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Posted: September 6, 2007 9:39 AM
Kucinich Labors for Union Support
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Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, spent his Labor Day weekend trying to appeal to America’s working people.

In a video posted on his Web site, he reiterated his father’s involvement in a Chicago union and emphasized “how having a chance to participate in a union is so important and … that those of you who have dedicated your lives to making sure that worker’s rights are upheld should be celebrated on this day.”

Despite Kucinich’s support, many unions are more interested in which candidate has the best shot of winning and bringing their causes to the foreground, according to the Associated Press.

“If loyalty and reliability were the only qualifications for an endorsement, even union officials say Kucinich and [former North Carolina Democratic Sen. John] Edwards would get them all. But with unions starting to line up behind candidates four months before the voting, the word that counts most seems to be ‘electability,’” the AP reported.

Kucinich has busied himself with additional agendas this week, including meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad as part of a Middle East peace initiative.

“It’s an unusual expenditure for a campaign, since there aren’t many people in Damascus and Beirut qualified to vote in a U.S. presidential primary, but since Kucinich, a long-shot candidate, talks during appearances about bringing peace to the Middle East, it make sense for him to meet with leaders there, his campaign says,” reported the “Cleveland Dealer.”: http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2007/09/kucinich_campaign_expenditure.html

Kucinich plans to make other stops in Syria and Lebanon over the next five days. His spokesman said the trip is a fact-finding, not a diplomatic, mission.

“President Assad will be pleased to know that there are many Americans who are committed to peaceful relations,” Kucinich said, reported PR Newswire. “I believe that Syria can play an important and constructive role in achieving peace in
Iraq and throughout the Middle East.”

Kucinich expects to be in Florida later in the week to campaign in Palm Beach and participate in Univision’s debate at the University of Miami on Sunday.