------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Sept. 5, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
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 - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. 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