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U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) speaks during a news conference to announce his vote on the health care reform legislation March 17, 2010 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Kucinich said he will vote in favor of the health care reform legislation. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
On Wednesday an announcement was made that could strategically swing the fate of the much debacled Obama healthcare saga.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) announced today that he would "reluctantly" vote for the Democratic healthcare bill that the Obama administration is trying pass.
"This is a defining moment for whether or not we’ll have any opportunity to move off square one on the issue of health care… And, so even though I don’t like the bill, I’ve made a decision to support it…" Kucinich said, as quoted by politico.com
Kucinich, well known as an uncompromising liberal, has met with President Obama several times about the healthcare bill. Obama had lobbied him in both public and private about the bill.
Even though Kucinich's vote will not clinch the healthcare bill, his move to support the bill is seen as a strengthening on the issue among Obama's fellow Democrats. Earlier this year, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), agreed to vote favorably on the bill in the second round, after having opposed it for months.
Dennis Kucinich has been representing the 10th District of Ohio in the House of Representatives since 1996. He served as mayor of Cleveland, Ohio for two years in the 1970s, and in the 2004 elections, ran for nomination in the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination race.
A staunch liberal and Democrat, he has been among the severest critics of former President George W. Bush.
