UNDETERRED, KUCINICH KEEPS ON

HOOKSETT, N.H. -- Dennis J. Kucinich Was A Picture Of
Patience.

His minivan had hurtled down the highways to get him to the Local 131
union hall in time to fire up rallying workers, the Ohio congressman's
bread and butter. But now here he was, standing around in a small
office, precious minutes of a jammed, 14-hour day slipping away.
Howard Dean, his rival and the front-runner for the Democrats'
nomination, was somewhere in the building, and Dean would speak first.

"That's OK," said Kucinich, as his aides grew agitated. "Not a
problem. He may have arrived before us."

Finally, after Dean was done, and the MC acknowledged all the local
politicians present, Kucinich was introduced. Suddenly, the slight,
polite, New-Agey candidate was transformed into a firebrand, the
card-carrying son of the Cleveland working class, and a mortal enemy
of NAFTA.

"Everyone's for workers' rights at election time," he said, to cheers.
"When I'm elected president, it will be a workers' White House!"

Kucinich brought the house down; the workers hooted for him more
loudly than they had for Dean. But few beyond the room would hear
them: The TV cameras had left with the former Vermont governor.

So goes the long-shot presidential campaign of Kucinich, a campaign
conducted mostly under the radar, and with the aid of unmarked
minivans, fortuitous spurts of publicity, and enthusiasts willing to
scare up lunch for the candidate.

Pulling single digits in polls -- as in 1 percent -- he has struggled
for funds and attention.

Yet, among those who gather to hear him, Kucinich inspires enormous
enthusiasm. He attracts the true believers who were devoted to Green
Party candidate Ralph Nader in 2000, but are looking for an
alternative within the Democratic Party. In Kucinich -- a vehement
opponent of the war in Iraq, a critic of the mainstream media, and a
fervent advocate of free education, single-payer health care, workers'
rights, environmental protections, and legalized marijuana -- they
have him. The man is even a vegan.

"I'm urging Democrats to vote for him in primaries everywhere," said
Nader, who has known Kucinich for 25 years and has not ruled out his
own run for the presidency. "The Democratic Party has a genuine,
authentic progressive. Let's see how they react to him."