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Posted: July 5, 2007 4:48 PM
Kucinich Sees Bump in Support After PBS Forum
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If instant polls are any indication, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, may have been the big winner in last week’s Democratic presidential forum hosted by Tavis Smiley on PBS.

According to a PBS poll of voters before and after the discussion, Kucinich came away with the largest increase in voter support.

One glowing review came from Rufus Sanders of the Sandusky Register in Kucinich’s home state of Ohio.

“What Kucinich has going for him is that he’s not afraid to speak out on the tough issues. And when he speaks out, he is usually right on the money,” Sanders wrote in his column Monday. “He is bright and thoughtful. He does his homework and he verbalizes his points clearly, methodically and more than rationally. He is a gifted debater blessed with the ability to articulate, explain, analyze, dissect and disseminate information.”

Friday night, Kucinich appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, mostly discussing his term as mayor of Cleveland with the comic host.

Kucinich held a rally Sunday at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, Ore., reportedly drawing a crowd of nearly 500. There, he addressed issues such as universal health care and education.

“The petite vegan candidate may have been the third-string quarterback in high school, but last Sunday he was the starter, and his bubbly 29-year-old wife was the head cheerleader,” the Willamette Week Online reported.

Although he polled well in the wake of the forum, it is the traditional campaign appearances by the Congressman that seem to be the rarity.

The New York Times reported that lower-tier candidates like Kucinich appear at high-profile debates but spend less time campaigning than some of the front-runners.

This week, Kucinich headed a congressional evaluation of U.S. gas prices and fuel efficiency. Part of the study looked at the loss of gasoline in hotter climates. South Florida’s NBC6 reported that Kucinich said on hotter days, people are paying for gasoline they’re not getting, due to the heat causing the gasoline to expand, diluting its energy.