Woolard Disputes McKinney Win

[NewJerseyDem]

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=49459

Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney claimed victory in the Democratic for the 4th district Congressional seat, but former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard immediately challenged that assertion.

With 98 percent of the precincts reporting, McKinney had 51 percent of the vote, just shy of the number needed to avoid a runoff.

McKinney in a speech to her supporters claimed to have the race well in hand.

"Start up the music, let's get it started," she said.

[KoKo]

1. I hope McKinney pulls it out... She deserves it...a great voice for some

of us "fringies."

[lalajohns]

74. Congrats to Ms. MiKinney

I wish her well.

[ibegurpard]

2. just shy?

Why would there need to be a runoff if she garnered 50+ percent of the vote?

[NewJerseyDem]

3. Still at least 12,000 absentee ballots uncounted

So, there are a number of votes left to count and McKinney could still fall under 50% and have to go into a runoff.

[jayavarman]

4. I hope it does go to a runoff

Cathy Woolard would be a better rep. & I look forward to a runoff.

[oasis]

5. How would she be better than a courageous patriot such as Cynthia?

[jayavarman]

7. Check it out for yourself

www.cathywoolard.com

[oasis]

11. McKinney stood up to Bush. WWWD?

What would Woolard do?

[notbush]

I'm sorry but Cynthia is not the kind of candidate

that represents the party to the average voter. She is seen as an extremist to most "middle of the road" voters.
We won't win a majority in the house with the likes of Cynthia.
She scares the hell out of the middle.

[oasis]

13. She won't be majority leader so your worries are over.

[AP]

23. House isn't the presidency or the senate. In thrives on diversity...

...of opinion.

The House needs people like McKinney far over on the left so that moderates can cast themselves as moderates where they need to.

[NewJerseyDem]

25. Perhaps

But, if she says extreme things on the House floor or in interviews, people may be turned off to the Democratic party by that "D" next to her name.

[lazarus]

48. Yeah

the way the Republicans are constantly hurt by the extreme statements of their fringe members.

The only way to move the party, and the country, to the left is to elect people who hold positions on the left.

All politics is compromise. Right now, we're compromising between the middle and the far right. I'd prefer to shift that leftwards, if possible.

[MetaTrope]

57. The extreme things McKinney says...

Like pointing out the remarkable similarities in packaging between airdropped food rations and cluster bombs?

[oasis]

69. Food rations and cluster bombs. She was no apologist for the Bushistas.

That's for sure. :yourock:

[bullimiami]

76. what extreme things?

everything she said has turned out to be true.
I guess the truth is for extremists now?

[jayavarman]

27. You are probably right.

I just wish it was in someone else's district

[stickdog]

32. So then, why did she crush the competition?

[jayavarman]

36. Crush???

?

[stickdog]

41. What do you call more than doubling the closest challenger?

[Forkboy]

42. It was a nailbiter I tells ya!

:)

[NewJerseyDem]

66. When there are 6 candidates, not that good

McKinney was the most well known and the race was a referendum on McKinney. She narrowly won that and since Georgia has a runoff, it doesn't matter how much you beat you opponent, it matters if you get a majority and she narrowly got it. The fact is there was 1 pro-McKinney candidtate (McKinney, obviously) and 5 anti-McKinney candidates that split and the anti-McKinney vote. Those 5 were just trying to keep McKinney below 50% and be the own to get in the runoff.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

98. How many of the voters that voted for other candidates would have...

...voted for McKinney instead?

You're making an incorrect assumption that ALL of the people who voted for other candidates would have voted AGAINST McKinney in a two-candidate race.

Here's the breakdown of the vote:

Cynthia McKinney (D) 48267 51%
Cathy Woolard (D) 18088 19%
Liane Levetan (D) 19643 21%
Connie Stokes (D) 4121 4%
Nadine Thomas (D) 2925 3%
Chris Vaughn (D) 1273 2%

[umtalal]

126. Look at the numbers.

Cynthia McKinny won and by a land slide. Go Girl.

[leesa]

61. The "middle" you are referring to is the right wing. She is not an

extremist, you are a conservative.

[TankLV]

63. Yeah - I guess being proved RIGHT on everything she's said and standing

the TRUTH is pretty extreme.

Give me a break.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

70. McKinney WAS an extremist...

...back when the media was doing nothing but repeat Bush Administration talking points. Now she's trustworthy and wise. What a difference eighteen months can make.

[enki23]

75. she isn't supposed to represent "the average voter"

she is supposed to represent the voters *in her district*. which, apparently, she does.

[WhiteTara]

100. Do we mean Sell Out Zell as

a middle of the road kind of politician?  Cynthia is a
courageous patriot and we need more like her not fewer!

[Politicub]

109. So what?

The democrat will win in this district, no matter who it is. I'm in the Congressional district in question in GA, so I know a thing or two about it. It covers much of metro Atlanta, which is far more diverse and liberal than the rest of GA.

McKinney is more bold than Woolard. I like Kathy Woolard, but she disappointed me very much in her post as president of the Atlanta City Council. In hindsight, it's clear to me that her moves on the council were made to shore up her moderate credentials for her congressional run.

McKinney has always been against Bush's folly, and that was a big deal when all of the congress was falling all over itself to support Bush's war on Iraq. She was one of the voices in the wilderness, and I believe that has resonated with the dems in my district in Atlanta.

In DC, I can imagine Woolard trying to blend in and not create waves as to not draw unnecessary attention to herself. That's not the type of person the dems need right now, so I'm confident that McKinney will do us proud.

[noiretextatique]

117. "the average voter"

in mckinney district obviously disagrees with you.

[StandUpGuy]

119. She is viewed as an extremist because of the RW echo camber

spreading lies and dis-information about her.

Is this another example of us asking our heroes to stop embarrassing us ?

[dolstein]

8. Sorry, but a lot of people in her district thought she did a lousy job

And judging by the election returns, many of the residents of District 4 still feel that way. Garnering 51% of the primary vote against a very weak and divided field is hardly a ringing endorsement.

[oasis]

10. "a lot of people in her district" are probably Zellots (sic)"

edit: spelling

[jayavarman]

14. Shows how little you know about "her district"

You probably know as much about my district as I do about yours.

[oasis]

16. We're talking about the same district which sent her to Washington 5x.

Is that the same 4th district?

[jayavarman]

21. ?

They sent her 5x and are 'zellots'?

You miss my point, not living here, u don't really know- right?

[oasis]

29. I'd guess your point is that you'd rather have her opponent in that seat.

I and fifty one percent of the district would rather have Cynthia, it seems.

I don't live there, but we both live in a democracy. Cynthia will take that seat with a majority vote. That's what I do know.

:think:

[rinsd]

116. The first gay woman from the South?

You would have a problem with such a rep?

[oasis]

130. See my original post #5. It's about having the courage to take a stand.

That's one charcterisctic that I admire in people. Sexual orientation has nothing to do with it.

[rinsd]

108. LOL.....that's pretty funny (nt)

[gratuitous]

17. Well, they certainly did last time around

And the Mighty Republican Wurlitzer worked double time to defeat her in 2002. In 2004, her criticism of the corrupt Bush administration maybe looked a little more prescient to her district.

[IndianaGreen]

22. And you preferred the Zell Miller and ultra-Zionist backed Majette

:puke:

[NewJerseyDem]

28. Denise Majette had a solidly liberal voting record

I don't see why anyone would have a problem with her. Whoever backs her is not important. George H.W. Bush endorsed Edwin Edwards for governor of Louisiana in the 1991 runoff, so would it have been better if David Duke won?

[IndianaGreen]

31. Any stooge for the Likudniks

is not a friend of progressives.

[dolstein]

72. And anyone who resorts to mindless Israel bashing

isn't a progressive, period.

[Forkboy]

85. And anyone who can't tell the difference between bashing Likud and Israel

is no progressive either.

[StandUpGuy]

123. Like the difference between a Naderite and a bush supporter

Some here say there is no difference at all.

[umtalal]

127. right on I am with you. n/t

[stickdog]

33. That's such a sad Repuke spin that it's not even funny. (nt)

[Forkboy]

35. Ah,the next best thing to having Carlos here

Tell me,why should I take your word over people who live there?

Especially in light of your love for Lieberman,which casts a shadow on all other opinions?

[NewJerseyDem]

38. Well, 49% of the voters voted against her

So, I think that shows that a lot of people in the district don't like her since the race was pretty much a referendum on McKinney. So, you don't have to take dolstein's word for it.

[Forkboy]

39. And 51% did vote for her

So,I think that shows that a lot of people DID like her,including some DUers that are actually in her district that I trust a hell of a lot more than Dolstein,who has railed against McKinney many many times before this.

[NewJerseyDem]

40. True

But, all Dolstein said was that a lot of people in her district don't like her and that is accurate as well.

[CatWoman]

62. LOLOL

You really miss Carlos, don't you :D

[Forkboy]

86. I do,I really do

All the other trolls here are just amatuers compared to him. :)

[ulysses]

43. LOL!

It just eats you up, doesn't it? :D

[MGKrebs]

60. Divided maybe. But that slate is in no way weak.

A former- and very popular- CEO of the County, a popular City Council President, and two other experienced politicians.

[Eloriel]

131. Neither Woolard nor Levitan were "weak" candidates --

both names are well known in and around that District and DeKalb County. Liane Levitan was CEO of DeKalb County for many years. Cathy Woolard served on the Atlanta City Council for a good number of years. If they'd been "weak" candidates, they'd have gotten in the low single digits.

[gratuitous]

6. She's ba-a-a-a-ack

Bwahahahahahahahaha! All those machinations for nothing, Repubbies, and even Diebold can't save you in November!!!

[jayavarman]

9. Duh

The primary IS the electon in our neck of the woods . . . easy to like McKinney when she's not your rep, I would like her, too if she wasn't mine!

[gratuitous]

15. I think the Democratic party will survive Cynthia

And a few hard-nosed questions never hurt anyone. Well, unless they have something to hide and are embarrassed by their dissembling.

[jayavarman]

19. You are correct.

Last time around her campaign manager (who was her father) made several statements that could be construed as anti-Semitic. Really rubbed me the wrong way.

The 4th is one of the most diverse districts in GA, & everyone in the race today could be construed as a 'minority' of sorts.

Congrats to her, I guess, but I feel she got this win with very little support outside of her traditional 'base' & my fear is that she, in her heart, does not feel that 49% of the people in her district are even her 'constituents'.

[Classical_Liberal]

45. He was not her campaign manager in the last election

She should not be faulted for her fathers problems. He has been her campaign manager in 1996 until his problem with Jews surfaced. She asked him to quit(he did) and distanced herself from his comments. She is in trouble because she criticized Bush and had the audacity to support a Palestinian state. A real one, rather than Bantustan lands.

[sendero]

58. Anti-semitic?

Or merely anti-Israel. There's a big difference you know.

[IndianaGreen]

59. To Israel's surrogates in America

any criticism of Israel is labeled as anti-Semitic, a charge that scares the goyim to death because they are too lazy or too afraid to see it for what it is: a smear intended to quash debate!

[StandUpGuy]

124. There is no difference

remember some on this site believe a Nader supporter is a bush supporter.

With logic like that I'm sure you understand how it is impossible to dislike Israeli policy and like Jews.

[Bridget Burke]

65. So, you're not part of her "base"

What could that mean, exactly? Actually, I think I know.

Although I'm white, I'm glad to be represented by Sheila Jackson Lee. Even though I'm not part of her "base".

[Eloriel]

132. Right on, sister

Good observation there.

[dryan]

107. Wasn't her father also in politics

I seem to remember that he was in the Ga. legislature. Yes, he did say some thing that were incidiary and I don't care what party she is a member of, my relatives that live in her district say that she did a lousy job last time. Her staff let her down and she didn't listen to her constituents.

[NewJerseyDem]

12. I think the absentee ballots have been counted

I'm not 100% certain but it appears that they have all been counted and McKinney has won with 51% and she will be returning to Congress. This is very surprising based on the polls but McKinney had a grassroots operation so it was hard to tell how it would work out. I would have preferred Woolard, but hopefully McKinney will be a little bit more careful about what she says.

[jayavarman]

18. I think you are right.

.

[candy331]

20. She ought to be more careful about what she says, did she use words

like Cheney?

[jayavarman]

24. Well . . .

Her campaign manager said that the only reason that she lost last time around was "because of the Jews" & then went on to spell it out for everyone "J-E-W-S"

Never mind that the Jewish population of the district is maybe 5%-7%.

It struck me as the worst kind of race/ethnicity baiting & made me never want to be represented by her again.

BTW she never made a statement to distance herself from those remarks.

[ursacorwin]

56. actually, IIRC

the quote you mention related to the fact that AIPAC spent millions in the effort to unseat her, even though there are only 5-7% jewish constiuents in the district. and that this money came in a flood after she made her critique of israel, and how it treats the palestinians.

it was a slap in the face to many african-americans, not just in her district. american blacks just don't have the fundraising ability to counter huge sums of specifically directed money like what AIPAC spent. to some, it felt like a bunch of rich AIPAC supporters (who most likely are jewish) stepped in and told a bunch of folks in GA how they could live their lives.

and it was very painful to me, a longtime supporter of the state of israel and someone who's worked hand in hand on social justice issues with american jewish progressive groups, to realize that for many american jews, any critique of israel automatically makes one an 'enemy.' the way the palestinians are being treated is just so sad, and it reminds me and many other blacks of the way we were treated before the civil rights movement- the very thing that brought american blacks and jews together in the first place.

[myahquote]

67. Yes she won

Well I'm tired of responding to the misinformation being planted by some right wing AIPAC and other members. But this sounds like you got that story from something like that, I saw a few coming out recently. Anyway, Cynthia's campaign manager didn't say that. Her dad said it out of frustration, as he said last night sometimes he speaks out of turn. He's from an older generation where they sometimes throw around words that we attach a very negative meaning to.

But the Fact is her dad organized the first committee of black and jewish people in Atlanta. Her dad broke ranks with the black political structure when years ago he supported the Jewish Sidney Marcus for mayor of Atlanta against a black candidate. As Mr. Mckinney said on 11Alive last night his daughter told him to be quiet because sometimes he "speaks out of turm." He's a civil rights activist and its disgusting to see people try to paint THEM as the racists.

In the end McKinney's campaign had an incredible grass roots street effort. Against some very serious and well financed competition. It certainly has sent a huge message!

[jackstraw45]

77. Did Prince Alwaleed ever send her the $10 million?

Just because she is anti-Israel, people at DU love her.

She wanted to take $10 million from a Saudi prince right after 9/11 who only offered it in exchange for anti-Israel propaganda in New York.

Oh, and Saudi Arabia is the country where 19 hijackers came from on 9/11.

Oh, and if ANYONE has seen Farenheit 9/11, you know about Saudi Arabia, the country where on their NATIONAL tourist website, they briefly had a statement (until the media caught them) saying Jews were not welcome in Saudi Arabia.

I guess the "J-E-W-S" at DU must be CRAZY to not respect Cynthia's comeback efforts!

[myahquote]

82. jackstraw are you serious? prince letter

That Saudi prince who owns a major chunk of Citibank and other major corporations in the U.S. offered 10 million to Guilliani. He did NOT condition it on anti-israel propaganda. He merely said in another context with no requirement or strings his opinion that the U.S. should recognize why some people hate us.

It was Guiliani playing games, the little coniving you know what, he grandstanded and rejected it and made a link that did not exist.

McKinney was attacking Guiliani's grandstand and the hypocracy of the republicans.

Why don't you read the letter some great points were made. While people starve in the U.S. Rudy G slaps at a friend of the U.S. in order to increase his approval ratings.

The whole thing had absolutely nothing to do with Israel, yet articles that cite McKinney as being anti Israel often cite this incident. This is propaganda by a few small right wing people (many of whom have connections to AIPAC) to shut down a discussion.

[goclark]

133. I like her because of the way she supports

her own people!
The Israel - Palestinian situation has nothing to do with my support for her.

[Eloriel]

134. She's not anti-Israel

Nor anti-Semitic, and it's shameful in the extreme for you to suggest that.

She IS in favor of more rights (and less DEATH) for Palestinians. If that makes her that hateful to you, so be it. You can count me as an emeny as well.

And oh, btw. For those reading this thread who are curious as to how the meme that any criticism of Israel or its policies and actions = anti-Semitism (as I used to be), here's a clue for you, a quote from an article well worth reading in its entirety:

Halper: Yes. Anti-Semitism feeds on the idea that Israel is a victim. The Foreign Ministry of Israel invented a new form of anti-Semitism in the last few years called the 'New anti-Semitism,' and they then found some professors willing to give it some academic credibility. The New anti-Semitism that is now being spread all over says that any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism, period. And it has been very effective.

http://www.fromoccupiedpalestine.org/module.php?mod=book&op=print&id=806

[CatWoman]

84. Hi, Jayavarman

I'm in her district, and I love her to death. I plan to campaign for her. I'll do whatever it takes to ensure her reinstatement in Congress.

Having said that, I wish you would know what the fuck you're talking about before you start bashing her.

I've been on this board for years, and I'm sick to fucking death of hearing/reading the same old lame regurgitated McKinney urban legends.

[jayavarman]

93. Bashing her?

Repeating the whole "J-E-W-S" thing is bashing, urban legend?? You certainly can't deny that the whole Billy McKinney thing happened. It seemed to be the biggest news in town this time 2 years ago, & being from this district you know that it was a huge story & may even be on video or audio tape!

I still think his statement was off base, If his beef was with AIPAC, that's who he should have blamed, not an entire group of people . . . I'm sure you would agree that is would be a false statement to say that 9-11 was the fault of "The Muslims" when it was really Al Qaida who was responsible, for example. I hate it when I hear anyone talk about "the jews" or "the blacks" or "the muslims" or "the french" or "the gays" or whatever . . . In my book that kind of shit is just bigoted.

You may think I'm an asshole because I supported Woolard & that is certainly your right.

Don't expect me to care too much about your opinion about that, though; & certainly don't think that I will allow you to say that the whole Billy McKinney "the jews" thing is an urban legend without setting the record straight . . . no matter how many years you've "been on this board"

She represents us, for better or worse, & now my hope is that she can be a success in bringing home the cash for things like greenspace, transportation & other local issues.

[noiretextatique]

121. cynthia mckinney and bill mckinney

are two different people :wtf: is that so difficult to grasp?

[Classical_Liberal]

46. No she just said Bush was warned about 9/11 which was true

.

[NewJerseyDem]

68. I don't know what that means

If she was trying to say that there was evidence of a 9/11 attack before 9/11 and Bush didn't do enough to stop it, that is one thing. But, if she was trying to say that Bush knew about 9/11 and let it happen, that is another thing. And, whatever she meant to say, she wasn't clear enough to make sure everyone understood her statement and that is why I think she should be more careful in what she says.

[Classical_Liberal]

79. She said he was warned

which according to Richard Clark, and Condoleeza, and the outgoing Clinton administration is true. She didn't speculate about whether it was purposeful or incompetance. She doesn't have to, and doesn't deserve to be drummed out of office for being right.

[IndianaGreen]

26. We have too many Democrats that are too careful with their words

They should have said YES to the Congressional Black Caucus on the Electoral College challenge. They should have said NO to PATRIOT Act and to the Iraq War Resolution. They should have said IMPEACH to Bush and Cheney long ago.

Some people don't know the difference between a party of opposition and one of coalition.

[NewJerseyDem]

30. That isn't what I'm talking about

I agree with you on most of those issues, but McKinney implied that Bush may have known about 9/11 before it happened. There is no evidence of that and one has to be more careful when addressing a subject like that or another controversial issue.

[Pastiche423]

37. He did know!

WTF have you been?

YEA CYNTHIA!

:party:

[Classical_Liberal]

44. Have you watched any of the hearings with Condoleeza Rice

?

[tkmorris]

47. Yes......

One has to be MOST careful when dealing with Bush...........<snort> <giggle>........

[IndianaGreen]

50. Fahrenheit 9/11 shows there was a meeting just prior to 9/11

in which bin Laden's plans to attack the US were discussed, and duly ignored by Bush.

Bush knew!

Why do you think they were so quick to blame bin Laden on the morning of 9/11?

[TankLV]

64. So, the TRUTH is now suspect?

So far, she's batted a thousand - been proven right in everything she's said.

bunkerboy is at the LEAST guilty of LIHOP and negligence.

All the evidence points to LIHOP.

But I guess all those security breefings and CIA and NSA reports that said it was going to happen are just bullshit.

"Bin Ladin Set To Attack in the US" as a headline to at least one specific briefing report is just not clear enought to ya?

How could we have known?!?! - after all - we didn't have the flight and seat numbers!

Riiiiiight!

[Classical_Liberal]

78. The outgoing Clinton administration and Richard Clark

had warned Bush of the Al Qaeda threat to steal an airplane. Have you been living in a cave?

[NewJerseyDem]

97. No, I haven't been living in a cave

You are making my point, actually.

The fact that Bush may have been warned by the Clinton Administration or that there was serious evidence that an attack was coming is one thing. And if that was what she was talking about then that is fine. But, her statements led some to think that she was saying that Bush knew that 9/11, specifically, was going to happen and he let it happen or encouraged it to happen. Those are two very different things and if she said the former, that is fine. But, if she said the latter then she is going to need some very serious evidence before she can make those very severe accusations.

What I have been arguing is that she should be very careful about what she says (if she was talking about the former) so that people know what her point is.

[atreides1]

80. But

How do we know that he didn't know something about it, and remember it's the administration that told us there was no evidence.

Look at what's going on now, Bush wants to investigate to see if Iran had anything to do with 9/11, but the CIA is saying there is nothing to show that they did.

The problem we have in this country is that we refuse to believe that a president would have anything to do with the murder of thousands of Americans, why? Why is it so hard to believe that those that are currently in power wnat to keep that power and will do anything to hold on to it.

Look at some of those that surround Bush on a daily basis, men like Cheney and Rumsfeld who tried to convince President Ford to do things to return power to the Executive branch that was lost after Watergate.

And who both totally believe that the President should hold power, and that the legislative and judicial branches should uphold any decisions made by the executive branch.

Look at some of the Republicans in the Congress, who truly look forward to a one party system, Delay, Hastert, Frist, McConnell, all of these men are perfect examples of power hungry mad men who will do anything to keep power, and to one day appoint a dictator, which by the way Bush has said he would like to be.

We need to get over this naive concept that this man and his cronies in both the Congress and on the Federal bench, don't want to keep the power that they now have.

Just because they're Americans doesn't automatically mean that they actually believe in things like freedom, democracy, or that they believe in the Constitution and the freedoms given to us by that document.

Remember what Benjamin Franklin said when asked what form of government the Continental Congress had decided upon "...a Republic if you can keep it...", was his reply.

Can we keep it?

[DavidFL]

104. Excellent post.

I still wonder what, among the many things this administration has done in the course of the past 3 1/2 years, gives people the idea that they deserve the benefit of the doubt. It should be clear to anyone by now that they have the utmost contempt for small 'd' democratic principles and they will not let things like elections, or the wishes of their constitutents, get in their way. These people are elitists. The neocons are followers of Strauss and his Machivellian ideals of leadership. If you are not one of them, you are beneath them, and you are entirely expendable to their empire. They simply don't care whether you live or die, or what the quality of your life is in between. The sooner the opposition leadership realizes that that's what they're dealing with, and responds accordingly, the better chance we all have of getting rid of these bastards.

[noiretextatique]

122. damn straight, IndianaGreen

:toast: you are absolutely correct :hi: faux etiquette is for LOSERS.

[stickdog]

34. Yeah, she wouldn't want to STAND UP against Bush or anything. (nt)

[Judi Lynn]

49. Live nowhere near Georgia, but would dearly love to see her go back

and would appreciate her doing her job exactly as she did before. We have so few people of conviction.

We need political people who say what they believe, not what they hope will get them reelected.

[DaveSZ]

51. Is Woolard the Republican Carlyle ran against her last time/?

nt

[oasis]

52. If so, those who support Woolard might want to explain.

[kevinhnc]

53. Woolard a republican? I don't think so

Cathy Woolard is awesome. She would have been a great representative, taking nothing away from McKinney by saying that.

Also, she would have been the first openly gay representative from the deep south ever.

Bittersweet for me that McKinney won, but either way it was win-win.

[IndianaGreen]

54. Thank you for the info

We don't know who many of these individuals are, and some of us get nervous when the conservative Democrats get excited about any candidate.

[DaveSZ]

55. Ah I see.

I'm still wondering who the Repug The Carlyle Group ran against her was...

Watch this documentary for more info, and an interview with Cynthia:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3995.htm

Carlyle scares the shit out of me that they can operate in the shadows like that.

[MGKrebs]

73. The only candidate that I don't recognize

as a well known Dem is Chris Vaughn. I live in the adjacent district (John Lewis!!!) so I may not be as aware as some, but I'm pretty sure all the rest of those have been dedicated progressives for a long time.


Liane Levetan (D) 19643 21%
Cynthia McKinney (D) 48267 51%
Connie Stokes (D) 4121 4%
Nadine Thomas (D) 2925 3%
Chris Vaughn (D) 1273 2%
Cathy Woolard (D) 18088 19%

PS- Checked Mr. Vaughn's website and found this:

"Chris Vaughn is the only Democratic 4th District candidate to publicly endorse Congressman John Linder of Georgia push to abolish the I.R.S. and replace it with a Fair Tax. Vaughn says "there is not a perfect form of taxation but the current system has become too intrusive and the American people are suffering. The Fair Tax Act would take more of a sales tax approach and would cut through hard to understand end of year paper work that we all dread".

We report. You decide.

[myahquote]

83. Don't know if I'd call Levetan a progressive

Levetan was a democrat, but also a part of the big money network and in the state senate often sided with republicans.

She got the smaller but still present republican crossover vote.

Message on Woolard vs. McKinney, once Levetan jumped in the choice appears to have been between McKinney and Levetan. Levetan hurt Woolards' chances. But perhaps its all moot as McKinney got 51%

[TheWraith]

88. We don't have conservative democrats on DU. We have moderates.

You dramatically overstate the case when you use the word "conservative."

[Forkboy]

91. BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

That's a good one!

[GeronimoSkull]

71. Go, Cynthia!!!

I love that woman.

[Sven77]

81. she is the bravest woman in america

from the mike ruppert video - truth and lies of 911

[dolstein]

87. I hope you realize how ridiculous that statement is

When you consider how many people in the civil rights movement literally risked life and limb for their cause, McKinney looks downright small by comparison.

[GeronimoSkull]

89. same to you buddy

Maybe you're unconscious of the risks involved in standing up to a murderous, stop-at-nothing-regime. If you don't think she has risked life and limb, you're missing a few clues.

[dolstein]

96. Ok, I'll bite: how many members of Congress has Bush & Co. murdered?

I hate to point out the obvious, but . . . if you believe that making public statements critical of the Bush administration involves risking life or limb, you are seriously deluded.

[GeronimoSkull]

99. "Bush & Co." goes back quite a ways...

The honest answer to your question is I don't know and neither do you.

[Forkboy]

92. Why dont you just come out and say why you hate her

I already know,but I'm sure others would love to hear it.

[dolstein]

94. I don't hate her -- I just don't worship her like a drooling fan boy

Certain DU'ers have chosen to elevate her to the status of martyr/madonna/deity. I'm just pointing out the truth -- that she had an undistinguished legislative record and that she isn't held in high regard by a large portion of her constituency. That doesn't mean I hate her. It just means I don't think she's worthy of mindless hero worship displayed around here.

[Forkboy]

95. No,I suspect the drooling mindless hero worship is saved for Lieberman

[dolstein]

101. Congratulations, you're wrong again

I think Joe's a decent guy, but I don't have a shrine dedicated to him.

You apparently confuse my defense of him against the the hate-filled and wildly innacurate charges made by certain DU'ers (some of whom also happen to lust after Cynthia McKinney) for hero worship. Frankly, I wouldn't consider any living politician to be a "hero." And when it comes to the politicians I admire most -- people like Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey and Franklin Roosevelt -- I can readily acknowledge their faults.

[Forkboy]

102. "hate filled and wildly innacurate"

why,that would be like accusing people of anti-semitism for criticizing Likud...and you'd NEVER do that :eyes:

[dolstein]

105. Criticizing Likud is one thing

Using the phrase "Likudnik" as a slur to throw at any U.S. politician that isn't staunchly anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian is another.

Sorry, but I'm not the one who has trouble distinguishing between Israel and the Likud Party.

[Bo]

90. Mckinney as SPINE!!!!

Something most "old boy network"currupt good ole boys dont no anything about. I live in Ga. and its backwoods even in Atlanta. Racist Druids like the raod they couldn't put kkk road so they called it Druid Hills Rd.

[Cookie wookie]

103. And spine is what we need

I'm in her district. I'm not sure how anyone could substantiate the comment earlier that most people in her district don't support her. Strange. That may have been then but not now. she had money for only one tv ad. everything that she did was pure grassroots. And if Diebold inc or hackers didn't mess with the election, then I'd say that 51% is a triumph. To me it says she's bringing back the Black base that's been so disenfranchised.

I don't know the truth of what happened in the past with her and her dad's behavior. I have known her the past year through an organization of which we both were members and found nothing about her that was in any way offensive.

She does stand up for her race. I say great. I voted for her because it is essential that we get clear, strong, honest opposition voices to the bush admin in Washington. We've not had that, and Cynthia will bring it. I don't have to agree with everything she says or does, nor do I have to like her style. I want diverse voices in Congress as well as a representative from my district that I can write to with my concerns who I know will share them and will stand up for them against all odds. She has proven she will do that.

The candidate that took her seat, Denise Majette, was a Zell Miller "democrat" right down the line in Washington. She did not represent me in any the issues that mattered. She was proWar, pro FCC media consolidation, and anti voter verified paper ballots (pro-corporatization of the vote) for evoting. More than 15,000 republicans crossed over in that primary to defeat Cynthia.

Did anyone else notice that last night around midnight or 12:30 according to the ticker at 11Alive.com, Cynthia was leading with 54% of the vote and 98% counted. I could kick myself because I didn't copy that down. Now I can't find any evidence of it.

[TankLV]

106. Just like "landslide bush*!~

No - wait - the OTHER guy got over 500,000 MORE votes!

Guess she's a "minority" winner like Aristide and other progressives who won by overwhelming majorities but are somehow always consedered "marginal" and "stealing" the office of the fascist/nazi guys who lost to them!

Wish the bank would look at my checking account that way when I'm overdrawn!

Let me get this straight:

McKinney and Gore are "extremists" and "out of the mainstream" and they won - while bunkerboy and the idiots she lost to are "the main stream" and there are a whole lot fewer of them.

Is that about right?

Need to develope my repuke logic skills.

[rinsd]

111. Again the needless slamming of Majette....

"The candidate that took her seat, Denise Majette, was a Zell Miller "democrat" right down the line in Washington. She did not represent me in any the issues that mattered. She was proWar, pro FCC media consolidation, and anti voter verified paper ballots (pro-corporatization of the vote) for evoting. More than 15,000 republicans crossed over in that primary to defeat Cynthia."

I'm not a MCkinney fan but I won't drag that argument up again. But seriously why do people feel the need to diss Majette. Her voting record was fine.

Here's how Pro-war she was

http://www.house.gov/majette/statements/2004.03.18.shtml

If you are mentioning the IWR, I believe that vote took place before she was in office. But I could be wrong...a link would be nice as I have had difficulty finding the roll call.

She also wasn't around for the 96 Telecom bill. If you're referring to the FCC rules on June 2nd that the House voted against that. I doubt she was one of the few but again I am having difficulty finding the rool call. Since you made the assertion would you be kind enough to provide a link.

The paper trail stance is disappointing.

Now I'll agree there was some crossover voting but how did you come up with the 15,000 number(I've actually seen much higher though thta's fairly ridiculous too)...because in GA they don't have registered voters.

She got a perfect score from Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

http://www.house.gov/majette/press/2004.01.23.shtml

Here's a survey she took from Vote-smart.

http://www.vote-smart.org/npat.php?old=true&can_id=MGA22894&npatform_id=228

Here's her home page.

http://www.house.gov/majette/index.shtml

[dolstein]

112. McKinney's strongest supporters are notoriously ignorant about Majette

They've continued to call her a right-wing Republican despite the fact that she has compiled one of the most liberal voting records in the House over the past two years.

I think many of McKinney's supporters believe that you aren't a liberal unless you alienate a majority of the electorate. So they immediately assume from the lack of any controversy regarding Majette's tenure in Congress that she must be substantially more conservative than McKinney.

[rinsd]

114. Hey if Taranto from the WSJ isn't happy with her....

She's okay by me.

[Cookie wookie]

125. You're right, I'm wrong

Need to do my research before going off on a wild tangent. I looked up Majette's voting record and it does look good.

I was going by letters I received from Majette over the course of my activism against the war, the FCC rule changes to further consolidate the media last spring, and the bbv issue. Unfortunately in my mounds of paper may be copies of those letters, in which she defends paperless evoting in Georgia using the Diebold party line, and I thought she also defended media consolidation. If I can't produce the proof, need to keep it shut.

My bad opinion of her stemmed from the crossover voting issue and the claim that she was supported by republicans and supported them as outlined in the lawsuit filed by McKinney at http://www.cynthia2002.com/news/lawsuit10-11-2002.htm.

"Now I'll agree there was some crossover voting but how did you come up with the 15,000 number(I've actually seen much higher though thta's fairly ridiculous too)...because in GA they don't have registered voters. "

Not sure what you mean by Ga not having registered voters. (?)

I remembered the figure being 15,000 or 16,000 crossover votes in the 4th district. However, according to the lawsuit declaration, "Over 37,500 Republican voters were allowed to illegally and unconstitutionally crossover into the Democratic primary election and vote for Defendant Denise Majette."

Chagrin on the others, and my apologies to the board. I stand corrected.

The good news is that I feel better about her as a candidate for Miller's seat, so I'm glad to be proved wrong. And then after all, the democrats in the Georgia State Assembly are the ones who killed our bill (SB500) for voter verified paper audit trail for the Diebold evoting system this winter. So Majette wasn't the only dem doing that injustice.

[rinsd]

128. I'm glad you feel okay about Majette as a candidate.

She has a tough road ahead but it would be great to see her as a Senator. Maybe she'll come around on BBV. Not many people have been on the forefront of that issue and many now supporting it are converts to the cause.

When I stated that GA doesn't have voter registration, I meant party affiliation statements connected to their voter registration. You do not register as a Dem, GOPer, Green etc. In CA and NJ I had to declare which party I was with or declare myself an independent. GA doesn't have any of that. Just name, address, SS#, sex & ethnicity. Here's a link to the form if you're interested.

https://dklbweb.dekalbga.org/voter/#

I've seen the figure pumped up to 45,000. But that lawsuit was shot down as being without merit. Basically Majette took about 16% of the black vote while crushing MckInney in the white vote. That where I assume they are drawing their figures.

[stanwyck]

110. Love her or despise her, consider this

Cynthia turns out voters during the general election. Kerry and Majette will benefit from Cynthia. Probably not enough for either to carry Georgia, but still....Cynthia is a proven magnet for Democratic votes. She'll get her seat back and Kerry and Majette will get more Georgia votes than if she wasn't there. She has a loyal, hard-working base. I like to see Cynthia in Congress for a reason which doesn't reflect well on myself. I know she just really twists the tail of old white guys. She's too black. Too female. Too mouthy. And too tall. They hate her. And in my small-minded way, their rage gives me petty satisfaction.

[rinsd]

113. Majette has a tough race for Senate.

And I hope McKinney brings voters to the polls. But I don't know if she will. It appears roughly the same amount(give or take 1000) voted for her this time as they did in 2002.

2004 (with 97%)

http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/election_results/primary/PrimaryElectionResultsByCounty.asp?Seat=020&Party=02

2002:

http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/election_results/2002_0820/0001510.htm

[dolstein]

115. Do you have any evidence to back this up?

The fact is that the 4th District is so overwhelmingly Democratic that the party's nominee for Congress is virtually assured of election. Perhaps McKinney, through the goodness of her heart, will actively campaign for Kerry this fall. But has McKinney even endorsed Kerry? I know that Majette has. And I know that the chances of Kerry actually campaigning with McKinney are exactly zero.

[Sterling]

120. I think they were saying.

Having someone like McKinney still around may motivate many of her supporters to support the Dem ticket. It seems she is unpopular with a few people but most Dems I know really like her. In fact many people feel she represents what good is left in the party. That can't hurt Kerry, even if he did not earn it.

There was a movement to get her on the Green party ticket this year. That would have really hurt the Dems in this election. I think Dems should feel lucky she stuck around.

[Eloriel]

135. Why should she campaign for Kerry?

Has he endorsed HER? IS he even coming to Georgia?

She has her own campaign to run.

Believe me, not very damned many people who vote for Cynthia will be voting for Bush. They're going to be much more savvy voters than that, for the most part. Cynthia may seem "extreme" to some, but for the most part, I'd say much more than most other districts, those in her Districrt know the score.

[stanwyck]

136. I'm in her district

and have voted for her every time. I follow her voting record which conforms closely to my views. I don't consider her extreme. My point about her being good for Kerry and Majette is that her base goes to the polls to ensure her win. While they're there, they'll vote for the other Dems.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

118. Extremists should have their voices heard as well

if it is the will of the people. The American political process already is stifled by the notion that we must always run candidates that appeal to the greatest common denominator. Compromises in governance always seem to be struck before the election, by choosing candidates from the middle. Whereas, I believe that compromises should occur in the legislature, in immediate response to the issues, with all voices allowed to be heard. Although I consider myself a moderate, I think strident voices on either extreme side of the political spectrum help to fine-tune the system. There are too few voices on the extreme left in this country, in proportion to the numbers of citizens who support those positions. We are, after all, in a democracy.

[oasis]

137. McKinney is not on the "extreme side of the political spectrum". She is

however, a damn good lefty.

[oasis]

138. McKinney is not an extremist.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

139. I don't know her well enough to have an opinion on that

I was responding to the earlier posts that seemed to call her too extreme. My point is that we need extremists in positions in government, if it is the will of the people, as they help define the center. Without voices from the extreme left, our center keeps drifting to the right. What I do know about Cynthia McKinney is that she has a lot of guts to speak out on certain positions, such as whether Bush knew anything about 911 beforehand. I like that.

[David Zephyr]

129. Loving Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney!

There are a lot of Democrats and pseudo-liberals who should hang their heads in shame with how they treated this Congresswoman.

Kudos to McKinney!