Disgruntled Kucinich Supporter

Zbignew Zingh's letter to Dennis Kucinich (excerpt):

....Now that the Convention is underway and the November elections loom just around the corner, you, Dennis, and everyone else from the Democratic Party, have launched a united campaign to rally all of us behind the Kerry ticket, whatever it does or does not stand for. We recognize, as you do Dennis, what is at stake in this election. We recognize, as you do, Dennis, that Mr. Kerry, is another Lesser Evil in a succession of elections between one Evil and another. We also recognize that for Mr. Kerry to woo the Left might cost him votes on the Right and Center, and that to satisfy all, he may satisfy none. And we recognize that when Mr. Kerry squeaks out his win in November the Democrats - that is the DLC Democrats - will claim a Mandate for their neo-liberal policies that the Left detests, and the Muckamucks will party and snicker and congratulate themselves for, once again, having roped in their wayward lefty mice. We do not begrudge the Party its party. We, too, will lift a glass to the demise, and we will dream (forlornly) of criminal trials, here and abroad, for the present administration. Nevertheless, we want something from the Democratic Party, Dennis. We want more than a pat on the head for being good little boys and girls who have returned home after running away for a while. We are not children any more; we want adult political rewards for our role in returning the (Hold Your Noses) DLC business-as-usual Democrats back to power. We want more than just the rumor of a possibility of a chance of a few scraps of access to the second and third tiers of Power. We want, in other words, to be assured of some significant influence and tangible results for our effort. Dennis, we thank you for the experience and for the wisdom we learned while working in your campaign. However, you have not the authority to tell us for whom to vote in November. We might vote for Ralph Nader or we might vote for John Kerry or we might vote for a Third Party or we might not vote at all. Who we will vote for is still our choice, and we will not make that decision until The Last Minute. In the meanwhile, Dennis, tell the Leaders of the Democratic Party who are now your pals: If they want our votes, if they want to win in November, then they need to show us what tangible results we will achieve, specifically what we will gain, and how our issues and concerns will be advanced if we are to help Mr. Kerry get elected. Our votes are here. Let Mr. Kerry come and earn them.

I was a strong supporter of Dennis Kucinich. It appears that Dennis succumbed to the strong-armed tactics of the DNC and did not demand their attention to the voice of the Progressives as forcefully as he had campaigned for his principles during the primary season. I always knew Dennis never had an ice cube's chance in hell of getting the party's nomination. However I threw my financial support behind him because, more than anyone else, he espoused the moral and political principles to which I so strongly adhere, and he convincingly promised to carry his campaign to the party's elite at the convention and force the party to heed our desperate voices. When push came to shove, he failed miserably.

The question now is, who is going to pick up and carry the Progressive banner that Dennis so gracelessly dropped?