Cynthia McKinney is here to stay
There was in interesting article in today's AJC about Cynthia McKinney, the loony congresswoman who hit a police officer after he failed to recognize her at the security checkpoint for the US Capitol. The article discusses how McKinney became a congresswoman, the issues she has championed, her previous quarrels with all levels of authority, and the opinions of her constituents who, inexplicably, keep sending this embarrassing moron back to Washington.
The article states:
In Washington, where McKinney's penchant for controversy has severely strained her relations with black lawmakers and other Democrats (House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi no longer speaks to her), colleagues refused to back McKinney. Instead, they demanded that she apologize and she complied.
Back in the 4th Congressional District, though, there is no such consensus on McKinney. In dozens of interviews over the past week, many of McKinney's DeKalb and Rockdale county constituents jumped to her defense, praising her for speaking out on an issue America didn't want to face.
I'm sure that folks around the country look at her and wonder how in the world a "red" state like Georgia can keep sending someone like McKinney to Washington. However, what they don't understand is that she lives in a VERY liberal district. Think Berkeley or SoHo. Her district is about as liberal as a district in the South can be. And they just love her. The crazier she gets and the more traitorous she acts, the more they like it. She could run over a dozen policemen with her car while holding a vial of crack-rock in one hand and an aborted fetus in the other hand -- and her district would still keep voting her back into office. In fact, that would probably increase her margin of victory.
According to the article:
Oliver Brown, a veteran campaign operative who helped Majette beat McKinney in 2002, considered the impact McKinney's latest controversy might have on her re-election this fall — especially since her district has been redrawn to exclude many of her past critics.
"Trust me," he said, "she is going back to Washington."
So we're stuck with her. Georgia is stuck with her and the country is stuck her. I really wish I was wrong about this, but I'm not. Cynthia McKinney, shameless spectacle that she is, is here to stay. Our only hope is that she will eventually do something that gets her kicked out of office (perhaps based on ethical violations or legal problems). Short of that, though, we'll just have to get used to seeing this crazy woman pop up on the radar screen periodically.
2 comments:
I'm a Democrat, and I'm really tired of her. I was ecstatic when Denise Majette beat her in 02 (I still can't beleive Majette left that post to loose in the Senate race). Your side should love McKinney right where she is, becuase she is one of the Top 5 reasons Democrats have lost the center.
But there is a larger problem: when districts are gerrymandered to protect incumbency, it leads the nation away from reasonable political debate about real ideas and leads us towards further polarization. This is true for the right and the left.
Notice how tame the Georgia District 12 (arguably our most tortured district, geographically speaking) candidates are in their campaigns. The district was drawn to be liberal, but ended up with a pretty even split. Both Max Burns and John Barrow have to campagin on real ideas that appeal to the center rather than the extremes. I think that's better for America.
In other Cynthia news: Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi won't speak to her anymore, and two Democrats are challenging her in the primaries.
I used to live in a sliver of her district. I think I could reach both edges of her district with my own personal wingspan because of how pathetically it was gerrymandered.
I'm not really a party-line guy, although I am conservative. I'm just ashamed that she is from Georgia. And I'm constantly amazed that she keeps getting elected. I understand that her district will go to the Dems, but surely there is another Dem that isn't such a freaking lunatic. I think I heard that Majette might run for that seat again. I just don't know if she can win it again, though.
Oh, well. Just like with Aunt Bee's pickles, I guess you have to learn to love 'em. That's a tall order in the case of Cynthia, though. She leaves a much worse taste in your mouth than kerosene.
:)
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