Ted Deutch candidate for Fl-19, took a position against Dennis Kucinich today...read more.....
Kucinich withdraws as Palm Beach County Democratic keynoter amid uproar over his Israel stance
by George Bennett | November 6th, 2009
Kucinich
With some local Democratic elected officials in open revolt over his record on Israel, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, has withdrawn as keynote speaker for next week’s Palm Beach County Democratic Party fund-raising dinner.
He’s the second Democratic keynoter to be scratched this week. The party dumped Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu on Tuesday because local activists were upset by her refusal to commit to blocking a Republican filibuster of health care overhaul legislation.
After Kucinich was announced as the replacement speaker, state Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, threatened a boycott and state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, County Commissioner Burt Aaronson and state Rep. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, voiced disapproval today.
Kucinich has a long history of criticizing the actions of the Israeli government, voting against congressional resolutions in support of Israel and opposing sanctions against the anti-Israel government of Iran.
With some local Democratic elected officials in open revolt over his record on Israel, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, has withdrawn as keynote speaker for next week’s Palm Beach County Democratic Party fund-raising dinner.
He’s the second Democratic keynoter to be scratched this week. The party dumped Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu on Tuesday because local activists were upset by her refusal to commit to blocking a Republican filibuster of health care overhaul legislation.
After Kucinich was announced as the replacement speaker, state Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, threatened a boycott and state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, County Commissioner Burt Aaronson and state Rep. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, voiced disapproval today.
Kucinich has a long history of criticizing the actions of the Israeli government, voting against congressional resolutions in support of Israel and opposing sanctions against the anti-Israel government of Iran.
His critics have "falsely characterized" those stances as being anti-Israel, Kucinich said this afternoon in an e-mail to Palm Beach County Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel. While defending his position, Kucinich said he didn’t want the controversy to hurt the local party’s money-raising efforts.
E-mail from U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich to Palm Beach County Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel:
Dear Mr. Chairman,
When I accepted your very kind invitation as a last-minute speaker at the Palm Beach Democratic event, I did so because I thought it would be helpful to the local party. I have since learned that some of your officials are falsely characterizing me as "anti-Israel" and threatening to boycott the dinner, costing the party needed resources, so I humbly withdraw.
I have always taken a conciliatory approach toward matters in the Middle East, as recently at a few days ago when I gave the following speech in Congress: http://kucinich.house.gov/...
I have always defended Israel’s right to survive and its right to defend itself. I believe in peace and have worked towards it my entire life.
I regret your officials never spoke to me because perhaps they would understand why despite taking a more independent voting path in Congress, I have still maintained close friendships and working relationships with members of Congress who are indentified as Israel’s strongest supporters. They know that when I speak out on matters in the Middle East, I come from an understanding of the importance of addressing the security and economic concern of all parties. We achieve understanding and peaceful relationships through communication,
You have my best wishes for a successful dinner and I am hopeful that anyone who had planned to attend the event will do so and continue to support the Palm Beach Democratic Party.
Sincerely,
Dennis J Kucinich
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Part II................................
Democratic dinner brouhaha escalates as health care skeptic Landrieu replaced by Israel critic Kucinich
by George Bennett | November 6th, 2009
More trouble for the Palm Beach County Democratic Party’s annual fund-raising dinner.
Its original Jefferson-Jackson name was dropped because of qualms about Thomas Jefferson’s slave ownership and Andrew Jackson’s Indian-removal policies. Then the renamed Truman-Kennedy-Johnson dinner’s planned keynote speaker, moderate Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, was unceremoniously dumped this week because party leaders disliked Landrieu’s stance on health care reform.
Now Landrieu’s replacement — liberal U.S. Rep. and former presidential candidate Denis Kucinich, D-Ohio — is prompting a boycott threat from state Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, because of Kucinich’s voting record on Israel.
State Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, has announced he won’t attend or support the event, calling Kucinich "someone whose position on Israel stands in total opposition to the conscience of this community."
Rader said he’s withdrawing his pledge to pay for a $1,500 table at next week’s event and will try to organize a boycott after learning Kucinich had been invited to speak.
"There’s probably a dozen members of Congress who consistently, always vote against Israel. Consistently. And Dennis Kucinich is one of them," Rader said.
Rader pointed, for instance, to the vote in the House this year for a resolution "recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza." It passed 390-to-5, with Kucinich one of the dissenting votes.
County Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel said it’s "not true" that Kucinich is anti-Israel and said of Rader: "if he’s trying to organize a boycott, that’s terrible."
An official with a national pro-Israel organization said Kucinich "stands out among hundreds of members of Congress as one of the most consistently anti-Israel votes in Washington."