Kucinich supports a smaller defense budget...is this problematic ?

[kentuck]

http://www.pressherald.com/news/local/030830kucinich.shtml

Is it akin to slicing your wrists to suggest you want to cut the defense budget at this time of "war"? The majority of folks would probably say "yes". However, I don't think it has to be. Democrats need to present it in such a way that cannot be spun as "weak on defense".

For example, Kucinich says that he would support cutting defense spending by 15%. We all know that would be a good thing and could be done without harming our national security. But the American people have been sufficiently brainwashed to believe just the opposite.

Democrats need to present such a proposal as "cutting the waste" out of the Defense budget and by increasing benefits for our troops. By supporting more pay for our troops means we would have to take money away from some of the pork in the defense contracts. This would make it palatable to the American people, in my opinion. So, I think it would help Kucinich and others to clarify it in such a way when they present cuts in defense spending. Just my opinion.

[CMT]

1. it shouldn't be

but in the real world it is. The Defense budget for some reason is a sacred cow yet it has more fat in it than any other budget. If DK explains clearly where his cuts are and why he might be able to pesaude some. However, the media and Bush would still try and paint DK out as a radical who is trying to undermine our troops during war time. That garbage. If DK was in the position Dean is in now in the polls and fund raising the DLC and the rest of the establishment would be more up in arms than they are regarding Dean. But DK's appeal is that he is a uncompromising liberal and i'm glad someone is out there talking about the defense budget.

[ozymandius]

2. It is a defensible in one regard.

Why sould the Pentagon need any more money when they cannot locate more than a trillion dollars lost down some accounting hole?

I say let the DoD get its act together before we "throw money" at a war and, otherwise, boondoggle projects.

[kentuck]

4. That has to be part of the big picture...

It has been reported for some time that Defense Dept is "missing" $1 trillion dollars! Yet, it doesn't seem t make a wave. I think that is the "proof" that we use to show that we need to cut the "waste" in Defense spending. We cut cut 20% and give 5% back to our troops. I think that would be the political savvy way to sell it to the people.

[LWolf]

3. Dennis clarifies it well when he speaks.

The details don't ever seem to wind up in the press. I think the real question is how to get the message out to people who don't show up to meet or hear the candidates in person.

[kentuck]

5. Sometimes it's better to put it in writing...

In the NYTimes or WashPost, for example.

[w13rd0]

15. DETAILS don't seem to wind up in the press...

...on ANYTHING, coming from ANYONE. DETAILS about Bush's "proposals", or the details about anything any of the candidates say. We don't live in a "detail" oriented society. It's all about the quick sound bite, and that's a disservice to everyone.

[revcarol]

6. You remember those "food stamp" E-1 and E-2 families?

Bush only gave them HALF the raise he promised, while giving higher grades the WHOLE pay increase. DK wants to give them the WHOLE PAY INCREASE PERCENTAGE everyone else got.Support the troops? DK says, "Put your money where your mouth is, Bush!!" He REALLY supports the troops.

And do we really need that Osprey which keeps killing people who test it? I know that sometimes people die testing airplanes, but this is outrageous. People lying to cover up design flaws that nobody has been able to fix for YEARS, and $$ just going down the drain for a plane nobody wants.

[bahrbearian]

7. Go Dennis !!

He sure has some Guts,,

[AnAmerican]

8. Not in any way problematic

He needs to keep hitting it, hard. Bring it up at every speech. 1 trillion dollars down the hole. No accounting. 15% is a pittance compared with the enitre DoD budget.

He supports the troops, he does not support pork barrel projects which serve no purpose other than to fatten the bankrolls of the defense corporations.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

9. The way I heard Dennis explain it...

Sounds like it would work. He really says it like it is, I saw him on CNN a few weeks ago and agreed with virtually everything he said.

[WilliamPitt]

10. Depends on who's doing the talking

If the media people are allowed to spin this issue against him, he's fucked and 'soft on defense' etc. If, however, he can get his perspective a broad play - and talk specifically about that missing trillion dollars - he will make headway.

[Ardee]

11. One reason I support Dennis

is his lack of fear to speak the truth, contrary to some on this board who quake in fear of those democrats ( or others) who actually do so.

I believe in the american people, unlike those who call them lazy or stupid or whatever, thus I believe that, if treated as adults, if given the facts, honestly and forthrightedly(sic)they will make the correct decisions.

Our infrastructure is a mess, our schools are deteriorating, our workers are not working in large numbers, our seniors are eating cat food,tens of millions are without health care....all the while the defense contractors are reaping billions in profits, and greatly inflated profits as well!

Our military is and can remain the best equipped military in the world ,even with a reduction in their budget, a savings that can go a long way to solving some urgent problems within our nation....

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

12. The fraud and waste at the Pentagon has been a HUGE issue for YEARS

Kucinich is one of the first to take it on. It's polically risky when you call it the DEFENSE budget, instead of the COROPRATE WELFARE PENTAGON BEAURACRACY budget, but it's been a serious problem at least since Vietnam. Remember the "peace dividend"?

This is part of Kucinich economic liberalism, which most candidates are too afraid to support. They are busy being "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" which usually means they will stand up for the rights of rich gays and lesbians, and screw the poor ones.

As usual, Kucinich is taking the lead on the most important issues, while the other candidates play catch-up. I wish Kucinich and Gephardt would get together to push for the international living wage.

[diamondsoul]

13. I've pushed this

at several people on Kucinich Staff recently. That we need to be doing something to get a clearer idea of where the funding will go out to the public. I've also suggested that Dennis himself focus on funding the needs of the troops over building new weapons when he talks about Defense spending. That's a huge factor in the military voting block right now considering the hits they've taken from *.

The bottom line he is NOT soft on defense, he's hard on waste and stealing from the mouths of soldiers, we just need to show that to the public.

[camero]

14. There are some overseas bases which could be closed

Really, why do we have to be all over the world? The Germans don't really need us anymore, the Japanese have been protesting against our bases for years. We have alot of bases in countries that don't even need us for thier defense anymore so why waste money on this.

And if we do close them, we won't look like Roman Gladiators to the rest of the world.

[Kamika]

16. Well it wont win him the nomination

Alot of people wants our army as it is if not for a job a patriotic reason.

**to mods** i think you can want to keep todays army budget without being an conservative. What i wrote above does not in any way mean that i am a conservative. It is just a general assumption i have.

[Terwilliger]

17. If we want to rule the world, we'll need an efficient "defense" budget...

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

We need to rule the world through the pen and the word and the deed...NOT the fucking gun, bomb, or sanction.

[leftofthedial]

18. It's in the details

He needs to specify how the remaining 85% would be used differently and more effectively.

But it is potentially problematic. The Murkan public understands sound bites, not details. The Repugs would come up with a clever sound bite lie. That would be hard to counter.

[MaverickX]

19. absolutely...

I don't believe we need to cut military spending across the board, instead we need targetted cuts in the defense budget. We can then take the money saved from these cuts to finance necessary increases such as pay increases for those in the military. Kucinich cannot take money appropriated for defense, regardless how wasteful it is, and use it on nondefense purposes like his Department of Peace.