Kucinich backers stick with candidate

BOSTON – Dennis Kucinich didn’t ask them to do it. He asked them not to.

Many Kucinich supporters – including those from Maine – nevertheless cast their floor votes for the maverick Ohio congressman at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, despite his impassioned speech asking them to support the party’s eventual nominee, John Kerry.

Before the vote, and even before the prime time portion of the convention was called to order, Kucinich renewed his call to unite behind Kerry.

“We are left, right, center. We are one,” Kucinich, a staunch anti-war candidate, told the crowd, which interrupted his speech several times with cheers. “And we are one for John Kerry!”

Kucinich delegates from states including North Carolina, Hawaii and Colorado, also cast their votes for Kucinich.

In doing so, however, they all tried to clarify on the convention floor that they would support Kerry in November.

“The entire Maine delegation looks forward to working tirelessly to elect John Kerry as our next president,” said Maine Democratic party chairwoman Dottie Melanson before announcing that Maine would cast 28 votes for Kerry and six for Kucinich.

Maine has 35 delegates, but one delegate, former Gov. Kenneth Curtis, was not present.

The vote, the Maine delegates earlier explained, was meant to give progressive voters in Maine a voice at the convention.

Essentially, the stand was of little consequence, as Kerry still easily won the nomination.

Kucinich’s backers, virtually all of whom staunchly oppose the Iraq War, have been particularly steadfast in their support for the long-shot candidate, who placed third in Maine’s February caucuses.

The Maine delegation was among the most visible in its support for the former Cleveland mayor, unfurling homemade signs – although disallowed on the convention floor.

A fiery public speaker, Kucinich used the stump to rail against the Bush administration for going to war he said under false pretenses, including the assertion that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Kucinich said in his speech there were more pressing dangers at home.

“Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction! Joblessness is a weapon of mass destruction!,” Kucinich yelled over swelling applause. “Homelessness is a weapon of mass destruction! Fear is a weapon of mass destruction!”