Misplaced Pages

Cynthia McKinney

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by DeanHinnen (talk | contribs) at 23:40, 6 March 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 23:40, 6 March 2007 by DeanHinnen (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Cynthia McKinney
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 4th district
In office
1993 - 2003, 2005 - 2007
Preceded byJohn Linder
Denise Majette
Succeeded byDenise Majette,
Hank Johnson
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseCoy Grandison (divorced)

Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. A Democrat, McKinney is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003, and from 2005 to 2007, representing Georgia's fourth congressional district. McKinney was defeated in the 2006 Democratic primary, losing her Congressional seat for the second time.

Early life and political career

McKinney was born in Atlanta, the daughter of Billy McKinney, one of Atlanta's first African-American law enforcement officers and a former Georgia State Representative, and Leola McKinney, a retired nurse. She currently lives in the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain. She is a Roman Catholic, one of the few members of that faith to have electoral success in heavily Protestant Georgia .

She earned a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California, a Masters of Art in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and she is expected to complete a Ph.D. at University of California, Berkeley.

Her political career began in 1986 when her father, a representative in the Georgia House of Representatives, submitted his daughter's name as a write-in candidate for the Georgia state house. She received about 40 percent of the popular vote despite the fact that she lived in Jamaica at the time with then-husband Coy Grandison (with whom she had a son, Coy McKinney, now age 20). In 1988, McKinney ran for the same seat and won, making the McKinneys the first father and daughter to simultaneously serve in the Georgia state house.

McKinney immediately challenged House rules requiring women to wear dresses by wearing slacks. In 1991, she spoke out against the Persian Gulf War, causing many legislators to walk out in protest at her remarks.

Service in the U.S. House of Representatives

In the 1992 election, McKinney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as the member of Congress from the newly-created 11th District, a 64 percent black-majority district stretching from Atlanta to Savannah. She was the first African-American woman to represent Georgia in the House. She was handily reelected in 1994.

In 1995 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Johnson that the 11th District was an unconstitutional gerrymander because the boundaries were racially discriminatory. McKinney's district was subsequently renumbered the 4th and redrawn to take in almost all of DeKalb County, prompting a response of outrage from McKinney. She asserted that it was a racially-discriminatory ruling, given the fact that the Supreme Court had previously ruled that Texas's 6th District, which is 91 percent white, was constitutional.

The new 4th, however, was no less Democratic than the 11th, and McKinney was reelected from this district in 1996, 1998 and 2000 with no substantive opposition. McKinney lost her seat in 2002 after losing the primary election (details below). She regained her seat in 2004, when it was open due to Denise Majette's run for U.S. Senate. In 2006, she was opposed in the Democratic primary by Hank Johnson and John Coyne III. She led the July 18 primary, with Johnson coming in second, but the race continued to an August 8 runoff, because no candidate received 50 percent of the votes cast. McKinney lost the primary election runoff 59 percent to 41 percent to Johnson on August 8, 2006: Hank Johnson 41,178 59% Cynthia McKinney 28,832 41%.

Honors and recognition

McKinney has been featured in a full-length motion picture titled American Blackout. On April 14, 2006, she received the key to the city of Sarasota, Florida and was doubly honored when the city named April 8 as "Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney Day" in Sarasota.

On June 14, 2000, Rep. McKinney was honored when part of Memorial Drive, a major thoroughfare running through her district, was renamed "Cynthia McKinney Parkway." Memorial Drive leads from south Atlanta to Stone Mountain. Her father had previously been honored when a portion of Interstate 285 in Atlanta was dedicated as "Billy McKinney Parkway."

2002 Primary defeat

In 2002, McKinney was defeated in the Democratic primary by DeKalb County judge Denise Majette. It was stunning by itself that Majette, who had never run in a partisan contest before, was able to unseat the seemingly entrenched McKinney. However, Majette won by an overwhelming margin, garnering 58% of the vote to McKinney's 42%.

McKinney protested the result in court, claiming that thousands of Republicans, knowing they had no realistic chance of defeating her in November, had participated in the Democratic primary to vote against McKinney in revenge for her anti-Bush administration views and allegations of possible voter fraud in Florida in the 2000 Presidential Election. Like 20 other states, Georgia operates an open primary: voters do not claim a political party when they register to vote, and may participate in whichever party's primary election they choose. Thus, relying on the Supreme Court's decision in California Democratic Party v. Jones, which had held that California's blanket primary violated the First Amendment (despite the fact that the Court explicitly differentiated - albeit in dicta - the blanket primary from the open primary in Jones), on McKinney's behalf, five voters claimed that the open primary system was unconstitutional, operating in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the associational right protected by the First Amendment, and various statutory rights protected by §2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The district court dismissed the case, noting that the plaintiffs had presented no evidence in support of the Equal Protection and VRA claims, and lacked standing to bring the First Amendment claim. It interpreted the Supreme Court's Jones ruling to hold that the right to association involved in a dispute over a primary - and thus, standing to sue - belongs to a political party, not an individual voter. On appeal, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this result (Osburn v. Cox, 369 F.3d 1283 (2004)) in May 2004, noting that not only were the plaintiffs' claims meritless, but the remedy they requested would likely be unconstitutional under the Supreme Court's decision in Tashjian v. Republican Party of Connecticut. On October 18, 2004, the Supreme Court brought an end to the litigation, denying certiorari without comment (Osburn v. Georgia, 04-217) (cert denied, 541 U.S. __).

Other factors in her defeat were her controversial statements regarding 9/11, her reported support of Palestinian causes and her condemnation of human rights abuses against Palestians by Israel. Indeed, many pro-Israel lobbying groups donated money to Majette during the primary. On the night before the primary election, McKinney's father stated on Atlanta television that "Jews have bought everyone ... J-E-W-S" in the election, presumably referring to AIPAC involvement in orchestrating the "erase Cynthia" campaign.

Between terms

McKinney wrote in CounterPunch on September 13 2002 that Judge Joe Brown told the Congressional Black Caucus unequivocally that the "murder rifle" was not the weapon that killed Dr. Martin Luther King.

McKinney traveled widely as a public speaker during her term out of office.

Cynthia McKinney in 2006

Throughout 2003 and 2004, McKinney toured America and much of Europe speaking of her defeat, her opposition to the Iraq War, and the Bush administration. In a January 2004 issue of Jet magazine, McKinney said that the "white, rich Democratic boys club wanted her to stay in the back of the bus."

On September 9, 2004, McKinney participated as a Commissioner in the The Citizens' Commission on 9-11. On October 26, 2004, she was among 100 prominent Americans and 40 family members of those killed on 9/11 who signed the 9/11 Truth Movement statement, calling for new investigations of what they perceived as unexplained aspects of the 9/11 events.

Speculation suggested that she was considering a run as the Green Party's nominee for the 2004 presidential election. However, she had made no secret of her desire to win back her old congressional seat, and turned down the Green Party nomination.

2004 return to Congress

Majette declined to run for reelection to the House, opting instead to become a candidate to replace retiring Senator Zell Miller, a conservative Democrat. McKinney instantly became the favorite in the Democratic primary. Since it was taken for granted that whoever won the Democratic primary would be the district's next congressman, McKinney's opponents focused on clearing the field for a single candidate who could force her into a runoff election. They apparently hoped in the interim to drive up McKinney's negatives enough to make it easier to defeat her in the runoff.

However, her opponents' efforts were unsuccessful, and five candidates entered the Democratic primary. As a result of the fragmented primary opposition, McKinney won just enough votes to avoid a runoff. This all but assured her return to Congress after a two-year absence. However, in a break from traditional practice, the House Democratic Caucus did not restore her seniority. If her seniority had been restored, McKinney would have been a senior Democrat as ranking member of the International Relations Committee. Instead, that post went to Tom Lantos of California.

McKinney hosted the first delegation of Afro-Latinos from Central and South America and worked with the World Bank and the U.S. State Department to recognize Afro-Latinos. She stood with Aboriginals against Australian mining companies; and with the U'wa people of Colombia in their fight to save their sacred land from oil rigs.

9/11 commission and government secrecy issues

Initially, McKinney kept a low profile upon her return to Congress. However, on July 22, 2005, the first anniversary of the release of the 9/11 Commission Report, McKinney held a well-attended congressional briefing on Capitol Hill to address outstanding issues regarding the September 11, 2001, attacks. The day-long briefing featured family members of victims, scholars, former intelligence officers and others who critiqued the 9/11 Commission account of 9/11 and its recommendations. The four morning panels purported to address flaws, omissions, and the lack of historical and political analysis in the commission's report. Three afternoon panels critiqued the commission's recommendations in the areas of foreign and domestic policy, and intelligence reform. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial maintained that the purpose of the event was to discuss whether or not the Bush administration was involved in the 9/11 attacks, expressing surprise that McKinney was once again taking on the issue which was widely believed to have been the one that cost her House seat. The Journal-Constitution refused to publish McKinney's reply.

McKinney's interest in 9/11 relates specifically to what she expresses as her opposition to excessive government secrecy. She has submitted to Congress two versions of the same bill, the "MLK Records Act" (one in 2003, the other in 2005,) which, if signed into law, would release all currently sealed files concerning the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.. These records were sealed in 1978 and are not due to be declassified until the year 2028. Likewise, the 9/11 Commission has sealed all the notes and transcripts of some 2,000 interviews, all the forensic evidence, and both classified and non-classified documents used in compiling its final report until January, 2009. Documents relating to the death of rapper Tupac Shakur, which McKinney has taken an active interest in, would be released under another bill introduced by Rep. McKinney. In a statement, McKinney explained her reason for the bill: "The public has the right to know because he was a well-known figure. There is intense public interest in the life and death of Tupac Shakur." Critics assert she is merely pandering to her power base. Others point out that legislation demanding release of records is a more direct route than the tedious process and limited scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

On March 24, 2005, she held a talk with Rumsfeld and others regarding 9/11 and other issues.

Hurricane Katrina

McKinney has been an advocate for victims of Hurricane Katrina and a critic of the government's response. Over 100,000 evacuees from New Orleans and Mississippi have moved to the Atlanta area, and many have settled there.

Despite the Democratic Party leadership's call for a boycott, McKinney was an active participant in the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina. She sat as a guest along with only a few other Democrats. In questioning Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, McKinney referred to a news story in which the owners of a nursing home were charged with negligent homicide for abandoning 34 clients who died in the flood waters. McKinney asked Chertoff: "Mr. Secretary, if the nursing home owners are arrested for negligent homicide, why shouldn't you also be arrested for negligent homicide?"

During the Katrina crisis, evacuees were turned away by the Gretna Police when they attempted to cross the Crescent City Connection Bridge between New Orleans and Gretna, Louisiana. In retaliation, McKinney introduced a bill , on November 2, 2005, that would temporarily deny federal assistance to the City of Gretna Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, and the Crescent City Connection Division Police Department, in the state of Louisiana. The bill was eventually defeated.

The Congressional Black Caucus' Omnibus Bill (HR 4197) was introduced on November 2, 2005 to provide a comprehensive response to the Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricane Katrina. The second title of the bill was submitted by McKinney, seeking Comprehensive Environmental Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan, or CESTAP, to minimize harm to Gulf Coast residents from the toxic releases into the environment caused by the hurricane.

At the request of McKinney's efforts, the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, chaired by Thomas M. Davis held a previously unscheduled hearing titled "Voices Inside the Storm" on December 6, 2005.

More recently, Rep. McKinney along with Rep. Barbara Lee (CA), produced a "Katrina Legislative Summary," a chart summarizing House and Senate bills on Hurricane Katrina. On June 13, 2006, McKinney pointed out on the House Floor that only a dozen of the 176 Katrina bills identified on the chart had passed into law, leaving 163 bills stalled in committee.

Anti-war and human rights efforts

Until 2000, McKinney served on the House International Relations Committee, where she was the highest-ranking Democrat on the Human Rights Subcommittee. McKinney felt that it was important that US policy reflect a deep respect for human rights, so she worked on legislation to stop conventional weapons transfers to governments which are undemocratic or fail to respect human rights. Her legislation to end the mining of coltan in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was mentioned in the United Nations Security Council's "Special Report on Ituri," January 2002-December 2003.

On November 18, 2005, McKinney was one of only three House members (out of 406) to vote for H.R. 571, introduced by House Armed Services Committee chairman Duncan Hunter, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, on which McKinney sat. Hunter, a Republican, offered this resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces in Iraq in place of John Murtha's H.J.Res. 73, which called for redeployment "at the earliest possible date." In her prepared statement, McKinney accused the Republicans of "trying to set a trap for the Democrats. A 'no' vote for this Resolution will obscure the fact that there is strong support for withdrawal of US forces from Iraq ... In voting for this bill, let me be perfectly clear that I am not saying the United States should exit Iraq without a plan. I agree with Mr. Murtha that security and stability in Iraq should be pursued through diplomacy. I simply want to vote 'yes' to an orderly withdrawal from Iraq."

Sponsored legislation

At the end of the 2006 legislative session, McKinney introduced largely symbolic legislation for articles of impeachment against President Bush. In the bill, she accused Bush of misleading Congress on the war in Iraq and violating privacy laws with his domestic spying program. McKinney had long maintained that Bush was illegitimately elected and had lied about 9/11 in order for him to allow his friends to personally profit from the attack.Breitbart News

The Capitol Police incident

On the morning of March 29, 2006, McKinney entered the Longworth House Office Building's southeast entrance and proceeded past the security checkpoint, walking around the metal detector. Members of Congress have identifying lapel pins and are not required to pass through metal detectors. The officers present failed to recognize her as a Member of Congress because she was not wearing the appropriate lapel pin. She proceeded westward down the ground floor hallway, and about halfway down the hallway was grabbed by United States Capitol Police officer Paul McKenna, who states that he had been calling after her "Ma'am, Ma'am!" McKinney responded by hitting the police officer.

Background

There is a history of incidents involving the United States Capitol Police officers' failure to recognize Rep. McKinney. In 1993, when a U.S. Capitol Police officer had failed to recognize Rep. McKinney at a House office building entryway and a disagreement ensued, a picture of Rep. McKinney was posted at House office building security checkpoints for all officers.

Another incident involved a complaint that White House security officials mistook Rep. McKinney's 23-year-old white aide for a Congresswoman and Rep. McKinney as the aide.

Police report, media frenzy and charges

Officer McKenna did not arrest Rep. McKinney at the time of the incident. Rather, he later filed a police report. The following is his exact statement, with C-1 referring to himself and S-1 to Rep. McKinney:

"On 3-29-06, at approximately 0855 hrs. C-1 while performing his official duties as United States Capitol Police Officer and in full uniform, stated that he was physically assaulted by S-1. S-1 struck C-1 in his chest with a closed fist."

The police report states that she struck him "with a closed fist," with no mention of a cell phone.

Since the altercation took place halfway down the hall, the only thing the security cameras at the checkpoint could have captured is Rep. McKinney walking past the metal detector and turning left down the hall and off camera, and the subsequent pursuit by Officer McKenna. U.S. Capitol Police clarified that the altercation was not captured on security camera.

The Congressional pin debate

McKinney was criticized in the media for failing to wear her pin on the morning of March 29, 2006, with critics charging that her failure to do so led to the confrontation. Many other Members do not wear the pin, even after the McKinney-McKenna affair. A July 5, 2006 article in The Hill titled "Pinpoint: After McKinney, many lawmakers still dress without their congressional pins" noted "no discernible pattern" in the decision by Members of Congress regarding the wearing of the Congressional Pin. Notably, House Majority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that he was "not a pin-wearing guy." Another Republican Member, Sherwood Boehlert (NY) explained his reason for not wearing a pin, stating "I know who I am." Democratic Member George Miller (CA) said "I've never worn one. I have enough trouble combing my hair in the morning."

McKinney admitted that she was not wearing her pin that morning, but opined that the police responsible for protecting lawmakers should recognize the 435 members of Congress on sight and claimed to have shown her Congressional identification badge. (See, e.g., A. Jabari, McKinney's Hair & Affair, in The Washington Post, 4/10/06).

Initial reactions

Initially defiant, McKinney made a brief statement on her own behalf at Howard University on March 31: "Let me be clear: this whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and stopping of me, a female black congresswoman. I deeply regret this incident occurred, and I am certain that after a full review of the facts, I will be exonerated."

However, McKinney garnered little support even among fellow Democrats. Not one Congressional Democrat chose to join her at a news conference to discuss the situation at Howard University, although Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton sent a supportive statement to be read at the event. Initially stating on March 31 that she "wouldn't make a big deal"out of the incident, Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) later said on April 5 that she found "it hard to see any set of facts that would justify striking a police officer," and McKinney's fellow Georgia Democrat, Rep. John Lewis, told McKinney that "she needs to lower the temperature and stop holding press conferences." Outside of Capitol Hill, the Sarasota Democratic Party withdrew from a rally at which McKinney was due to speak.

Rep. McKinney declined to discuss the details of the altercation in subsequent media interviews. She has not formally shared her side of the altercation with the public, including: 1) whether she had heard the officer calling after her, or if so, knew that she was the "Ma'am" being called; 2) whether she was aware that an officer of the law was grabbing her, and therefore, assuming she swung her arm in a retaliatory motion: 3) whether she was aware that she was striking an officer of the law; and also: 4) the amount of force behind the alleged blow. The basic facts of the event, aside from Rep. McKinney's failure to wear her pin, thus remain in dispute. However, no one, including Rep. McKinney, has ever explained why she has never told her side of the story, or attempted to clear up any dispute in the facts.

Accused of "Playing the race card"

The story was picked up by many blogs and internet opinion sites with overwhelming rebuke for McKinney coming from conservatives, and also left-leaning sources offering negative portrayals of Rep. McKinney, as on the comedy show Saturday Night Live, which lampooned her repeatedly on their 4/8/06 show for "playing the race card." On April 3, former Wonkette editor Ana Marie Cox, interviewed on Joe Scarborough's MSNBC show Scarborough Country, said that "I worry that she makes us all look a little crazy." Within a few days of the first reports, McKinney had been variously described as a "crazy bitch", "race baiter", "freak", etc. Some columns even went so far as to analyze her hairstyle in a negative light and question the quick participation of Harry Belafonte, who is generally regarded as a political polarizing agent and also the recipient of frequent negative commentary due to his public statements.

Reacting to the sudden rise in stakes reflected by the potential for criminal indictment, McKinney's attorney, James Myart, spoke in a March 31 news conference, suggesting that the officer involved be criminally investigated for accosting ("inappropriately touching") the congresswoman. This charge was not taken seriously by most commentators and media outlets. Myart went on to say the case typified a pattern of police harassment of black Americans: "my belief is this is no different than that: 'they all look alike'. On April 25, 2006, CNN reported that Myart was no longer representing McKinney. Recently retired U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer rejected Myart's charge in an interview with CNN:

"I've seen our officers stop white members and black members, Latinos, male and females ... It's not an issue about what your race or gender is. It's an issue about making sure people who come into our building are recognized if they're not going through the magnetometer, and this officer at that moment didn't recognize her ... It would have been real easy, as most members of Congress do, to say 'here's who I am' or 'do you know who I am?'"

She has repeatedly stressed that in her view the incident arose from McKenna's failure to recognize her face, suggesting that in her view the above-mentioned pattern of incidents in which Capitol Police failed to recognize her as a Member of Congress had to do with a general tendency by police in the United States to engage in racial profiling of blacks, where blacks are stereotyped as more likely to commit crime than other groups in society, and therefore tend to handle blacks more roughly.

Apology

On April 6, 2006, after the grand jury was convened to investigate, the Associated Press reported that McKinney had expressed "sincere regret" for the altercation and offered an apology to the House. "There should not have been any physical contact in this incident," McKinney said in a one-minute statement on the House floor, surrounded by Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Progressive Caucus. What McKinney called a "misunderstanding" on April 6, she had labeled "racial profiling" and "inappropriate touching" a day earlier. For nearly a week, she and her lawyers had insisted she had been assaulted and had done nothing wrong. Various commentators, including the Wall Street Journal questioned the sincerity of the apology, noting, among other things, its careful wording, the lack of admission of culpability, and the absence of an apology specifically to the Capitol Police and Officer McKenna.

Potential legal consequences

News reports variously suggested that the police officer as an individual, or the Capitol Police as a whole, were planning to file assault charges. On April 3, 2006, Assistant U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips announced that the Capitol Police had referred the incident to his office for further investigation. On April 5, the Associated Press reported that the case might be referred to a federal grand jury. A sitting Grand Jury was subsequently presented with McKenna's charge of assault of a police officer. Six witnesses were called by the U.S. Attorney's office.

The charge is dropped

On June 16, 2006, the grand jury declined to indict Rep. McKinney, finding insufficient grounds to proceed. Under 18 U.S.C. §111(a), McKinney faced a fine or not more than one year in jail if convicted of assaulting an "officer or employee of the United States".

Article I, section 6 of the United States Constitution prevents the arrest of a member of Congress "except treason, felony and breach of the peace ... during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same"; while this does not prevent the charge and arrest of a member of Congress for a crime committed during the session, it does preclude their arrest for such a crime for the duration of the session during which the crime was committed. This would have delayed criminal proceedings until Congress next adjourned; although the grand jury could have indicted McKinney while Congress was in session, that warrant could not have been served until Congress was adjourned.

It has been suggested that McKinney's allegations of racism and sexism were overplayed on her part and have had a boomerang effect. Rep. McKinney's supporters argue that the reporting of the incident presumed her guilty until proven innocent, and that her conservative opponents overplayed their hand by attacking her in such vicious terms (on March 31, libertarian radio host Neal Boortz said McKinney "looks like a "Ghetto slut").

Though not indicted for criminal charges or subjected to disciplinary action by the House, McKinney may face a civil suit. The president of the Fraternal Order of Police has advocated the filing of a civil suit by Officer McKenna.

Other controversies

Cynthia McKinney has been involved in controversies before. In the wake of the March 29 incident with the Capitol Police officer, Rep. McKinney was still very much "in the news" and her office invited the media to attend one of her monthly "District Days," where she spends one full day meeting with constituents to discuss issues of concern. At her April 23, 2006, "District Days" event, Rep. McKinney was being interviewed by WGCL's Renee Starzyk, who rather than asking questions about District Days as McKinney would have liked, repeatedly questioned her about the March 29 scuffle with a Capitol Police officer. Frustrated, McKinney stood up, and forgot she was still wearing the microphone. Her off screen comments were captured on tape. She was heard saying, "Oh, crap, now you know what ... they lied to Coz and Coz is a fool." She was referring to one of her aides, Coz Carson. McKinney realized the embarrassing mistake and returned on screen with the microphone, this time with instructions on what parts of the interview CBS 46 was allowed to use, "anything that is captured by your audio ... that is captured while I'm not seated in this chair is off the record and is not permissible to be used ... is that understood?" Her comments were immediately aired on CBS and eventually across the nation: CNN video Link to video: McKinney Caught On-Air Blasting Aide.

In a 2002 interview on Pacifica Radio McKinney questioned the Bush administration's possible prior knowledge of the September 11, 2001 attacks:

We know there were numerous warnings of the events to come on September 11 ... Those engaged in unusual stock trades immediately before September 11 knew enough to make millions of dollars from United and American airlines, certain insurance and brokerage firms' stocks. What did the Administration know, and when did it know it about the events of September 11? Who else knew and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered?

— "Flashpoints" with Dennis Bernstein, KFPA Pacifica Radio, March 25, 2002

These remarks provoked criticism, and many Democrats distanced themselves from McKinney's statements. On April 12, 2002, McKinney issued a statement saying that "I am not aware of any evidence showing that President Bush or members of his administration have personally profited from the attacks of 9-11. A complete investigation might reveal this to be the case."

In a controversial remark, McKinney said that on September 13, 2002, Judge Joe Brown had stated unequivocally that the purported murder rifle was not the weapon that killed Dr. Martin Luther King.

On October 12, 2001 (approximately the one-month anniversary of the September 11 attacks), McKinney sent a letter to Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal that was highly critical of the way Israel responds to terrorist attacks, and was not critical of the terrorist attacks upon Israel. McKinney further suggested that the money that the prince donated for 9/11 relief that had been rejected by Rudolph Giuliani be redirected toward charities chosen by McKinney. McKinney's supporters say the letter was appropriate; her critics describe it as "fawning" and "disgraceful."

During the 2000 presidential campaign, McKinney wrote that "Al Gore's Negro tolerance level has never been too high. I've never known him to have more than one black person around him at any given time." The Gore campaign pointed out, however, that his campaign manager was black.

2006 primary and primary runoff

Main article: Georgia 4th congressional district election, 2006

McKinney finished first in the July 18, 2006 Democratic primary, edging DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson 47.1% to 44.4%, with a third candidate receiving 8.5%. However, since McKinney failed to get at least 50% of the vote, she and Johnson were forced into a run-off. McKinney had been heavily favored to win, so her narrow margin surprised observers. Johnson picked up support because he seemed to have a real possibility of winning.

In the runoff of August 8, 2006, although there were about 8,000 more voters than in the primary, McKinney received about the same number of votes as in July. Johnson won with 41,178 votes (59%) to McKinney's 28,832 (41%). According to CNN, during her concession speech, McKinney barely mentioned her opponent but praised the leaders of Cuba and Venezuela , took aim at the efficacy of electronic voting machines and offered several swipes at the media.

McKinney's 2002 campaign and statements had been characterized by some as anti-Semitic, and controversy erupted again when one of her "supporters" blamed "Jews" for her defeat. McKinney maintains that she opposes anti-Semitism and responded to the controversy with this statement:

"The people who made those remarks were not associated with my campaign in any formal way, and I want to make clear from this hour that any informal ties between me and my campaign and anyone holding or espousing such views are cut and renounced."

McKinney added, "Anyone who makes blanket denunciations of Jews or "the Jew" is certainly not a supporter of mine, not a staff member, not a consultant to, nor is welcome to be a volunteer in my campaign," despite a similar statement by her father in the past.

2008/Green Party-Speculation

Once again Cynthia Mckinney is being mentioned among Green Party circles as a potential candidate in 2008. Green Party members attempted to recruit Ms. Mckinney both in 2000 and 2004. In 2000 she was widely mentioned as a possible running mate (in the VP slot) for Ralph Nader, in 2004 attempts were made to convince Mckinney to run on the Green Party Ballot line for President. While there had been a great deal of excitement (amongst Greens) concerning a possible Mckinney run in those prior elections, the congresswoman had little to do with the party outside of Green Party loyalists working on her Democratic congressional campaigns. This changed drastically following her defeat in the 2006 election. Mckinney recently attended the California Green Party strategy retreat in Sonoma, California where she was the keynote speaker

References

  1. "Democrat U.S. House District 4". WSBTV Action News 2 Atlanta. 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  2. Jim Lehrer (9 December 1996). "The NewsHour, Politics of Race". PBS.
  3. "Democrat U.S. House District 4". WSBTV Action News 2 Atlanta. 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  4. "Barr, McKinney lose in Georgia primaries". CNN.
  5. "Lessons from Rep. Cynthia McKinney's defeat, by Michael Barone". U.S. News and World Report. 29 August 2002.
  6. "Lessons from Rep. Cynthia McKinney's defeat, by Michael Barone". U.S. News and World Report. 29 August 2002.
  7. http://www.counterpunch.org/mckinney0918.html
  8. http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041026093059633
  9. "Press Release". Office of Rep. Cynthia McKinney. 22 July 2005.
  10. Cynthia McKinney (9 August 2005). "The 9/11 Commission Report One Year Later: A Citizens' Response – Did They Get it Right?". NOWAR/PAIX.
  11. "Martin Luther King, Jr., Records Collection Act of 2005". Government Printing Office. 23 May 2005.
  12. http://www.prisonplanet.com/video/McKinney2.rm
  13. "A Failure of Initiative: The Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina". U.S. House of Representatives. 15 February 2006.
  14. "McKinney Roils Panel". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 20 October 2005.
  15. "Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act of 2005". Government Printing Office. 2 November 2005.
  16. "Rep. McKinney Punches Cop". WXIA-TV ATLANTA. 30 March 2006.
  17. "Rep. McKinney has 5th run-in with security". United Press International. 30 March 2006.
  18. ^ Chris Suellentrop (19 April 2002). "Cynthia McKinney - The rep who cries racism". Slate.com.
  19. "Police report: McKinney hit officer with fist". CNN Washington Bureau. 19 April 2006.; "McKinney report cites assault with 'closed fist'". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 19 April 2006.
  20. "McKinney Faces Arrest for Scuffle". WXIA-TV ATLANTA. 30 March 2006.
  21. "McKinney Reveals Status of Gender, Race". Fox News.
  22. "Lewis advises McKinney to stop". The Hill (newspaper).
  23. "Democrats Pull Out Of McKinney Rally". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  24. Carl Hulse (1 April 2006). "Congresswoman Accuses Capitol Police Officer of Racial Bias". The New York Times.
  25. "Throw the book at her". The Wall Street Journal / OpinionJournal.
  26. "McKinney Apologizes". The Hill (newspaper).
  27. "McKinney incident referred to U.S. Attorney's Office". The Associated Press.
  28. "Grand Jury to Hear McKinney Run-In Case". The Associated Press.
  29. "McKinney Apologizes Over Scuffle With Officer". The Washington Post.
  30. "Officer Considers Lawsuit Against McKinney". WSBTV ATLANTA.
  31. "Station catches McKinney bad-mouthing staffer". The Associated Press.
  32. "McKinney Caught On-Air Blasting Aide". CBS.
  33. "Interview with Dennis Bernstein. Flashpoints". Pacifica Radio. KPFA, Berkeley, California. 25 March 2002.
  34. "Goodbye to All That, by Cynthia McKinney". CounterPunch. 12 September 2002.
  35. "Georgia Election Results: Official Results of the July 18, 2006 Primary Election". Georgia Secretary of State. 2006-07-16. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  36. "Democrat U.S. House District 4". WSBTV Action News 2 Atlanta. 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  37. http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/09/congress.mckinney/
  38. "She also, as The New York Times said in reporting her victory, had made 'a series of other incendiary, often racial comments.' This is The New York Times' delicate way of alluding to the stridently anti-Semitic character of McKinney's 2002 campaign, in which 'Jews' were repeatedly blamed for her faltering in the polls and for her eventual defeat." Alexander, Edward. The Democratic Party's anti-Semitism problem, The Seattle Times, August 9, 2004.
  39. "McKinney ended up losing the Democratic primary in 2002 to Denise Majette. Majette rode to victory largely on the negative publicity that flowed McKinney's way both when the 'Bush KNEW' accusation made national news and when her anti-Semitic and pro-Islamist beliefs were exposed." Preston, Bryan. The Female Michael Moore, National Review Online, July 27, 2004.
  40. "...in the past McKinney has been accused of making anti-Semitic comments during interviews and speeches." Leibowitz, Rebecca. Defeating Anti-Israeli and Anti-Semitic Activity on Campus - A Case Study: Rutgers University, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Jewish Political Studies Review 17:1-2 (Spring 2005).
  41. " Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-Georgia) and her supporters have had a long history of anti-Semitic statements." Lasky, Ed. The Europeanization of the Democratic Party, The American Thinker, October 24, 2006.
  42. "A year later, Representative Cynthia McKinney, a black Georgian Democrat, ran an anti-Semitic campaign against her Jewish opponent." Heineman, Kenneth J. God Is a Conservative: Religion, Politics, and Morality in Contemporary America, New York University Press, p. 234. ISBN 0-8147-3554-1
  43. http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/4869_12.htm
  44. http://www.cynthiaforcongress.com/blog.php?id=50

External links

Preceded byDistrict created Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 11th congressional district
1993–1997 		Succeeded byJohn Linder
Preceded byJohn Linder Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 4th congressional district
1997-2003 		Succeeded byDenise Majette
Preceded byDenise Majette Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 4th congressional district
2005–2007 		Succeeded byHank Johnson
Categories:
Cynthia McKinney Add topic