BEHIND THE DEFEAT OF CYNTHIA MCKINNEY
By Dianne Mathiowetz
Atlanta
Cynthia McKinney, a five-term progressive congressperson from Georgia,
was defeated in the Aug. 20 Democratic Party primary election by a 3-2
margin. Her opponent, former judge Denise Majette, a political novice,
received more than $1.1 to $1.6 million in contributions in the last
months of the campaign, mostly from out-of-state donors connected to
corporate political action committees and pro-Israel groups. It was a
case of big money picking the winner.
Local right-wing radio commentators and Republican strategists had
urged voters in the mostly white, northern sections of the 4th
Congressional District to "cross over" and vote in the Democratic
primary. Many thousands of Republican Party members did so in a
concerted effort to oust McKinney, who has been a strong voice
opposing the Bush administration's foreign and domestic policies.
The Atlanta media played a significant role in demonizing and
trivializing McKinney. News accounts invariably attached the adjective
"controversial" to her name. Georgia Sen. Zell Miller's
characterization of her as "loony" for raising questions about what
the government knew about possible terrorist attacks prior to 9/11 was
repeated endlessly. In contrast, her opponent was described as a
"moderate" or "sensible" candidate, despite taking no positions on any
of the critical issues.
In the last few weeks before the primary, the Atlanta Journal and
Constitution wrote articles about the large number of "Arab names" on
McKinney's donor list, saying that some of her contributors were
linked to "terrorists"-- although no charges have been filed against
any of them. McKinney has been a passionate defender of civil
liberties and rights for the Arab, Muslim and South Asian communities
under assault by the FBI, INS and other agencies following 9/11.
McKinney and a fellow Congressional Black Caucus member, Earl Hilliard
of Alabama, were both targeted by the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) for defeat because of their views on Palestinian
rights. Both had criticized U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East,
opposing the occupation and the escalating use of military force by
the Israeli army.
AIPAC is a lobbying group that promotes Israeli interests in tandem
with the reactionary foreign policy of both Republican and Democratic
parties.
AIPAC's upcoming National Summit, to begin Oct. 5 in Atlanta, will
open with a dinner at the Governor's Mansion. Speakers at the three-
day summit will include Gov. Roy Barnes, Bush Homeland Security
Director Tom Ridge, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, CNN
head Walter Isaacson, Georgia Republican Party chair Ralph Reed--who
came up the political ladder as a right-wing Christian strategist--
plus four U.S. senators: Trent Lott of Mississippi, John Edwards of
North Carolina, George Allen of Virginia and Zell Miller of Georgia.
Its closing luncheon features former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and
Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet "dissident" who is now a right-winger
in Ariel Sharon's cabinet in Israel.
This who's who of the conservative political establishment from both
parties is the alliance of political forces that teamed up to defeat
McKinney.
TOOK A COURAGEOUS ANTI-WAR STAND
McKinney first came into the public spotlight in 1991 when, as a
member of the Georgia State Assembly, she denounced the war on Iraq.
The political establishment in the state roundly condemned her for it.
However, the next year she defied all predictions and won election to
the U.S. House of Representatives, the first African American woman
from Georgia to go to Washington.
In Congress, she continued to oppose sanctions on Iraq. She publicly
chastised the Bush administration for its non- participation in the
Durban, South Africa, conference on racism and voiced support for
reparations for slavery. McKinney was the only elected official to
speak at the April 20 anti-war, pro-Palestinian march of 100,000 in
D.C.
In the last days of her campaign, volunteers came from around the
country to help out. A busload of people came from D.C. after the
Millions for Reparations rally. Vans and cars came from North
Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois, Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
All felt compelled to stand with McKinney and her courageous
opposition to the prevailing politics of militarism and racism.
McKinney's district was redrawn after the 2000 election, removing some
of her strongest bases of support. Turnout in many predominantly
African American precincts was low. In some cases, only 10 percent of
those who had voted in the 2000 presidential election appeared at the
polls in 2002.
Supporters cheered McKinney when she vowed to continue the struggle
for peace and justice. She urged the broad coalition that had united
around her candidacy--labor unions, women's rights groups,
environmentalists, Arab and Muslim organizations, lesbian and gay
activists, Jewish progressives, anti-war and anti-racist groups--to
stay together "to stop the drumbeats of war coming from Washington."
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