Is This Why Dennis Kucinich Doesn't Poll Higher???

There's a lot of theories as to why Dennis Kucinich hasn't been registering well in the polls, but look at this:

My New Hampshire phone rings (caller ID 000-000-0000 WTF?)and I pick it up out of curiosity. "This is (talking like a magpie so I haven’t got a clue what the name of the company is) Research. Would you like to be part of a poll for the Democratic presidential primary candidate?" I agree and the woman rapidly reads the list of candidates. "Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Dodd, Biden and Richardson." I say, "Kucinich." The woman on the phone says "Who?" I say, "Kucinich. Dennis Kucinich." I hear coaching in the background - apparently the call is being monitored. "I’m sorry, but Dennis Kucinich is not on our list. Is there anyone on the list I gave you who you would vote for?"

So there you have it. Kucinich is down in the polls because he isn’t included in the polls . . . and you can forget about Gravel, too.

Now, I can't say for sure whether or not this is true, but given some of the ways in which Kucinich has been discriminated against so far in this election, his name not being on the pollster's list seems entirely plausible to me. Consider the following:

1.)Kucinich is regularly considered as "third tier" behind Richardson, Biden and Dodd. Though, the criteria for such an evaluation is absolutely lacking. Kucinich polls ahead of Dodd in pretty much every poll that I've seen and trades places with both Richardson and Biden depending on the given poll. The most honest way to describe it would be to say that, below the top three "frontrunners", all is uncertain.

2.)The media regularly neglects Kucinich even in issues of factual claims. For example, months ago, when John Edwards first released his health care plan, both he and the majority of media frequently claimed that he was the only one to release a plan with detail. Yet, Kucinich's H.R. 676 had already gained the support of over 60 Represenatitives and 14,000 physicians.

This is similar to Gov. Richardson and the media claiming that the Governor is the only candidate who will withdraw ALL troops from Iraq, even though Kucinich has been talking about this for months.

3.)The media not only regularly neglects Kucinich from factual claims as stated above, and coverage in general, but has even been involved in incidents of willful distortion. If you arent't familiar with the ABC debacle, involving cropping of pictures and tampering with polls, please read about it here.

4.)Media outlets, Debate Forums and other organizations have gone out of their way to heavily restrict and/or completely eliminate Kucinich from the debate themselves. Examples inculde the above ABC debate in which Stephanopholous didn't ask Kucinich for about a half an hour and the most recent elimination from the health care debate, sponsored by AARP. It is important to note that AARP is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, spending over $36 million alone in 2005 lobbying Congress, as well as playing a part in the passage of the Medicare Part D legislation in 2003. As Kucinich, is the only candidate to call for the elimination of the private insurance system his elimination probably has far less to do with thier excuse.

So, forgive me if I see some plausibility in the possible pollster fraud. The fact is, Dennis Kucinich is taking on the most powerful organizations in the country: Military-Industrial, Insurance and pharmaceutical Companies, Corporate Trade Agreements for starters. However, as powerful as these sectors are we still have the power of votes; we have numbers. And it is time to stand up with Dennis Kucinich and take back our country. It's time to use our numbers against their dollars. It's time to support Dennis Kucinich!