Posted by Rick Pearson But Iowa Democratic officials said the Ohio congressman was off base in contending the party was behind his exclusion from Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry today, featuring all the major Democratic contenders, as well as a forum set for Thursday by the seniors' organization AARP. "The whole purpose of the primary and caucus season is to provide voters with opportunities, not to enable a carnival of interest groups to subvert the process," Kucinich said. "When party leaders and their allies pre-select which candidates they will allow the voters to hear, it's a disservice to the voters. Iowans deserve better than a rigged game." But Carrie Giddins, the communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party, said the party organization had nothing to do with Kucinich's lack of invitations and called his attack "misguided." Still, Giddins said she didn't disagree with the rationale to exclude him. "He doesn’t really have a large presence in Iowa. He's visited the state now twice, maybe three times, since the beginning of the year," Giddins said. "Iowa caucus-goers want to see the candidates and shake their hands. He has not given them the opportunity to do that." Giddins also noted that Kucinich is one of two Democratic contenders that have not signed a pledge to campaign only in the first four caucus and primary states under the national party's calendar. That calendar preserves Iowa's first-in-the-nation status while other states are trying to leapfrog the process. Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel is the other candidate who has not signed the pledge. "It's a two-way street," Giddins said of Kucinich's lack of devotion to Iowa.
on September 17, 2007, 7:45 pm
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Democratic presidential contender Dennis Kucinich launched a broadside at Iowa's Democratic Party on Saturday, accusing it of creating a "rigged game" against his longshot bid by excluding him from two major events this week.
Kucinch said in a statement that he was not invited to both events after event representatives said he did not have a sufficiently active organization in Iowa. Kucinich contended he was polling better in Iowa than others who will participate.
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