Ani DiFranco and Willie Nelson are some of the first big-name musicians to align themselves with a presidential candidate: Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a proponent of universal health care and increased aid to small farmers.

"He's got all the right ideas and I was just instantly struck by how different he is from any politician I've ever met," DiFranco says. "I believe him to be a really good man who has a real understanding of himself as a public servant, which is what a politician is supposed to be. He's not a self-aggrandizing strategist or corporate whore. He's the real thing."

Nelson will appear in radio ads for Kucinich, and both Nelson and DiFranco are scheduled to perform a concert this fall to draw out supporters. "This is the heartland tour," Kucinich says. "The thing about Willie, he's very thoughtful about this country and about matters affecting the world. His concern is just genuine. And Ani is a woman who declares her independence every day of her life and lives it. That kind of courage resonates with who I am."

Kucinich may need the help: An August 6th poll placed him last among the nine Democratic candidates.

LAUREN GITLIN
(August 27, 2003)