Hedges: Have we evolved into a corporate state?
Kucinich: I Look at it as the political equivalent of genetic engineering. That we've taken the gene of corporate America and shot it into both political parties. So they both now are growing with that essence within. So what does that mean? It means oil runs our politics. Corrupt Wall Street interests run our politics. Insurance companies run our politics. Arms manufacturers run our politics. And the public interest is being strangled. Fulfilling the practical aspirations of people should be our mission. How do we measure up to providing people with jobs? It was a Democratic president that made it possible for NAFTA to be passed, causing millions of good-paying manufacturing jobs that help support the middle class. . . .
Hedges: Are we hostage to corporate dollars? Isn't this the only way you can become president?
Kucinich: It would appear that way, although of course I have taken another path. Are they - whoever "they" are - hostage to corporate dollars? I think that's fair. Who are they? Well, you have to get the scorecard. I used to go to baseball games when I was a kid. There was a guy who would run up and down the aisles waving scorecards, saying, "Scorecards, scorecards, can't tell the players without a scorecard." Each player had a number and you knew there position. In order to know people's numbers here you have to go to Open Secrets [http://www.opensecrets.org] and see who is contributing to them and study their votes. Then you know what position they are playing, and more important than that, you know whose team they are on. To me this is the kind of disclosure that is essential. But let's go way over that and look at it from up here. This is why we need to change the Constitution and provide for public financing for elections.
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