This time around, we get a voice - one that refuses to be silenced even by corridors full of those who grasp onto self-perceived power...

I disagree with this small part, Steve. We don't get a voice; she's an also-ran already. There's no way in hell that the Greens are going to win the presidency when they can barely win a spot on the city council in most of America. We don't get a voice, we get marginalized again.

If McKinney wanted to make the most of the situation, she'd have pulled a Kucinich and stayed with the party while pulling the debate back to the left as a candidate from a party with a shot of winning. We all know Gravel and Kucinich won't win; their job is to pull the party more left than they'd like while Obama and especially Clinton try to go Republican-light. Only Edwards and Richardson are mushy middle-of-the-road centrists (with Edwards starting to push more left daily).

Thanks for this post, Steve.

I think this quote is the best point:

"Every progressive voter, indeed every American who looks for truth and believes in a government of the people, by the people and for the people, should applaud Cynthia McKinney's entry into the 2008 race."

That is exactly why McKinney will be bludgeoned to a pulp if she manages to draw even a quarter of the attention Nader did.

The problem is that she isn't being obedient. She should "work within" the Democratic Party or she will affect their chances at claiming the brass ring. The Dems don't want a candidate that makes their pseudo progressive positions look as shallow and meaningless as they are in reality.

Since she won't make the mistake of running with the wolves (DNC) and be happy with being marginalized as liberal, fringe, also-ran, then the Party will do it's best to smear her.

They believe in democracy as long as they aren't forced to act on it. It's only about calculation, compromise and complicity.

I have to say that the claims of change promised with a dem administration compared to the weak actions of Congress since 2006 make me doubt the Dems sincerity and their will.

Without a three way debate (at least) following the too early primary results, I wouldn't vote for any democrat.

McKinney and others do the right thing by challenging both parties from the outside.

The party would never tolerate dissent. It has to come from 3rd or 4th parties.

Nader II

Nader II

Nader II

Although I don't think the Dems will be blind-sided as they were the last time. Either they'll go in full attack mode (which they seem to be much better at directing leftward instead of rightward), or they'll completely marginalize her.

Either way, the Green, etc., candidates will be the only anti-war ones in the election, but no one's going to care.

It is unfortunate that, for many Americans, Congresswoman McKinney will always be remembered for her scuffle with a Capitol Hill police officer.

The Dems don't really need to go into a attack mode on this one. She's already been killed.

My politics are to the left of Cynthia Mckinney‘s and I did quite a bit of research. People change, but or now she's a ‘progressive’ whose amorphous politics are not exactly cutting edge or well thought out. Steve is correct - most of the stories about her from right wing sources are, simply put, lies. What enrages prowar Democratic islamophobes are her statements equating them to the Republican war machine and her no nonsense working class approach to the war.

She’s got virtually the same politics as Tutu but even right-wingers like Bush, Lieberman, and the Democrats are afraid to call him anti-Semitic. If she's the Green candidate it will spark an illuminating debate and the connections between christian theocrats, ultrarightists, zionists and Democrat centrist will become clearer. The connections center around their support for the oil piracy.

For more information about anti-Semitism, the resource wars and the Palestinian struggle here are some useful links:

www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org

www.electronicintifada.net a source of up to date news

www.gush-shalom.org

www.merip.org an excellent analytical and scholarly site on developments in the Middle East and the resource wars

www.fromoccupiedpalestine.org Eyewitness accounts

www.btselem.org/english/Torture Eyewitness accounts

http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/cs.php?inJoid=4excellent scholarly publication at website of The University College of Cork, Ireland (Where they know something about colonization and racism)

http://www.antiwar.com/roberts/?articleid=11452 Analysis of American politics and anti-Palestinian activities

http://www.alternet.org/story/62618/ a report on the growing Jewish anti -zionist movement and the use of zionist smear tactics

www.couragetorefuse.org/English about soldiers who refuse to torture and kill Palestinians

If selected the nominee of the Green Party, Cynthia McKinney will only discredit and marginalize the Green Party's credibility and viability as a third party more than it is already.

I am a former resident of Cynthia McKinney's Georgia congressional District. I have had personal conversations with Ms. McKiiney numerous times and have attended many of her public appearances.

Ms. McKinney is a captivating speaker... going right by the scripted pro-black, pro-poor Progressive, liberal dialogue. However, Ms. McKinney is UNintellectual, self-centered, anti-white (racist), ignorant (just talk with her for ten minutes) and uneducated, a conspiracy theorist (about almost everything), and about the greatest wack-job to come out of Georgia politics. She is not "Progressive." She is "Extremist." She is as much a left extremist and George Bush is a right extremist.... and equally as strident and ignorant.

As her father before her (a force in local politics) she has but one constituency; poor, ignorant black voters. Once outside that political environment, she is totally rejected. The Black, middle-class, educated (Progressive & Liberal) voters of her former District did not, and will not, support her.

And by the way, she will drop any support of Gay issues like a hot potato if it's politically expedient for her. When has she demonstrated any leadership in going before a black audience to actively support bridging the gap between homophobic Blacks and Gays? Or to talk frankly about AIDS in the Black community? Oh! That's right. AIDS is a CIA conspiracy to kill off the Black community. I forgot.

Please Steve, tell me you are more intelligent than this! It's so easy to see beyond the 'correct' rehtoric to discover what a real fraud Cynthia McKinney is.