Why has there been so little love from Democrats for Cynthia McKinney?

[billbuckhead]

Ms McKinney actually was in Congress at the time of the Iraq invasion and had the opportunity to vote against the stupid war and then had the foresight and courage to publicly vote against it. Also,Ms McKinney actually the had the audacity to tell the world the Bush family was was profiting from all this war and terrorism through Carlyle Industries and other defense contractors. In fact one Sunday afternoon on WSB radio 750, Neal Boortz's paid black friend Royal Marshall was holding down the fort and trashing Cynthia McKinney for something and I called up and for the only time ever, I got to call through to an evil 750AM talk show, I was able to defend her outing the Bush crime family on metro ATL radio for about 30 seconds. Mostly I called into the golden age of Atlanta talk radio on the even more evil WGST. I got through a lot on 640 when they had that faith based pseudo humanitarian I pseudo intellectual Ian Punnet on in the evenings. In fact I got a reputation among people around town as that extreme liberal. Hence, billfrombuckhead.

Anyhow, I think it's something to think about. I swear I can't remember if I voted for Majette or not, when she had her ill fated run for Senate, probably did at the last minute.

[zonmoy]

1. she refused to hold the cabalists in both parties responsible

for their crimes.

[saltpoint]

2. Her constituents would be the ones to ask. They chose Mr. Johnson over

Ms. McKinney in significant numbers.

As for her run for the Green Party nom, I hope Green Party delegates make another choice.

[EFerrari]

4. I wonder about that election. It just happened to be my turn

to work the Election Reform daily news thread that day. The trouble reports came in within the first few hours of the polls opening. Something happened in that district, imho. Regardless of the outcome, that election was dirty.

[billbuckhead]

13. Do you know that those Diebold machines are wireless besides no paper copy?

I've never felt right voting in Georgia since 2002 and the advent of Diebold.

[EFerrari]

14. And you shouldn't feel right about an election with invisible vote counting.

All I can say about that election is, even *I* noticed all the trouble reports that day and I'm just a civillian.

[billbuckhead]

62. I was voting at 11:00PM in Buckhead and there wasn't a big line but it didn't move very quick

There were problems under the best circumstances, twenty people waited while only 1 of a dozen machines were being used under a system of verifying voter i.d.

Also, now that I think about it, 2 people were turned away for voting in the wrong precinct while I waited in line.

[Blue State Bandit]

29. A can of spraypaint can fix that.

On the back, their is an IR receiver and transmitter that is used to wirelessly access them. a little flat black rust-olium and wah-la, cleaner elections!

On edit: when I say cleaner, I don't mean clean.

[saltpoint]

21. In the corrupt world, I won't discount that as a possibility.

Still, the vote totals were hugely for Johnson.

[EFerrari]

28. The thing is, those vote totals are based on black box voting

with trouble reports coming in all day.

I myself would really like to know if Cynthia's district booted her for sure. If they did that, cool.

The thing that is troubly is that we can't know.

[AikidoSoul]

57. I agree

Something really smelled bad in that election.

I never saw any discussion about it until now.

[billbuckhead]

6. Republicans voting in the primary swayed the results like they're doing now.

[saltpoint]

23. By some percentage, but the question would be whether voters

who formerly voted for McKinney stayed with her or switched to Johnson, and those would not have been Republicans.

[The Stranger]

22. Did her constituents ask you?

You seem to have an opinion on the matter. Do tell.

[saltpoint]

25. They did, yes. I had several thousand of them up for a lovely pizza party

with cold beer.

Of course I have an opinion. That's why hey pay me the big bucks.

[EFerrari]

26. And here I sat with no invitation.

:rofl:

[saltpoint]

27. It's by voting district. We tried having all 300 million Americans over

last year, and the clean-up was a zoo.

[EFerrari]

58. LOL.

I hope you don't burn out before you get to Nancy's orphans. I promise to take my turn at the sink.

:)

[saltpoint]

59. LOLOL! You're killin' me here.

It's Barbara Bush I'm especially worried about. She's used to such exquisite luxury across the board.

I hope she's cool with Dixie cups and a paper plate.

[napi21]

3. I live in Ga. amd O think McKinney is an idiot!

YOu can back her all you want, but her argument against the secrity for stopping her was foolish. "He shoud have recognize me"??? There are 400+ members pf congress! You're going to get all excited because sonebody doesn't recognize YOU? For god sake get over it!

[EFerrari]

5. Who do you have to be not to recognize one of the few black women

in Congress?

Sorry, that's bullshit.

[billbuckhead]

9. Especially with all those wacky and controversial hairdos the media talks about

More and more, I'm thinking politics is as contrived as the WWF.

[EFerrari]

12. It's crap. I don't have the link anymore but a capitol cop told a reporter

that, sure, she was targeted for harassment. He called DC the last plantation.

Cynthia is about five feet tall. There is a certain kind of asshole that would find her natural prey.

[napi21]

34. Why should I care if she's black? I think John Lewis is a much better

congressman, Shirley beats the hell out of her predecessors as mayor. Don't pull the "she's black" bs with me. I don't care what color she is, she's an idiot!

[EFerrari]

38. My point was, there are only a handful of black women in Congress

and there should have been no problem in recognizing her.

There is no reason for you to care if she's black because you are not a Capitol cop. Thank God.

[MADem]

7. Well, she's no longer a Democrat, for starters. NT

[billbuckhead]

10. Do you blame her?

That's what I'm getting at.

[MADem]

16. I'll be plain. I haven't followed her career CLOSELY, but I always had the

impression that she sought out confrontation. I often thought she could gain more sympathy and better press with a different approach--one that was less "in your face" and based on something other than the ASSUMPTION that she was gonna get "fucked over" by mean forces that were oppesed to her and only her. I found her "their out to get ME" attitude a bit tiresome.

Now, this is just an impression, and impressions can be mistaken, but I think she was sometimes her own worst enemy.

As far as her leaving the party goes, that's her choice. So long as I'm a Democrat, I've got to stick with the Dems first and foremost. That's just me--YMMV. If I someday choose to become an Independent (I'd never become a Green, they just have no clout and that's a great waste of a vote, IMO) I might revisit her viewpoints, but she's relegated herself to being a "fringe" candidate and a professional crank, at this stage. I just don't think she merits a lot of attention anymore.

[SmellsLikeDeanSpirit]

11. So what? She's more democratic than most in congress.

[MADem]

15. But she is no longer a member of the Democratic Party. NT

[The Stranger]

20. But that is not a reason not to support her -- especially if she is more Democratic than most

"Democrats."

[MADem]

31. Yes it is, for me. I believe that the party is strongest when it acts

as a unified entity. I put up with irritations within the party because I take the LONG view.


YMMV, and likely does.

[The Stranger]

44. The Party is not a cabal or a herd of sheep -- it is its PRINCIPALS.

It is its IDEAS.

When people deviate from these ideas, then they aren't representing the party, no matter what they call themselves or who they glad hand.

[MADem]

45. Yes, the party is ideas, and it is a platform.

You think the way to "fix" the party is to kick the fender and stomp off to find a new mode of transport when it doesn't run to your liking.

I prefer to get under the hood and try to fix it. If you abandon the car and run off and grab a pair of Green roller skates, well, you'll move forward, but at a much slower pace.

I say fix the car and zoom off smartly, but that's just me.

It's a difference in approaches. I also respect the big tent, and am not such a crazed zealot that I can't learn new ways of arriving at the same endpoint. I have basic goals that involve caring for the least of our brethren, permitting people to live freely and safely, offering education to all, eliminating hunger and poverty...basic and pretty obvious goals. There's more than one road to these goals though, and if one way doesn't work, it make sense to try others.

[SmellsLikeDeanSpirit]

24. I'm a liberal first and for most.

I don't blindly follow and support anyone with a D next to their name.

[MADem]

30. I'm a Democrat first. I realize that even a bad Democrat is better than

a BushCo Republican, in most cases. I believe that you have to sometimes put up with party bullshit in order to move the entity forward--a house divided, and all that.

Everyone has their own priorities. Mine are the "big picture" advancement of the party platform.

[JackRiddler]

40. The Party is Always Right.

The Party, the Party, the Party is Always Right.

Hail Comrade _______, First Among Equals!

[MADem]

47. Well, that was pretty uninspiring. Snarky, but not swift.

My view is more nuanced: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2911789&mesg_id=2913114

[EFerrari]

8. I met Cynthia in Berkeley when she came out to our last Beach Impeach.

She's terrific. She brought a bunch of people with her.

Too far to the left for the Democrats right now and that's a shame.

[JCMach1]

18. An American Cassandra

Of course everyone hates her...

http://thesyndrome.com/index.php?s=mckinney

[EFerrari]

19. I think you may be right about that.

Some people sure seem to hate hearing truth from her.

[JCMach1]

63. Exactly... I may not always agree with her, but I respect her for that

...

[LoZoccolo]

17. Because she's a splinterist. n/t

[flordehinojos]

32. because she is simply a truthteller ... truthtellers are vilified, crucified, and given hemlock to.

also because she is a "hold them accountable" kind of gal. should hillary not be on the general elections ticket, i will give my vote to cynthia mckinnery, who, i hope, will be on it as a green party candidate.

[kerstin]

33. My thoughts exactly. n/t

[Richard Steele]

35. Because she's a PHONY, self-aggrandizing LOUDMOUTH whose views match mine only due to RANDOM CHANCE.

And that's assuming that the words she spews actually represent real VIEWS...
and I really don't believe that they do.

She trash-talked her way into an electoral victory...once in power,
she proved that "trash talk" was all she had. She did JACK SHIT
during her time in Congress except generate more self-serving crapaganda.

Hence: No love for her from me.

[EFerrari]

54. I sure didn't get that from her. n/t

[Vexatious Ape]

36. She's a goddamn moonbat

She's sweet and probably a lot of fun to be with but she's a publicity hound and not that damn bright.

[JackRiddler]

42. "Goddamn" your namecalling nt

[rox63]

37. Because she's now running under a different Party, the Greens n/t

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

39. Great video of McKinney grilling Rumsfeld.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eootfzAhAoU

And you have to question why the status quo, corporate fed representatives won't support her?

[JackRiddler]

41. McKinney was subjected to the same form of assassination by media...

that was previously employed on Dean with the 2004 "scream."

Recall, around the same time she allegedly slapped a Capitol police officer who had no business harrassing her -- with the deadly weapon known as a cell phone -- Cheney shot his best friend in the face. Which story got up the bloodthirsty media mob?

She spoke truth about the 9/11 cover-up and U.S. policy in the Middle East. For this, millions of dollars flooded into her district and got her "voted out" (if that's what happened) in 2002. She came back triumphant in 2004 and kept on her mission. Now she's out of office again, but don't count her out in the future.

[ileus]

43. LOL..yeah she'd make Obama a great running mate.

[El Pinko]

46. I love McKinney, but she's a Green now...

...maybe that has something to do with it?

[JackRiddler]

49. Did anything happen to prompt that?

Like the political decay of the Democratic Party into Republican Lite?

Or perhaps the way she was beaten up and abandoned by the DP for questioning that?

[El Pinko]

51. I'm not saying it's right.

I personally still admire her, but her defection to the Greens and that heavily publicized scuffle with a security guard a while back did set her back a bit


Unfortunately, Dennis Kucinich will be running into some of the same problem in the near future. It's great to be a great idealistic leader on national issues, but as a member of congress, you still have to answer to your constituents who want you to bring home the bacon, not just holler about 9-11 or a Department of Peace all of the time. I think there's a certain amount of that that you can do and get away with it, if you're in a progressive enough district - Boxer and Kennedy are able to be fairly strong progressives over the long term and stay in office. But clearly McKinney's district wasn't up for that circus and a lot of people in DK's district are concerned that he spends too much time campaigning for president around the country and not enough representing Cleveland.


I'm grateful for both of their contributions - they have gone above and beyond the call of duty, but I also understand why local voters might get fed up with their leadership.

[Octafish]

48. Cynthia McKinney is TOPS!

She stood up to Bushco, regarding September 11 and the illegal Iraq war.

Remember her grilling Rumsfeld?

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/031505_mckinney_transcript.shtml

Heh heh.

You're Tops, too, billbuckhead.

[barbtries]

50. i think she's great n/t

[lonestarnot]

52. She has a pair and moderates do not!

[proud2BlibKansan]

53. We need more Cynthia McKinneys in DC

I wish she was running for Congress again.

[LWolf]

55. Because Party comes before issues. nt

[tritsofme]

56. I think she's batshit crazy.

Isn't she a 9/11 conspiracy nutter as well?

I was never prouder of our party than when GA Democrats kicked her to the curb.

[SoCalDem]

60. because she stepped outside the "lines"..and was roundly

portrayed by the media as a fruitcake....She may BE a fruitcake...her caucus did not swarm to defend her,.. only Cynthia knows for sure..

[Irishonly]

61. I Always Liked Her

She got a raw deal in the press, I thought.