Left Behind
Published 18 years, 3 months pastAs I ambled up Concourse C this afternoon, I spotted someone who looked an awful lot like Dennis Kucinich coming the other way. I thought for a moment about stopping him for a bit of congratulatory chat—he’s pretty far to the left of even me, but I admire his staunch refusal to compromise his principles no matter how unpopular they may be—but he didn’t have a welcoming air about him. Maybe he was having an off day, or maybe he’s always like that, but I figured a politician would always be open to meeting “the public”. It seemed like something that would go with the career choice, but perhaps not.
About ten minutes after I saw him, there was an announcement over the public address system calling for Dennis Kucinich to return to gate C-24 for a lost item.
So I guess that even if he wasn’t having an off day when I saw him, he did later. Based on where I saw him and the timing of the announcement, he was very likely beyond the secure area when it was made. I’m not sure it’s possible to get through security on a used ticket; it seems like too much of a security risk to do so. Then again, how would we know?
I wonder what it was he left on the plane. (Let the political jokes take flight!)
P.S. “Search all bags for liquids etc. at the gate” has become “search the bags of occasional random passengers at the gate”, at least in Cleveland. So either the rules are already relaxing, or they’re still firming up. I kind of hope it’s the latter, though neither one really appeals.
Comments (6)
“I admire his staunch refusal to compromise his principles no matter how unpopular they may be”
Do yo feel the same about Joe Liebermam?
Wouldee: yes, actually. (Addendum: to the extent that I’ve been exposed to his principles and stances, that is. Kucinich is a local boy, so I hear a lot more about what he’s been up to than I do Joe L.)
Maybe this whole security thing was giving Dennis Kucinich an off day. Even before these recent changes, it was enough to give me an off day once in a while.
As far to the left as he is, I would imagine that not everyone who approaches him would be as complimentary as you planned to be. I don’t know if I’d always be open to speaking with people if I were in his shoes. I had the chance to see him at a candidate’s forum once and he was pretty friendly then. Then again, he was surrounded by a large crowd of people who, though they didn’t all necessarily think like him, weren’t going to boo him so that might explain that.
he’s always like that. a total tool. think what you want about his politics, but as a human, he can be a real steaming pile. i know, i’ve worked with him before. it’s best that you just walked by and let the fantasy continue.
politicians are this way in general, actually. i’ve made TV commercials for most of the lefties in NE Ohio, clear up to the federal level. when the camera is on, and there’s a crowd around, they are smooth. when everything is off, they are the most foul people i’ve ever known. and the righties can be even worse. :-)
I just flew on Tuesday (the 22nd), and they weren’t searching anyone at the gate. Seems like it’s back to the usual laptop-n-shoes xray routine (aside from the liquids in carry-on). I suppose, though, that means there’s a security hole if there’s items for sale on the gate side of things that could be MacGyverishly combined into some sort of incindiary device.