Cynthia McKinney to Announce Presidential Campaign

[GeminiProgressive]

Supposedly she is going to run on the Green Party ticket. Not sure if this is a reliable source or not. The 08 elections could be interesting...if both of the major parties choose moderates that their parties' bases don't approve of we could have the Greens getting significant votes on the Left and the Christian Coalition on the Right...

http://www.fogcityjournal.com/news_in_brief/overheard_071005.shtml

According to a reliable source, former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga) will officially announce her candidacy for U.S. president as early as next week. According to the source, the Green Party has been actively courting McKinney to switch party affiliation and run as a Green. (*)

McKinney has been outspoken about the Iraq war, AIPAC's lobbying influence over U.S. foreign policy, the 9/11 Commission Report, and the partisan decision by a partial body of the Supreme Court to elect George W. Bush to the presidency in 2000.

She is also trumpeting the call of millions of Americans calling for the impeachment of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for perpetrating war crimes against humanity.

McKinney is in San Francisco this weekend. Her schedule includes an appearance at a CodePink party tonight at El Rio, and an appearance tomorrow at a campaign rally to elect mayoral candidate Ahimsa Sumchai.

[Roon]

1. Oh great, this is all we need

Nader/Perot anyone?

[proudleftists]

5. Cynthia

You Go Girl ! The more choices the better. Cynthia is a real
fighter and anti - war. She is certainly better than the
Democrats now running. But watch the mainstream media will
demonize her. Her running will not allow a GOP'er to win, but
may force the Democratic nominnee to start listening to the
grassroots IMHO. Beyonce Welch - Going for Cynyhia !

[cali]

11. um, no. She won't even be an asterick.

And she doesn't represent the grass roots.

[Quixote1818]

21. I agree

Better to have her than Nader.

[ClassWarrior]

36. Who nominated you to speak for the grass roots?

And it's spelled "asterisk."

NGU.

[cali]

25. Your post has to be a spoof.

Right?

[cloudbase]

28. Time warp to April 1st. n/t

[dailykoff]

30. That's how it looks to me.

This can only help make the war a real election issue instead of a back-room deal.

[MH1]

31. Welcome to DU, but do you realize

that it is against the rules here to promote third party candidates over the Democratic Party candidates?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules.html

Just a heads-up. Otherwise -

:hi:

[stranger81]

42. just a news flash for you -- McKinney is a registered DEMOCRAT

and has not changed her party affiliation to date.

Why are there so many on this board so eager to censor Democrats to the left of their DLC sensibilities? Despite your aspirations, you folks haven't bought and paid for the entire party yet.

[mondo joe]

44. Irrelevant. If she runs as a third party candidate, DU rules do not permit use of this forum

to promote her against a Dem candidate.

[MH1]

54. what mondo joe said - AND

because the poster is new, they genuinely may not know that rule.

The op states that McKinney would run as a Green. Therefore, supporting that candidacy is not permitted on DU.

[RubyDuby in GA]

61. Her legal residence is in Georgia, which does not require one to declare a party

She's free to go away from Georgia.

Way far away...

Real fast...

Please.

[cali]

64. LOL!

For me it has nothing to do with how left McKinney is. Hell, my Senator, who I'm tremendously proud of is a Socialist. I think she's an egotistical, erratic showboater with little in the way of legislative accomplishments.

[TheModernTerrorist]

55. just another log on the fire...

but if and when the Democratic party shifts, should we still support the party, or support the Democratic ideals that the party should support?

not saying it's happened or anything, but for some reason I get really tired of all the insanity on DU. We should support Democratic ideals. Supporting a party that doesn't do anything to support that is worthless. That's like Republicans supporting the party because Lincoln was a Republican, when we all know that it is not the same party it was back then. It will happen to the Dems as well unless we're careful about who we put in office, presidency, representative, or any other office.

[durrrty libby]

39. HAHA Very funny post

[ClassWarrior]

47. It's okay... nervous laughter is a perfectly acceptable way...

...to deal with irrational fear.

NGU.

[More Than A Feeling]

2. This after Dobson's group threatened to break from the GOP

if they nominated Giuliani. What would a six-way-race (Democrat, Republican, Indy/Unity08, Indy/Dobson (or Constitution, if they go that way), Green, and Libertarian) look like? It'd be a glorious, messy free-for-all, and I, for one, am excited by the possibilities. This could be the end of winner-take-all elections here, if the various fragments stay separated after the election and work for proportional representation. Stranger things have happened, albeit not often.

[Bucky]

16. That scenario would yield the following popular vote totals...

47% - Democrat (+/- 5% depending on candidate)
46% - Republican (+/- 5% depending on candidate)
0.5% - Indy/Unity08
0.5% - Indy/Dobson (or Constitution)
1.0% - Green
1.0% - Libertarian

[More Than A Feeling]

24. I think it would be more like:

Democrat 47%
Republican 36.5%
Indy-Dobson/Constitution 10%
Green 5%
Libertarian 1%
Indy-Unity08 0.5%

But with the splits, more parties could potentially be viable, so the splitting could make it a lot closer. More to the greens, and the entire non-Dobson Republican party tries to hide its shame by switching en masse to the Libertarians.

[Bucky]

27. If the GOP nominates Romney, there won't be a wingnut 3rd party

For that matter, they'll probably shut up and take it from any Republican nominee. Perot (and the 2000 election results) killed 3rd parties in this country for at least a generation.

[More Than A Feeling]

29. If they nominate Romney, there may not be a third party

but a lot of anti-mormon wingnuts will hold their noses and vote for the Democrat.

[Bucky]

34. You wish.

Sorry, I don't buy it. Any kooks crazy enough to withhold votes over that issue will be offset by Republican Mormon swing voters who may not like his pandering to the extremer right, but believe he'll lead by their marginally-less-crazy values once he's in office.

What tiny few numbers of people who feel betrayed by the Republicans nominating a Mormon exist mostly tend to live in states that will vote Republican anyway. This is not a factor to count on.

[KoKo]

3. I was hoping she would run to get her old House seat back....

but...we could use her voice however she wants to express it.

[RubyDuby in GA]

62. Georgia's 4th District is being very well served by Hank Johnson.

The people of his district are quite happy with the job he's doing. I know tons of people who live there, and my district butts up against his (I live about 1 mile from the line).

If she were to try, she'd lose big time.

[cali]

4. oh, goody

ths should be interesting.

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[mondo joe]

19. Damn. I knew I should have invested in popcorn this season!

:-)

[roody]

63. Yeah, I'm still waiting for the video

of Cynthia and the capitol policeman who had an altercation. When will Nancy release it?

[onehandle]

6. whatever. nt

[GeminiProgressive]

10. I wish we had a proportional system

because more than just two voices would be nice. I normally would be against this, but in all likelyhood, the Christian Right will run their own candidate as well so this could be interesting.

[Yael]

7. She won't get anywhere with this...

[Bucky]

8. Actually, we could be dodging a bullet here, folks

McKinney could cause more grief for the Dems if she ran for the Democratic nomination. Since they lowered the bar and kept inviting Gravel to the debates, there's really not a reason to deny McKinney a mic on the stage at the next debate. If she runs as a Green, she won't garner many votes. She won't matter.

[MonkeyFunk]

9. Uh oh...

there goes at least a dozen votes.

[GeminiProgressive]

13. Actually I think

she could get somewhere between 500k-1 million. A lot of the anti-war people will jump ship from the more moderate Dems in favor of Mckinney. I think the Christian Right candidate would get many more votes than that and end up hurting the GOP more.

[Bucky]

18. a million votes is less than one percent of the electorate

It might as well be a dozen. As a Green she won't matter. Third parties exist to bring out interesting ideas in the hopes that they'll catch on with one or both of the major parties. They're useful, but not decisive, in electoral politics.

[cali]

15. LOL!

Are you sure it's that many?

[emilyg]

20. You're being too generous.

[dysfunctional press]

35. i didn't realize that her family was that large.

nt

[LWolf]

12. Good. I like McKinney, and I think she's gotten

a raw deal from her own party. I hope she'll get more respect from the Greens.

[mmonk]

14. America is still divided.

It's because the lies we have been living for the last six years haven't been addressed. I see nothing good for a long time.

[Nutmegger]

17. That's really too bad.

We need her on our side. She speaks truth to power, and isn't afraid of Bush Inc or the M$M.

[Roy]

40. The thing that makes it tough for her (or anyone like her).....

to be on our side speaking truth to power is that when she does she is abandoned or trashed.

No leader has stepped forward and said the questions she raised have proven to be legitimate questions even as they try to co opt the questions as their own original thoughts.

[durutti]

22. Unlikely

http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com./node/100

[Snarkturian Clone]

23. Yeah good luck with that... who'll be VP,

Alex Jones?

[Bitwit1234]

26. The thing about these candidates

are they have the biggest ego in the world. They know beyond all doubt before they even enter the race, they have no chance. All they do is screw things up.

[Disturbed]

33. Until there are drastic reforms with the Electoral System

only the two dominate parties will prevail.

The Electoral System

Repeal the 12th amendment, reforming the electoral college, standardizing party qualifications in the states, qualified and free access to public airwaves.

1.Uniform Ballot Access
2.Loosen Third Party Ballot Restrictions
3.Universal Voter Registration
4.Election Day Holiday
5.Equal Media Access/Debate Inclusion
6.Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)
7.Secure Voting Machines
8.Public Campaign Financing
9.Direct Popular Vote Election of the President
10.Congressional Representation


But the Commission on Presidential Debates -- set up 13 years ago by the two major parties and amply funded by large corporations -- knows what's best for its backers. The commission is insisting on a strict 15-percent-in-the-polls threshold for participation, a requirement that seems sure to limit the debates to Bush and Gore.

Despite its civic-minded pose, the commission has always been looking out for the interests of the Democratic and Republican parties. It arrived on the political scene in 1987 to hijack the nation's presidential debates -- while ousting the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, a group viewed by the major parties' hierarchies as insufficiently subservient to their desires. At the outset, a New York Times headline got it right: "Democrats and Republicans Form Panel to Hold Presidential Debates."

[LWolf]

50. Because, of course,

we all know that HRC, Obama, and Edwards have no ego. They are humble applicants, begging for a chance to serve us. Personal power has nothing to do with their candidacies.

:rofl:

[bluedog]

32. September 10th, 2007.she pulled her name

To: Steering Committee of the
Green Party of the United States

Fm: Cynthia McKinney, Georgia

Date:

As I'm sure you know, I have been approached by many within the Green Party over the preceeding year who have asked that I consider seeking the nomination of the Green Party of the United States as its candidate for President of the United States. In 2003 I was similiarly approached about my potential interest in the 2004 race.

I have seriously weighed the options, travelled extensively holding first private, then more public events with Greens over the preceding year, exploring such a possibility with Greens in at least a dozen state parties, meeting with the chair of your Presidential Campaign Support Committee, with the members of your Steering Committee and speaking at, and entertaining questions from the Party's Annual Meeting in Reading Pennsylvania this past July. Since the Reading meeting, I have also begun to help Green candidates raise money for their campaigns.

For months I have answered questions about my intentions for this race in 2008 by saying that while I am not yet in, neither am I out of this race.

After careful consideration about the political conditions facing our nation, the level of development within the Party, my own readiness to take on such a daunting task and my own long postponed personal priorities, I write to inform the Party that I must at this time withdraw my name from consideration for the Party's 2008 Presidential Nominating contest.

I remain committed to our collective work of transforming our nation and to mobilizing peace loving Americans, justice seeking activists and others disfranchised by the powers which currently control our nation toward that end.

Sincerely yours,
Cynthia McKinney
http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/node/100



or is she "flip flopping"?

[dailykoff]

37. She could have changed her mind,

or, this could just be a rumor: "According to a reliable source. . . ."

[ruggerson]

38. An anti semitic nutjob

She's sure to garner votes.

[Whisp]

45. anti AIPAC lobbying is not anti-semitic.

just sos you know some people know.

[Pavulon]

41. Breaking: My House Cat

is polling higher than wack job..

[BenDavid]

43. YGTBSM

:banghead: :puke:

[FtWayneBlue]

46. Now a Kucinich-McKinney ticket would be

a dream team for me.

[Whisp]

49. oiy. you just set my heart on fire, in a good way.

funny how danged impossible that would be. does tell a lot, tho.

[cali]

52. All I can say to that is:

I'm profoundly grateful that it's impossible. I like Kucinich, but the thought of a Kucinich/McKinney ticket makes me shudder.

[Whisp]

53. shuddering is awfuller that Shock and Awe?

that the anointed whoever will surely continue?
you Shudder at the thought of changing things?

let me get you a blankey.

[cali]

56. Your comment makes little sense.

First of all, I disagree that any of the Dem candidates will continue a policy of "shock and awe". Neither their words or their voting records endorse that.

And I think that McKinney is about as flawed as they come.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

58. I think you're too harsh on Kucinich.

I don't think he'd run on a ticket with someone like McKinney; if he would then I've sadly overestimated the man.

[originalpckelly]

48. McKinney's operation plans to "hit" the phones later today!

:P

[Puregonzo1188]

51. Supposedly she was going to run for President with the Green Party

in '04, and also as Ralph's VP in 2000. Didn't happen either time. I mean this has been a constant rumor for some time and in all honesty I wouldn't hold my breath if I was you. Although, it could very likely happen. It would ruin Elaine Brown's chances though.

[JCMach1]

57. Oh, Dear

:(

I am thinking she is a bit of a masochist then...

I am saying this as someone who has supported her from time to time.

[Vidar]

59. Good for Cynthia. We need more candidates with guts & conviction,

regardless of party.

[KharmaTrain]

60. She's Add Some Life To The Debates...

I think a debate with her and Gravel and Alan Keyes would be quite interesting. :popcorn:

Agree to disagree about Cynthia, but this lady is amusing. Of course the corporate media will either ignore her or turn her into a cartoon.