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."
Reprinted from the Sept. 5, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
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