In a surprising move, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) spent his Saturday speaking to marijuana activists at Seattle’s annual Hempfest.

“Open America! Show yourself! Mass action! This is why, and how, recent movements for freedom in Tunisia and Egypt gained momentum,” the congressman said.

“This is how Gandhi’s march to the sea cast off the British Empire. This is how America’s suffragettes gained for women the right to vote. This is how Dr. Martin Luther King’s March on Washington became a pivotal moment in the history of the civil rights movement.”

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Kucinich, who’s long been a congressional representative from Ohio, has been making appearances in Washington state ahead of an anticipated run for office in one of their liberal districts. He’s expected to be cut out of Congress by a redistricting effort by Ohio Republicans, who’ve seized upon the 2010 census figures to cut out one of their most ardent opponents. Some of his strongest support during the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns also came from Washington state.

Watch this video, uploaded to YouTube Aug. 21, 2011.