The latest Rasmussen poll in New Hampshire shows Dennis Kucinich in fourth place, tied with Bill Richardson at 7%. This shouldn’t come as such a surprise, however.

First, Kucinich has already been tied with Richardson in various national polls, such as Rasmussen, Fox, Diego/Hotline. It’s really been the early states, like Iowa and New Hampshire that Kucinich has been significantly behind in the polls, a result of the intense money being spent in those states. 

But, second, and more significantly, the Kucinich Campaign has been actively working with leadership in the Independent voting community. Jim Mangia, head of Independent Voice, who has been instrumental in introducing Kucinich to other Independents working to reform the political process; meetings with leaders in the national movement like Linda Curtis, director of Independent Texans, and Jacqueline Salit, executive editor of The Neo-Independent magazine and president of the Committee for a Unified Independent Party, which:

mounts political, legal, legislative and organizing challenges to partisan control of the political process. It has pioneered methods of organizing independents without a political party, creating independent voter associations to project the voice of the 35% of the electorate that considers itself independent.

As I posted before, two weeks ago, Kucinich met with and addressed a few hundred Independents in New Hampshire, at a conference sponsored by the New Hampshire Association of Independent Voters, where he received an overwhelmingly positive response. To cheers and rounds of applause he stated:

“The Democrats have learned nothing since 2006,” he said. “Back then, the Democrats promised that if they were put back in control (of the House and Senate) that the war in Iraq would end. Now (estimates) predict there won’t be an end until at least 2013.”

“I want a Democratic party that’s responsive to the needs of all Americans . . . (politicians) shouldn’t be called upon to be loyal to one political party, we’re elected to be loyal to something with much more power – the Constitution.”

As Independents are largely a growing number of dissafected Republicans and Democrats seeking genuine political reform, ending the domination of special interests groups in the political process, and positioning themselves aggressively against this war/occupation, Kucinich is the Democrat who can best mobilize these votes in the primary and general election.

Independent voters, who now make up between 35%-42% of the electorate, have nearly grown into the majority in New Hampshire. As Jacqueline Salit noted at the conference:

registered independents in New Hampshire, for instance, have increased from about 28 percent of total voters several years ago to roughly 45 percent today…

“Why are so many (voters) becoming independents?” Salit asked. “Because by declaring ourselves independents, we’re saying we don’t like what the political parties are doing to our country.

These are the voters who are willing to take a stand. These are the voters who will not be told who is or is not electable. These are the voters that could well decide this election, and could well decide it for Kucinich.

Electability is not a fixed characteristic of a candidate, it doesn’t exist in a vaccuum. It’s easy to dismiss a candidate polling at 2-3% as unelectable. All one does is point to the polls to effectively undermine any other argument. This, further, provides the media with an excuse to not cover voices like Kucinich, creating a viscious cycle that virtually ensures the polling to remain low.

And this has been Kucinich’s major obstacle. It is the first 10-15% that is critical. Once you get there the myth of electability is no longer tenable, forcing more media coverage, exposing more voters, pushing the polls still higher, and opening the door for every Democrat who has ever said, “I like Dennis Kucinich, but…”

So, get ready, America. At 7% we’re half way there in New Hampshire!