. I voted against the bailout because it is wrong to reward those who have ruined the system with speculation and greed. I've been fighting to put money into the hands of hard-working everyday Americans who, through no fault of their own, have become the innocent victims of speculators, predatory lenders, and federal regulators and watchdogs who haven't been doing their jobs.


At the same time, I've been under attack at home where Republicans are skirting campaign laws, spending a million dollars on TV, radio, and campaign mailers, using my brother's Ohio State Senate race to attack me and him with smears so vile, distorted and misleading that the Ohio Elections Commission says there's "probable cause" to take action against them, likely after the election.


The only way I can counter those attacks and smears is with your help. I need to be able to get on TV and radio to tell the truth, and, with only a week until the election, I need to do it now.

I know these are tough times, and I wouldn't be asking for your help if it weren't absolutely necessary. I know you want me to stay in Washington representing the people of Ohio's 10th district, and your vision of a better future. I would be grateful for whatever you can spare to keep me working for the people – 10 dollars, 20 dollars, 50 dollars, or more if you can.

When I'm re-elected, I promise you I will do everything in my power to keep fighting for the economic, social and political interests of the American people. But to do that, I need your help right now. Today.

Please go to http://kucinich.us/contribute or call our toll free number,
877-933-6647, so we can continue challenging the special interests who
have been ruining this country, and cashing in at your expense. I look forward to continuing to take a stand for you and for America.


Thank you.

-Dennis Kucinich

Eddie Izzard and Congressman Kucinich
Share an Unscripted Discussion and Q & A with the Audience!

Sunday, November 2nd  3:00 pm
Ohio Theater at Playhouse Square
Cleveland, Ohio

Tickets start at $20!

Eddie Izzard, star pf the TV show The Riches and one of the fore-most Stand-Up Comedians of his generation, will interview Dennis Kucinich, America's most courageous Congressman, and moderate a Q & A with the audience. Questions will span from American politics, to entertainment, to the world at large. Come laugh, ask questions, and be entertained by two amazing minds at work.

Tickets start at $20.
With the purchase of a premium ticket, you will be invited to an exclusive luncheon reception following the presentation, giving you a chance to chat with Eddie, Dennis and Elizabeth face to face!

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS!

Today, Wednesday Oct 22, is Elizabeth Kucinich's birthday!

Come join Elizabeth, Dennis and Melissa Etheridge tonight for a celebration in the intimate setting of the Cleveland Public Theater!

Attend a private pre-theater reception, have your photo taken with them, have dinner with them!  Participate in a Q&A with Melissa and Congressman Kucinich as they share the stage for a wide-ranging discussion .. issues of personal, community, national, and global importance.  
 
6:30 pm  Reception at Luxe
8:00 pm  Conversation at Cleveland Public Theater
9:30 pm  Private Dinner

For more information and to RSVP click here:
http://kucinich.us/events

Happy Birthday to Elizabeth!

Elizabeth Kucinich hosts PAWS fundraiser in Cuyahoga Heights, OH on Nov. 1, 6:00pm

Elizabeth hosts a reverse raffle and silent auction for the Public Animal Welfare Society at 6 p.m. on Nov. 1. The event will be co-hosted WJW-TV's Dick Goddard.

Location:
Hillside Party Center
4617 E. 71st St.
Cuyahoga Heights, OH

For tickets or information, visit www.pawsohio.org,
e-mail treasurer@pawsohio.org,
or call (216) 402-1106.
Deadline for reservations is Oct. 26.

Everyday Americans are in the fight of their lives. Their jobs, their homes, their pensions, their savings, a modest standard of living - all under assault by rising prices, tightened credit, corporate greed, and a Congress that has bailed out Wall Street financial interests at the expense of taxpayers and to the detriment of struggling homeowners.

The fight is far from over, and the ONE Congressman who has been the leader in defending your interests needs your help to continue being your voice in Washington.



Dennis Kucinich has been sounding the alarm for years. He has led the opposition to these obscene giveaways to corrupt interests that have been gambling with your hard-earned dollars. He's been demanding direct assistance to Americans whose lives and futures are at risk - proposing real economic recovery programs that will create millions of jobs and put money in the pockets of working men and women all across the country.

But, as Dennis continues fighting for the interests of everyday Americans, he's also fighting to hold on to his seat in the House of Representatives against a Republican who's raising money, spending money, and aggressively seeking to put Ohio's 10th Congressional District into GOP hands.

The honest, decent, hard-working families of this country can't afford to lose the fight of their lives. And they can't afford to lose Congressman Dennis Kucinich.



Please contribute as generously as you can - $20, $50, $100 or more - so that we continue to be represented by a man with the courage and the vision to always represent our best interests. His voice is crucial to our future. And your support has never been more important.

Thank You
Re-Elect Congressman Kucinich Committee



Upcoming Events

If you plan to be in the Cleveland area, consider attending one of these upcoming events:

Sunday, Oct 12, join Dennis and Dierdre Hall of 'Days of our Lives' at our Annual Supporter Appreciation Picnic. Free of charge, but please make reservations now.

Oct. 22 - Evening with Melissa Etheridge, Cleveland, Ohio - Reservations required.

Country Needs to Save Homes and Jobs, No More Bailouts
by David Swanson
www.afterdowningstreet.org

Washington D.C. (October 6, 2008) -- Congressman Dennis Kucinich, (D-OH), who is one of the leaders challenging the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street, said that in light of the continued decline of the stock market, the lack of meaningful protections for homeowners and the likely collapse of additional mortgage backed securities such as Alt-A loans, that Wall Street might seek additional bailout funds.

"Think about it. Congress passed a $700 billion bailout and the market is continuing to plunge! At 3 p.m., the market was down close to 700 points. Already economists and the news media indicate that the $700 billion bailout passed on Friday is not enough," stated Kucinich.

"If Wall Street does come back for another bailout, we must be prepared in advance to say NO," stated Kucinich. "The bailouts of Wall Street must stop. It will never be enough. When the Federal Government gets involved in picking winners and losers on Wall Street, we open up a financial whirlpool of insatiable greed," he said.

"The fundamental problem that led to the credit crisis is that millions of homeowners are in jeopardy, and millions of people are out of work. Congress rushed to bail out Wall Street but sits on its hands when millions of homeowners are at risk," he said. "The only way to prevent another bailout is to take action which will directly impact the market stress at its root - - the millions of homeowners who face default on their mortgages. This is the path toward market stabilization," he said.

Kucinich has persistently advocated legislation that would give the government controlling interest in mortgage backed securities to "help homeowners save their homes by working out their payments, through restructuring the principal and the interest rate on their loans."

"We are now facing the perfect financial storm. The elements are the deficit spending for the war of 3 to 4 trillion dollars, the trillion more in tax cuts, the war itself, the lack of serious investment in our country and now $700 billion to Wall Street. We are being hollowed out. We are going to see more unemployment and more people losing there homes. With $700 billion we could have made a real investment in the country, in jobs, in infrastructure and in homes. Now we must invest in homeowners to prevent any additional bailout," add Kucinich.

Kucinich said he is preparing a bill, which will "prime the pump of the economy through helping people save their homes while putting millions of people back to work."

Dennis Kucinich, Congressman and Super Hero
by Sean Fenley, OpEd News.com

Dennis Kucinich, more than a congressman working for progressive change.

::::::::

Two time presidential candidate and long serving congressman of Ohio's tenth district, Dennis Kucinich, has an astounding and singular record of achievement and standing up for his principles in the U.S. House of Representatives. Most notably Kucinich has introduced impeachment articles against both George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, he voted against the Patriot Act, voted against the war in Iraq, voted against the unconstitutional Military Commissions Act, and also was one of three Democrats who voted against the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Act (which some have termed the Thought Crime Bill).

Kucinich has also drawn attention to issues that have been blacked out of the mainstream media, such as weapons in space, depleted uranium, and genetically modified food. And he's one of the few in congress who doesn't stand firmly and resolutely behind every action of Israel's. Of course, he's now run for president twice, on a platform that no Democratic nominee has come close to, since George McGovern (although his passion has not turned into votes, I think everyone would agree he's raised good issues). It should also be noted, that Kucinich is significantly braver than one would think a congressman from his district would be (he's not from San Francisco or Cambridge, MA).

Perhaps Kucinich is destined to become the Ralph Nader of the Democratic Party (a perennial also ran in presidential elections, but don't call him a spoiler for those who are inclined to do that, he endorsed Kerry in '04 and is currently supporting Barack Obama), but without him, the world, the Democratic Party and the Congress would certainly all be worse off for it. Some have called him a gatekeeper, who actually keeps good progressives in the Democratic Party (instead of working to build an alternative party or movement), but this is really nitpicking; because to complain that there is actually a legitimate progressive in the Democratic Party, doesn't make a whole lot of sense in my opinion (the Democratic Party is the problem and not the solution, but that doesn't mean it has to be).

Dennis Kucinich is more than a legislator and Congressman, he's a progressive super hero, doing the best he can to make the halls of Congress unsafe for those who would seek to violate the Constitution, despoil the environment, buy politicians' votes, redistribute wealth upward, and in general attempt to make America an aristocracy, rather than a democratic nation. Of course, all the malevolent forces I mentioned are currently succeeding quite nicely in Washington, but it's not because of, but rather in spite of Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Kucinich: It Is Still a Bad Bailout
posted by John Nichols
The Nation
10/03/2008 @ 11:37am

Good policy is rarely if ever set in the rush to an election.

But Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich keeps arguing that Congress should slow down and develop a responsible approach to the narrow questions raised by Wall Street's financial crisis and the broader question of economic instability on Main Street.

Most members of Congress want to get out of Washington and back to campaigning.

Kucinich is not afraid of staying in Washington and working.

Though the congressman faces a serious challenge this fall -- and a regular battering from his hometown newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer -- he is right about staying in Washington, both from a policy standpoint and from a political standpoint.

Ultimately, Kucinich's determination to stay focused on the economic fundamentals is likely to assure his reelection.

Why? Because voters really are concerned about the disconnect in Washington, where most politicians seem to be more wrapped up with the work of bailing out banks and getting out of town than with the dramatic new issues raised by unsettling unemployment numbers.

Kucinich "gets it."

That was clear in the speech he delivered during Friday morning's House debate on the curent version of Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson's Wall Street bailout bill:

"We have come a great distance in seventy-five years; from the New Deal to the Raw Deal, from having nothing to fear but fear itself, to being afraid of everything. We traded democracy's warm heart containing the ideals of faith, fairness and frugality, for the greedy, cold calculations of the Dow Jones ticker. The New Deal saved free market capitalism with jobs and regulation; now both sink in the swamp of speculation, manipulation and capitulation.
The Golden Rule of 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you,' is submerged by the rule of gold, 'do unto others before they do unto you.'
Some people will ask of this Congress, what were we thinking? Why did we give $700 billion bailout to Wall Street without fixing what caused the problem in the first place? Why did we rig the free markets for security fraudsters? Why didn't we explore alternatives to let Wall Street solve its own problems? Why didn't we have money save millions of homeowners, create millions of jobs, and a green economy? Why didn't we stop the speculators? Why wasn't there accountability? Why didn't we take time to make an intelligent decision?
Why? Why? Why?"