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Cynthia McKinney

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Cynthia McKinney
Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 11th District
In office
January 5, 1993 – January 3, 1997
Preceded byNone — district created
Succeeded byJohn Linder
Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th District
In office
January 7, 1997 – January 3, 2003
Preceded byJohn Linder
Succeeded byDenise Majette
Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th District
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byDenise Majette
Succeeded byHank Johnson
Personal details
BornGreen Party Presidential Nominee
DiedGreen Party Presidential Nominee
Resting placeGreen Party Presidential Nominee
Political partyDemocratic (January 1993 – September 2007)
Green Party (October 2007)
SpouseCoy Grandison (divorced)
Parent
ResidenceLithonia, Georgia
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
Occupationhigh school teacher, college professor

Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955) is a former United States Representative and was the 2008 Green Party nominee for President of the United States. McKinney has served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993–2003 and 2005–2007, first representing Georgia's 11th Congressional District and then Georgia's 4th Congressional District. She is the first African-American woman to have represented Georgia in the House.[1]

In the 1992 election, McKinney was elected in the newly re-created 11th District,[2] and was re-elected in 1994. When her district was redrawn and renumbered due to the Supreme Court of the United States ruling in Miller v. Johnson,[1][3][4] McKinney was easily elected from the new 4th District in the 1996 election, and was re-elected twice without substantive opposition.

McKinney was defeated by Denise Majette in the 2002 Democratic primary, in part due to Republican crossover voting in Georgia's open primary election, which permits anyone from any party to vote in any party primary,[5] and in part due to her "controversial profile, which included a suggestion that president George W. Bush knew in advance of the September 11 attacks."[5]

After her 2002 loss, McKinney traveled and gave speeches, and served as a Commissioner in The Citizens' Commission on 9-11. On October 26, 2004, she was among 100 prominent Americans and 40 family members of those who were 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.[6] McKinney was re-elected to the House in November 2004, following her successor's run for Senate. In Congress, she advocated unsealing records pertaining to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and an investigation into the murder of Tupac Shakur and continued to criticize the Bush Administration over the 9/11 attacks. She supported anti-war legislation and introduced articles of impeachment against President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

She was defeated by Hank Johnson in the 2006 Democratic primary,[7] after finding herself in the national spotlight again over the March 29, 2006 Capitol Hill Police Incident, where she was involved in a confrontation with a Capitol Hill Police officer who did not recognize her as a member of congress. She left the Democratic Party in September 2007.[8]

Members of the United States Green Party had attempted to recruit McKinney for their ticket in both 2000 and 2004. She eventually ran as the Green Party nominee in the 2008 presidential election.[9][10]

Early life and political career

Cynthia McKinney was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Billy McKinney, one of Atlanta's first black law enforcement officers, and a former Georgia State Representative, and of Leola McKinney, a retired nurse.

File:Cynthia mckinney early life.jpg
A photograph of the young Cynthia McKinney in Atlanta, featured in the film American Blackout.

In an interview, McKinney once described how as a young girl she was exposed to the Civil Rights Movement through her father, an activist who regularly participated in demonstrations across the south. As a police officer, McKinney's father would challenge the racially discriminatory policies of the Atlanta Police Department that were in effect at the time by publicly protesting in front of the station, often carrying young McKinney on his shoulders. After years of protesting social injustice in this way, McKinney's father decided it would be a more effective strategy to actually make public policy than to protest it. He sought to enter politics, and McKinney attributes her father's election victory after several failed attempts to the passage of the voting rights act passed by Lyndon B. Johnson, which was enacted to safeguard the rights of black voters. This, according to McKinney's account, was an early experience that opened her eyes to the power of government and its potential to guarantee social justice through legislation.[11]

McKinney earned a B.A. in international relations from the University of Southern California, an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She worked as a high school teacher and later as a university professor.

Her political career began in 1986 when her father, a representative in the Georgia House of Representatives, submitted her name as a write-in candidate for the Georgia state house. She got about 40% 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, born in 1985). 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 aggressively against the Gulf War, causing many legislators to walk out in protest of her remarks.[12]

In 2007, McKinney moved from her long time residence in the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain to California.[13] She is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley.

First terms in Congress

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% black district stretching from Atlanta to Savannah. She was the first African American woman to represent Georgia in the House.[1] She coasted to re-election 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 drawn based on the racial composition of the constituents.[1] McKinney's district was subsequently renumbered as the 4th and redrawn to take in almost all of DeKalb County, prompting 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.[1]

The new 4th, however, was no less Democratic than the 11th, and McKinney was easily elected from this district in 1996. She was re-elected two more times with no substantive opposition.

On October 17, 2001, McKinney introduced a bill calling for "the suspension of the use, sale, development, production, testing, and export of depleted uranium munitions pending the outcome of certain studies of the health effects of such munitions. . . ." The bill was cosponsored by Reps. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, Puerto Rico; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio; Barbara Lee, D-Ca.; and Jim McDermott, D-Wash.[14]

Criticism of Al Gore

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 was outraged and responded by pointing out that Gore's campaign manager, Donna Brazile, was black.[15]

McKinney also chastised Gore for failing to support the U'wa people of Colombia trying to oppose oil drilling near them. In a press release issued on February 22, 2000, entitled "No More Blood For Oil. Says McKinney," McKinney wrote that "Oil drilling on Uwa land will result in considerable environmental damage and social conflict which will lead to greater militarization of the region as well as an increase in violence." Addressing herself to Gore, she wrote "I am contacting you because you have remained silent on this issue despite your strong financial interests and family ties with Occidental."[16]

September 11 attacks

McKinney gained national attention for remarks she made following the 2001 US attacks, charging that the United States had advance knowledge of the attacks and that US President George W. Bush may have been aware of the incipient attack and allowed them to happen,[17] allegedly due to his father's business interests: "It is known that President Bush's father, through the Carlyle Group, had–at the time of the attacks–joint business interests with the bin Laden construction company and many defense industry holdings, the stocks of which have soared since September 11."[17] In the month that followed the attacks, when New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani refused to cash a $10 million check written by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in light of the Prince's suggestion that the attacks were an indication that the United States "should re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stand toward the Palestinian cause,"[18] McKinney published an open letter to the Saudi Prince, in which she wrote of her disappointment at Giuliani's action and stated, "Let me say that there are a growing number of people in the United States who recognize, like you, that U.S. policy in the Middle East needs serious examination...Your Royal Highness, many of us here in the United States have long been concerned about reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that reveal a pattern of excessive, and often indiscriminate, use of lethal force by Israeli security forces in situations where Palestinian demonstrators were unarmed and posed no threat of death or serious injury to the security forces or to others."[19]

2002 primary defeat

In 2002, McKinney was defeated in the Democratic primary by DeKalb County judge Denise Majette.[20] It was stunning by itself that Majette, who had never run in a partisan contest before, was able to unseat the seemingly entrenched McKinney. Majette defeated McKinney with 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 the November general election, had voted in the Democratic primary against McKinney in revenge for her anti-Bush administration views and her allegations of voter fraud in Florida in the 2000 Presidential Election. Like 20 other states, Georgia operates an open primary: voters do not align with 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.[21]

The district court dismissed the case, noting that the plaintiffs had presented no evidence in support of the 14th Amendment and Voting Rights Act 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 in May 2004, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this result in Osburn v. Cox,[22] 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.[23][24]

Other factors in her defeat were her controversial statements regarding Bush's involvement in 9/11,[17][25] her opposition to aid to Israel, a perceived support of Palestinian and Arab causes, and because on the night before the primary election, McKinney's father stated on Atlanta television that "Jews have bought everybody ... J-E-W-S."[17] Cynthia McKinney had been through a long contentious relationship with AIPAC[26], and commentators such as Alexander Cockburn allege that money from out-of-state Jewish organizations, angered by her stand on Middle East issues, was key in her election defeat. Cockburn also wrote that "Buckets of sewage were poured over McKinney's head in the Washington Post and the Atlanta Constitution."[27]

Between terms

Cynthia McKinney speaking to the press in 2006

McKinney traveled widely as a public speaker between her terms in office. Throughout 2003 and 2004, McKinney toured the US 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."

In 2004, McKinney served on the advisory committee for the group 2004 Racism Watch.[28] On September 9, 2004, she was 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 who were 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.[6]

There was speculation that she was considering a run as the Green Party's nominee for the 2004 presidential election. However, she had made no secret that she wanted her congressional seat back, and turned down the Green Party nomination.

2004 return to Congress

Majette declined to run for re-election 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 House Democratic primary. Since it was taken for granted that victory in the Democratic primary was tantamount to election in November, McKinney's opponents focused on clearing the field for a single candidate who could force her into a runoff election.

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, contrary to traditional practice, the Democrats did not restore McKinney's seniority. Had she been able to regain her seniority, she would have been a senior Democrat on the International Relations and Armed Services committees, as well as ranking Democrat on an International Relations subcommittee.[29]

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. She was one of the 31 in the House who objected to the official allotment of the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004 to incumbent George W. Bush.[30]

9/11 Commission

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.[31] 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 addressed flaws, omissions, and a 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[32] 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 that was widely believed to have cost her her House seat. The Journal-Constitution declined to publish McKinney's reply.[33] 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 2, 2009. McKinney's interest in 9/11 relates specifically to what she expresses as her opposition to excessive government secrecy,[34] which she has challenged with numerous pieces of legislation.

MLK Records Act

McKinney has submitted to Congress two different 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.[35] These records were sealed in 1978 and are not due to be declassified until the year 2028. The 2005 version of the MLK Records Act, HR 2554 had 67 cosponsors by the time McKinney left office at the end of 2006. A Senate version of the bill (S2499) was introduced by Senator John Kerry and was co-signed by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. The bill has also received numerous endorsements from former members of the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

Tupac Shakur Records Act

Documents relating to the death of rapper Tupac Shakur, in which McKinney has taken an active interest, 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."[36] Legislation demanding release of records is a more direct route than the tedious process and limited scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Hurricane Katrina activism

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 relocated to the Atlanta area, and many have now settled there.

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.[37][38] Rep. McKinney was the only member of Congress to participate in a march across the Crescent City Connection Bridge on November 7, 2005, to protest what had happened on that bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[39]

In response, McKinney introduced a bill[40] 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 referred to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, but was not acted on. However, in August 2006, a grand jury began an investigation of the incident.[41][42]

McKinney chose to be an active participant in the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, despite the Democratic Party leadership's call for Democratic members to boycott the committee. She submitted her own 72-page report.[43] 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 had been 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?"[44]

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 a 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.[45]

At the request of McKinney, the [46] 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.

Rep. McKinney along with Rep. Barbara Lee (CA), produced a[47] "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.

On August 2, 2007, McKinney participated in a press conference in New Orleans to launch an International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which she described as an effort to seek justice for the victims of those hurricanes and their aftermath.

Anti-war and human rights legislation

Until 2000, McKinney served on the House International Relations Committee, where she was the highest-ranking Democrat on the Human Rights Subcommittee. McKinney worked on legislation to stop conventional weapons transfers to governments that are undemocratic or fail to respect human rights. Her legislation to end the mining of coltan in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo was mentioned in the United Nations Security Council's "Special Report on Ituri."[citation needed]

On November 18, 2005, McKinney was one of only three House members 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."[48]

Articles of impeachment introduced

At the end of the 2006 legislative session, McKinney introduced articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush as (H Res 1106), which made three charges against Bush:[49]

  • Failure to uphold the constitution, specifically that "George Walker Bush … in preparing the invasion of Iraq, did withhold intelligence from the Congress, by refusing to provide Congress with the full intelligence picture that he was being given, by redacting information … and actively manipulating the intelligence on Iraq’s alleged weapons programs by pressuring the Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies.
  • Abuse of office and executive privilege, "obstructing and hindering the work of Congressional investigative bodies and by seeking to expand the scope of the powers of his office."
  • Failure to ensure that laws are faithfully executed, specifically by a program of illegal domestic spying and circumvention of the FISA Act.

The second article also made charges against Vice President Dick Cheney alleging he manipulated intelligence in order to justify the Iraq War, and against Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice alleging that she knowingly made false statements concerning Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.[49]

As with most other Presidential impeachment bills, it failed to clear the House Committee on the Judiciary, and has since been abandoned.[50]

Capitol Police incident

Main article: March 29, 2006 Capitol Hill 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 McKinney as a member of Congress because she was not wearing the appropriate lapel pin.[51] She proceeded westward down the ground floor hallway and about halfway down the hallway was stopped by United States Capitol Police officer Paul McKenna, who states that he had been calling after her: "Ma'am, Ma'am!"; at that time it is reported that McKinney struck the officer. Two days later, Officer McKenna filed a police report claiming that McKinney had struck "his chest with a closed fist."

In the midst of a media frenzy, McKinney made an apology[52] on the floor of the House of Representatives on April 6, 2006, neither admitting to nor denying the charge, stating only that: "There should not have been any physical contact in this incident." Minutes before making the Congresswoman's apology, McKinney's security officer made contact with a TV correspondent outside of the U.S. Capitol.[53]

Though not indicted for criminal charges or subjected to disciplinary action by the House, the president of the Fraternal Order of Police said of Officer McKenna, “We're going to make sure the officer won't be harassed. We want the officer to be able talk to experts, who can look at his legal recourses, if he needed to."[54]

Unintentional on-air criticism

In the wake of the March 2006 incident with the Capitol Police officer, Rep. McKinney was 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 apparently forgot she was still wearing the microphone. Her offscreen comments were captured on tape. She was heard saying, "Oh, crap, now you know what ... they lied to [aide Coz Carson], and Coz is a fool."[55] 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?"[56] The comments from the interview were subsequently aired on CBS and eventually across the nation.

Department of Defense Homicide Accusation

On Sept. 28, 2008, at a press conference, McKinney announced that she had spoken with a constituent whose son was a National Guardsman. The constituent claimed her son had disposed of 5,000 bodies for the Department of Defense during the week of Hurricane Katrina. She further claimed that the bodies were prisoners who had all been shot in the head and dumped in a Louisiana swamp. McKinney said that the story had been corroborated by anonymous "insider" sources.[57][58]

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%.[59] However, since McKinney failed to get at least 50% of the vote, she and Johnson were forced into a runoff.

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%).[60] McKinney's loss is attributed to a mid-decade redistricting, in which the 4th had absorbed portions of Gwinnett and Rockdale Counties, as well as her highly publicized controversial run-in with a police officer in the March 29, 2006 Capitol Hill Police Incident.

CNN reported that during her concession speech, McKinney hardly mentioned her opponent but praised the leftist political leaders elected in South America. She also questioned the efficacy of voting machines and criticized the media.[61]

2008 Green Party presidential candidacy

Main article: Cynthia McKinney presidential campaign, 2008
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On December 11, 2007, McKinney announced her candidacy for the Green Party nomination for President of the United States[9] in the 2008 presidential election.[10] Green Party members attempted to recruit McKinney both in 2000 and 2004. In 2000, she was widely mentioned as a possible vice-presidential running mate for Ralph Nader; in 2004, attempts were made to convince McKinney to run on the Green Party ballot line for president. McKinney also received the endorsement of the Workers World Party, the first time that party chose not to nominate a candidate of its own.[62]

While there had been a great deal of excitement among party members about a possible McKinney run in those prior elections, the congresswoman had little to do with the party apart from having had Green Party loyalists working on her congressional campaigns. This changed drastically following her defeat in the 2006 election. McKinney attended the California Green Party strategy retreat in Glen Ellen near Sonoma, California, where she was the keynote speaker on Saturday, February 24, 2007.[63] On May 25, 2007, she was asked about a presidential run on WBAI and confirmed that she had thought about a Green run: "2008 has not been ruled out, some kind of effort. Certainly now it is questionable as to whether that effort would come under the banner of the Democratic Party."[64]

Cynthia McKinney before speaking at the Green Party Presidential Debate in San Francisco, January 2008.

On June 9, speaking at a Harlem fundraiser for her Congressional campaign debt, McKinney addressed speculation that she might run for president in 2008. At the end of the program, Robert Knight of Pacifica Radio, who emceed the evening's events, took the pulpit to ask: "I can't hardly wait for 2008. Ms. McKinney, in 2008, what color is your parachute?" McKinney responds from the audience, "it's not red and it's not blue."[65] McKinney also appeared at the July 15 Green Party National Meeting in Reading, Pennsylvania, where she suggested that the Green Party could become a progressive political force. "[T]he disgust of the American people with what they see before them — all they need is the blueprint and a road map. Why not have the Green Party provide the blueprint and the road map?"

At an August 27 peace rally in Kennebunkport, Maine McKinney confirmed the depth of her disenchantment with the Democratic Party, urging San Francisco voters to replace Nancy Pelosi with antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan.[66] On September 10, in a letter to the Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States, McKinney stated she would not seek the Green Party nomination for president.[67] However, in early October it appeared that McKinney was making moves toward declaring herself an official Green Party candidate.[68]

By October 9, 2007, Green leaders were receiving emails indicating McKinney had formally joined the Green Party. The emails also indicate McKinney could announce a Green Party presidential bid by the third week of October. Following a brief exploratory visit to California in mid-October, McKinney filed with the FEC. She formally announced her candidacy with a video on her website and on YouTube on December 16, 2007. Later that month she agreed to join with others on the Green Party California Primary Ballot for an event in San Francisco entitled Campaign 2008: A Presidential Debate That Matters.[69] McKinney has also filed with the State Board of Elections of Illinois for the Green party in the presidential race.[70]

On July 9, 2008 she named as her running mate journalist and community activist Rosa Clemente[71] and clinched the party's nomination three days later at the 2008 Green Party National Convention.[72]

On September 10, 2008, McKinney joined a press conference held by third Party and Independent candidates, along with Ralph Nader, Chuck Baldwin, and initiator Ron Paul.[73] The participants agreed on four basic principles:

  • An early end to the Iraq war, and an end to threats of war against other countries including Iran and Russia.
  • No increase in the National Debt

On November 4, 2008 McKinney received 161,603 votes. [74]

Free Gaza Movement

Ship Dignity and ramming of December 30 2008

On December 30, 2008, McKinney was aboard the ship Dignity as it attempted to enter the Gaza Strip, which had its coastal area declared a "closed military zone" by Israel, while on a humanitarian mission by the Free Gaza Movement from Cyprus. Aboard were physicians, medical supplies, and activists, including Caoimhe Butterly. The Israel Navy confronted the ship at night in international waters. Members of the crew claimed that the ship was rammed, gunfire was directed at the water, and the ship was forced to dock in Lebanon after taking on water[75][76]. Israel officials claimed that the collision was accidental and occurred after the ship was informed they wouldn't be allowed to enter Gaza and tried to outmaneuver the patrol boat; they decried McKinney's actions as being irresponsible and provocative for the sake of propaganda.[76][77]

Ship Spirit of Humanity and events of June 30 and July 2009

On June 30, 2009, McKinney was aboard the Greek-flagged Free Gaza Movement's ship Spirit of Humanity carrying 21 activists including Irish peace activist Mairead McGuire, medical supplies, cement, olive trees and toys, when it was seized by the Israeli Navy Template:Mi to km off the Gaza coast. It is unclear whether they were in international waters or in Gazan waters, which is subject to the Israeli blockade of Gaza. [78] [79] Although both the Cypriot and Israeli authorities were officially informed the destination was Gaza before the vessels departure, according to the Cypriot government the ship "was given permission by the competent Authorities of the Republic of Cyprus to sail off the port of Larnaca in Cyprus on the basis of its declaration that its intended destination was the port of Port Said in Egypt." [80]

McKinney is being held at the Givon immigration detention center in Ramle. McKinney and her fellow activists would have been released immediately had they signed deportation papers; however, McKinney has refused to sign, arguing that the papers are inaccurate and self-incriminating. [81][82] [83] Israeli officials have noted "that Palestinian Authority and the rest of the international community had agreed to the off-shore blockade to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza." The Israeli government has indicated it will deliver the supplies via land. [84]

Awards and honors

McKinney has been featured in a full-length documentary 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 May 1, 2004, during her hiatus from office, McKinney was awarded the fifth annual Backbone Award by the Backbone Campaign "because she was willing to challenge the Bush administration and called for an investigation into 9-11 when few others dared to air their criticism and questions."[85]

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," but the naming has come under scrutiny since her primary defeat in 2006.[86] Her father had previously been honored when a portion of Interstate 285 around Atlanta was dedicated as James E. "Billy" McKinney Highway.[87]

Electoral history

Main article: Electoral history of Cynthia McKinney

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Jim Lehrer (1996-10-31). "Georgia on Her Mind". PBS.
  2. ^ Constructed after the Congressional reapportionment associated with the 1990 United States Census.
  3. ^ The Court found that the 11th District was an unconstitutional gerrymander because the boundaries had been drawn based on the racial composition of the constituents. See also: Miller v. Johnson
  4. ^ See map of old district here.
  5. ^ a b Welch, William (2002-08-21). "Crossover vote helped tilt Ga. races". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-03-05. Crossover voting gave a significant lift to Democrat Denise Majette in unseating controversial Rep. Cynthia McKinney {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b 911truth.org ::::: 911 Truth Statement
  7. ^ "Democrat U.S. House District 4". WSBTV Action News 2 Atlanta. 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  8. ^ http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/ All Things Cynthia McKinney (Cynthia McKinney's personal website) article "Cynthia Severs Ties with Democrats" submitted by admin September 25, 2007.
  9. ^ a b YouTube - Cynthia McKinney Announces Run for President
  10. ^ a b McKinney speaks truth to power in Wisconsin
  11. ^ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1424663692856267230 Insightful Personal Conversation with Cynthia McKinney"
  12. ^ Foerstel, Karen (1999). Biographical Dictionary of Congressional Women. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 181. ISBN 0313302901. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ Cynthia McKinney Moves--McKinney Parkway Fate in Question
  14. ^ Iraqi cancers, birth defects blamed on U.S. depleted uranium
  15. ^ Chris Suellentrop (2002-04-19). "Cynthia McKinney — The rep who cries racism". Slate.com.
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ a b c d "Lessons from Rep. Cynthia McKinney's defeat, by Michael Barone". U.S. News and World Report. 2002-08-29. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Cite error: The named reference "usnews1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Giuliani rejects $10 million from Saudi prince". CNN. 2001-10-12. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  19. ^ McKinney, Cynthia. "Letter to His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed bin Talal". Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  20. ^ "Barr, McKinney lose in Georgia primaries". CNN.
  21. ^ http://brian.carnell.com/archives/years/2002/10/000015.html
  22. ^ 369 F.3d 1283
  23. ^ Osburn v. Georgia, 04-217) (cert denied, 541 U.S. __).
  24. ^ Order List - October 18, 1004
  25. ^ "Faith, race and Barack Obama". The Economist. 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Nigut, Bill, "Deconstructing Cynthia McKinney,"[2] Jewish Times, November 5, 1999
  27. ^ Cockburn, Alexander, "The Attack on Cynthia McKinney,"[3] Counterpunch, August 21, 2002
  28. ^ "2004 Racism Watch Calls On Bush-Cheney Campaign to Change or Pull Offensive Ad". Common Dreams. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  29. ^ Mark Donham: Why Are the Democrats Trying to Deny Cynthia McKinney Her Seniority?
  30. ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll007.xml
  31. ^ "Press Release". Office of Rep. Cynthia McKinney. 2005-07-22.
  32. ^ McKinney reopens 9/11
  33. ^ Cynthia McKinney (2005-08-09). "The 9/11 Commission Report One Year Later: A Citizens' Response — Did They Get it Right?". NOWAR/PAIX.
  34. ^ [4]
  35. ^ "Martin Luther King, Jr., Records Collection Act of 2005". Government Printing Office. 2005-05-23.
  36. ^ "Congresswoman floats 2Pac bill". Los Angeles Times. 2005-12-03.
  37. ^ "Police made their storm misery worse". San Francisco Chronicle. 2005-09-09. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file= ignored (help)
  38. ^ "The Bridge to Gretna". CBS News. 2005-12-18. {{cite news}}: Text "http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/15/60minutes/main1129440.shtml" ignored (help)
  39. ^ "Marchers Cross New Orleans Bridge to Protest Racism". National Organization for Women. 2005-11-07. {{cite news}}: Text "http://www.now.org/issues/diverse/neworleansmarch.html?printable" ignored (help)
  40. ^ "H.R. 4209, 109th Congress, 1st Session" (PDF). United States House of Representatives. 2005-11-02.
  41. ^ "Bridge blockade goes to grand jury". New Orleans Times-Picayune. 2006-08-05.
  42. ^ "La. Police Who Turned Away Katrina Victims Face Inquiry". Washington Post. 2006-08-05. {{cite news}}: Text "http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/04/AR2006080401348.html" ignored (help)
  43. ^ "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. 2006-02-15.
  44. ^ "McKinney Roils Panel". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 2005-10-20.
  45. ^ "Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act of 2005". Government Printing Office. 2005-11-02.
  46. ^ Select Bipartisan Committee
  47. ^ Offices of Rep. Barbara Lee and Rep. Cynthia McKinney (2006-06-06). "Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Summary of Congressional Legislation" (PDF). United States House of Representatives.
  48. ^ McKinney: Republicans seek to silence dissent on Iraq war
  49. ^ a b [5]
  50. ^ [6]
  51. ^ "Rep. McKinney Punches Cop". WXIA-TV ATLANTA. 2006-03-30.
  52. ^ "McKinney apologizes for scuffle with officer". WXIA-TV ATLANTA. 2006-03-30. {{cite news}}: Text "http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/06/mckinney/" ignored (help)
  53. ^ McKinney's Bodyguard Shoves Channel 2 Reporter - Video - WSB Atlanta
  54. ^ "Officer Considers Lawsuit Against McKinney". WSBTV ATLANTA.
  55. ^ "Station catches McKinney bad-mouthing staffer". The Associated Press.
  56. ^ CNN Sunday Morning Transcript. CNN. 2006-04-23.
  57. ^ McKinney Accuses Government of Slaughtering Prisoners, Dumping Bodies During Katrina. Fox News. 2008-10-02.
  58. ^ [7]
  59. ^ "Georgia Election Results: Official Results of the July 18, 2006 Primary Election". Georgia Secretary of State. 2006-07-16. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  60. ^ "Democrat U.S. House District 4". WSBTV Action News 2 Atlanta. 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  61. ^ CNN.com — McKinney beaten but unbowed - August 9, 2006
  62. ^ "Why Workers World is endorsing Cynthia McKinney for president" July 17, 2008
  63. ^ [8]
  64. ^ http://www.reason.com/blog/show/.html
  65. ^ her website
  66. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation//cm_thenation/ [dead link]
  67. ^ McKinney, Cynthia (2007-09-10). "Cynthia Withdraws Name From Consideration for Green Party Presidential Nomination". All Things Cynthia McKinney.
  68. ^ Thomas, Luke (2007-10-05). "Cynthia McKinney to announce bid for the White House". Fog City Journal.
  69. ^ "Green Campaign 2008: A Presidential Debate That Matters". Green Party of Alameda County.
  70. ^ Illinois State Board of Elections [dead link]
  71. ^ Richard Winger, "Cynthia McKinney Names V-P Running Mate" Ballot Access News
  72. ^ "McKinney wins Green Party nomination", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2008-07-12
  73. ^ [9]
  74. ^ "2008 OFFICIAL PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS" (PDF). FEC. 2008-11-04. Retrieved 2009-02-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  75. ^ "Gaza relief boat damaged in encounter with Israeli vessel". Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  76. ^ a b "Gaza Strip: Aid boat docks in Lebanon after being damaged". Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  77. ^ http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2008/12/29/cynthia_mckinney_gaza.html
  78. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/30/israel.gaza.mckinney/index.html
  79. ^ Jerusalem Post
  80. ^ Jerusalem Post
  81. ^ Cynthia McKinney Remains Imprisoned in Israel After Gaza-Bound Boat Is Seized FOX News July 02, 2009
  82. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/07/02/mckinney.israel.gaza/
  83. ^ Atlanta Journal Constitution
  84. ^ Atlanta Journal Constitution
  85. ^ "The Honorable Cynthia McKinney". Backbone Campaign.
  86. ^ Dell'Orto, Giovanna (2007-03-15). "Naming places after living politicians can be embarrassing". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2008-08-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  87. ^ "Highways would lose McKinney connection". Augusta Chronicle. 2006-12-30. Retrieved 2008-08-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

Campaign websites

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General political information

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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
District created
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 11th congressional district
1993–1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 4th congressional district
1997–2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 4th congressional district
2005–2007 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Green Party presidential candidate
2008 		Succeeded by
N/A: Most Recent

{{subst:#if:Mackinney, Cynthia|}} [[Category:{{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:1955}} 

|| UNKNOWN | MISSING = Year of birth missing {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:LIVING}}||LIVING=(living people)}}
| #default = 1955 births

}}]] {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:LIVING}} 

|| LIVING  = 
| MISSING  = 
| UNKNOWN  = 
| #default =

}}

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