by Norm Winick

Tad Daley, a Knox Alum, and Senior Policy Advisor to Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich, was in Galesburg Tuesday for two talks at Knox College.

Daley, who recognizes that the candidacy isn’t likely to end with his man in the White House, says that the campaign is important nonetheless. "Dennis isn’t likely to win but the progressive message must get out. Voting for Dennis sends a message not only to George Bush but to the Democratic Party that a lot of us have an alternative vision for America. If the voters in Illinois could give us 11 percent instead of the one percent the polls show, it would also send a message to John Kerry that the progressive movement is still alive."

"Dennis is the only candidate remaining who is talking about fair trade instead of free trade, who has been resolute against the war in Iraq, and is concerned about social and economic injustice in America. In my city of Los Angeles, the top richest 200 people have the same total wealth as the bottom 2 million."

Daley predicts that the Democrats will win the White House this November even without Kucinich on the ticket: "The Republicans haven’t won the popular vote since 1988. If you add Ralph Nader’s vote to Al Gore’s in 2000, that was 3.5 million more votes than Bush got."

As for himself, Daley realizes the campaign will end soon. "I hope to try to get a job with the Kerry campaign; I really am very knowledgeable about a lot of national issues." I also may write a book about abolishing nuclear weapons completely — my personal goal."