Dennis dropped out because his campaign was denied access to the audience of millions that was provided to other candidates. America's progress will always be dependent on those who push the edges of the box we live in, and foremost among them are passionate p[opulists with unpopular ideas like those of this courageous progressive from Cleveland. His wife is an ardent supporter of his work and his campaign who has worked tirelessly for him and would not have encouuraged him to give up. The loss is Ameriuca's because the energy of new ideas that move to the center through media exposure is lost, and as our conversation with ourselves collapses on itself, the victim is America's future. The snarky comment about his wife is evidence of the direction in which we are headed, where everything is trivial and meaningless and the valiant struggle of courageous politicians who buck the tide is a basis for laughter and derision. Slate should be ashamed of itself for contribuiting to that trend.

Joe Shea

www.american-reporter.com

I hoped the US news media would recognize their failures of recent years and begin to focus political coverage on serious and objective analysis of consequential issues.

This week's articles (XX Factor, Hot Documents, Press Box , etc.) spotlight personalities and trivialities. Are you unable to write intelligent, focused pieces about real issues or have you decided that TMZ style analysis is what the readers want?

America saw everything that it needed to about Kucinich back in 2004.

His ideas don't mesh with those of mainstream America, and the last thing we need is another idealogue who will force unworkable policy prescriptions. He was kept out of debates because he didn't meet the criteria.

So before a citizen gives public voice to an opinion, his ideas

must be scrutinized by you, or people like you, and approved

as worthy of being heard.

No doubt you would disagree with a Judge of the Canadian

Supreme Court who argued that society needs to promote,

"...the free flow of ideas essential to political democracy

and democratic institutions."

'So before a citizen gives public voice to an opinion, his ideas

must be scrutinized by you, or people like you, and approved'

yep. the people heard, and they weren't buying what comrade kucinivich was selling.

Sorry, you got the timeline wrong.

Kucinich presented his positions, starting back in 2004. I, and people like me, assessed his positions. He participated in many, many debates. He failed to get enough poll results, petition signatures, TV ratings, or whatever else the various sponsors of a few debates had set as requirements, so he didn't get to participate in those few debates.

Nevertheless, he got plenty of airtime, and little resonance. So it goes.