Since the Michigan primary yesterday was a bit of a sleeper event (at least on the Democratic side), I’ll forego the little link-dump sessions I’ve been doing and instead post a bit about a couple of candidates in particular: Dennis Kucinich and Mike Huckabee.

“I took a quiz and Dennis Kucinich and I agree on everything but gun control. I’m short. I’m a little funny lookin’. Where’s my tall, hot, redheaded wife?” — SF media blogger Brittney Gilbert

I’m sure you know that this is Kucinich’s second campaign for the Democratic nomination. Early on Kucinich was branded as a “weirdo” by the media, a reputation he may or may not have actually earned. His unconventional personal views and associations with people like Shirley MacLaine no doubt are responsible for most of the name-calling; this time around the press seem obsessed with his admission that he thinks he saw a UFO. Politically, however, Kucinich’s positions and actions put him squarely in the progressive camp, far more so than any of the major candidates, and in a campaign season where the buzzword is “change”, it is worth noting that all of the other Democratic candidates and some of the Republican ones now claim much of the same territory that Kucinich has had all along: anti-war, anti-PATRIOT Act, anti-torture, proposals for global warming, nuclear disarmament and dialogue with Iran, and so on. Only the unshakable media label as “weirdo” separates him from Obama, Clinton and Edwards.

Kucinich has emerged as a voice of conscience in the Democratic Party at a time when one is very badly needed. His bill to introduce the impeachment of Dick Cheney was turned into a political football in the fall, but has been resuscitated and pushed forward by others. While the Democratic Congressional leadership refuses to take action, his voice has been consistent and clear. Last week, after the outcome of the New Hampshire primary caught most pundits and pollsters by surprise and led to vocal accusations (primarily from the Ron Paul crowd) of vote tampering, Kucinich was the only candidate to call for a recount, not to boost his own support but to help maintain the integrity of the election and of American electoral politics in general. Also last week, after the Bush Administration’s ham-handed attempt to gin up a laughably bad video of a “conflict with Iranian speedboats” and Bush’s own absurd declaration that Iran is “the greatest threat to world peace”, Kucinich was the only candidate to denounce Bush for his saber-rattling and his exaggerations. But he had to actually go to court to argue that he should be included in last night’s debate in Las Vegas (he was denied), while Republican candidates like Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson, who are also only drawing single-digit support, continue to be treated as “major candidates” in what has obviously narrowed into a 3-way race.

Even though I had a little fun at Kucinich’s expense about his tall, hot, red-headed wife, I admire Dennis Kucinich. I cannot say with sincerity that he would be a good president, but I think more Americans are probably in agreement with his positions than they realize, and I think that the more successful candidates, particularly Barack Obama, need to listen to him and align themselves in his direction. It’s my intention to vote for Dennis Kucinich on MegaTuesday, even though I completely understand that come November I will be voting for the inevitable Clinton/Obama - Obama/Clinton ticket.

Meanwhile…

Mike Huckabee would like to amend the Constitution “to meet God’s standards”. He also took a little time off from campainging in New Hampshire to stand up in the pulpit and remind his fellow Christians that they are the “army of Christ” and need to be prepared to give up some relationships to serve God. He’s also likened homosexuality to the plague, told Fox News that God was responsible for his success in the Iowa caucuses, openly denounces evoluition, and is the only candidate who supports denying citizenship to children born in the United State of illegal immgrant parents.

Now, you tell me which one is the “weirdo”.