Dennis Kucinich in Democratic debate in Columbia SC

On Corporations: Cleveland’s bankruptcy was hard decision but right decision

KUCINICH: In Cleveland, that default ends up being a badge of honor for me, because I stood up for the people of Cleveland against a takeover of our municipal electric system by a utility monopoly. Now imagine a president who’s willing to stand up to the Enrons of America. Imagine a president who’s willing to stand up to the monopolies in energy and in health care and in transportation and communication. Imagine a president who comes from the cities and will fight for working men and women and will fight for the poor. I have every expectation that I’ll be the next president of the United States because when the test came, I put my career on the line to save a municipal electric system for the people of Cleveland. And today people of Cleveland know that I did the right thing. And soon America will know that as well.

On Free Trade: Cancel NAFTA and the WTO

I think it’s time, not just to move around the edges of this issue, it’s time to cancel NAFTA and the WTO and return to a trading system that’s conditioned on workers’ rights, human rights and the environment.

Otherwise, workers are undermined at the bargaining table, jobs are going south and out of the county and off of this continent. We’re losing control of our own destiny with a $500 billion trade deficit and with rising unemployment. And I think that a core problem here is our trade policy. It’s time to get rid of NAFTA and the WTO.

On Health Care: Raise taxes for guaranteed, single payer, universal care

KUCINICH: We can phase in [an increase] in the payroll tax to 7.7% on all employers and have that be our mainstay of our national health care plan. We have to get the profit out of health care. And that means get the private insurance companies out of health care. Any plan that fails to do that is not going to deliver the best quality universal health care. I introduced HR676, Medicare for all: guaranteed, single payer, universal health care. It’s time to have health insurance for the American people, not the insurance companies.

Q: The Republicans are going to say there they go again, Democrats are raising taxes again. Is there anyone willing to rule out raising taxes?

LIEBERMAN: I am not willing to raise taxes to pay for health insurance in [that] way. All I am going to do is put the tax rate back to where it was when Bill Clinton was president, because we did a lot better under Bill Clinton than we are under George Bush.

On Homeland Security: Bush’s foreign policy of preemption is destabilizing

LIEBERMAN: I’d say how can we win this election if we send a message of weakness on defense and security after September 11, 2001? Protecting the American people’s security, giving them a sense of safety, making sure people in this country are not worried when their loved ones go out to the mall, or take a train, go to a movie theater--that is the first goal of our government, and that means being strong on defense and homeland security.

On Principles & Values: Grass-roots campaign to take back America for the people

As president, I will cancel NAFTA and WTO. I’ll restore our manufacturing jobs. Save our family farms. Create full employment programs, create new jobs by rebuilding our cities and schools. As president, I will repeal the PATRIOT Act, to regain for all Americans the sacred right of privacy in our homes, our libraries, our schools.

This is a grass-roots campaign to take back America for the people. Join me, for your cities, your towns, your farms, and your campuses. Join me, and let’s take back America.