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."

- END -

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