This iconic Disney song is the soundtrack for a 90-second spot produced by Democrat Rosemary Palmer's campaign [view the spot]. The gritty travelogue is posted to YouTube and and local political web sites. In contrast to the music, the images show graffiti-tagged, dilapidated houses and broken down factories while subtitles chide Kucinich for being out of town on the day a national poverty study again ranked Cleveland one of the country's poorest areas.
Palmer, a former teacher and freelance journalist, initially supported Kucinich. She now says his presidential hopes have made him ineffective.
Rosemary Palmer: When Cleveland was rated among the top 10, actually we were the number 4 poverty area, Dennis was in Disney World. We hired him as our congressman. We expect him to be working for us.
But the do-it-yourself video has missteps. An industrial site in Tremont used to show rust belt decline is set to be renovated. And Kucinich was at Disney speaking to a machinists union with other presidential candidates, not on vacation as the video suggests.
The Kucinich campaign has not responded to the video.
Palmer has scheduled a press conference today and plans to challenge Kucinich to five debates.
Kymberli Hagelberg, 90.3.