For the longest time, I thought the following three things were true about Dennis Kucinich.

1) Kucinich was liberal.

2) Kucinich had the highest degree of integrity.

3) Kucinich cared about the middle class and the poor.

I admit that I was completely and absolutely wrong. None of that ever had a shread of truth to it. He made that completely clear when he announced today that he would vote for the HMO/health insurer wealthcare bill. In a previous posting, I specified what this bill would actually do, which is what Kucinich is actually voting for.

1) Fines people for not being able to afford health insurance.

2) Makes it possible for the HMOs and health insurance companies to add astronomical premium hikes to already sky high rates.

3) Cuts life saving care for people on Medicare.

4) Puts into place unconscionable restrictions on abortion. (Yes, I know the Stupak restrictions are even worse, but that's still no excuse.)

5) Creates tax penalties for employers that provide mediocre health plans instead of terrible ones. (The mediocre plans are what the corporate media refer to as "Cadillac Care.")

6) Shovels a lot more of our nation's wealth in the direction of the HMOs and health insurers and away from the middle class and the poor.

I've taken the link to the Kucinich campaign off of my blog. I've unsubscribed from Kucinich's email list. Obviously, I won't be making any more campaign contributions, though Kucinich won't care. The enormous amount of HMO/health insurer money we all know Obama promised Kucinich on Air Force One will completely overshaddow the modest contributions a middle class person like myself can afford to give.

The sad reality is that Kucinich is just as much of a bought politician as Obama, Kantor, Pelosi, Reid, the Clintons, Scott Brown, or any of a number of sleazebags in Washington. He only pretends he is different in order to manipulate liberals and progressives.

Some of Kucinich's progressive critics have accused him of being a gatekeeper who blocks access to real dissent by the left against the Demopublican Party. Of course, Kucinich is acting just as much as a gatekeeper blocking dissent from centrists. The Public Option, which Kucinich betrayed is not a liberal position. It is a wishy washy moderate compromise. But, even that had to be sacrificed to grab the HMO/health insurer big bucks.

Fuck you Dennis Kucinich and the HMO powered, mechanical jackass you rode in on. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I never will be fooled by you again.