BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!

Subject: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 10:13 AM

from Vivian Berryhill at opednews.com:

The 2008 Presidential election has produced yet another milestone in African American history. On Saturday, July 12th, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney secured the Green Party nomination... making her their official standard bearer for the office of the President of the United States of America.

Being a ground breaker is not new for her, as McKinney was the first African American woman to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives. This former Democrat served six terms in Congress before losing her 2006 bid for re-election.


McKinney\\\'s history-making feat also allows... for the first time in this nation... two Black candidate\\\'s names (McKinney and Senator Obama) to be placed on the election ballot in most––if not all–– the States in the Fall. Regardless of anti-war McKinney\\\'s irrefutable reputation in the past of being a bit over-the-top, or hot-tempered... her victory gives way for all Americans, particularly African American women, men, boys and girls to celebrate this high-point in our culture/country. Like it or not, McKinney will be noted in the annals of time as the first African American woman in Presidential history to represent a major party in pursuit of the highest office in the nation.

With that said, let us relish in the pride of the moment and applaud McKinney for doing what several other African American women: Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (1972), Dr. Isabelle Masters (1984, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004), Leonora B. Fulani (1988 and 1992) and Senator Carole Moseley Braun (2004) attempted to do... but failed.

Now, there are those who will attempt to verbally assail her as a \\\"spoiler\\\" or an \\\"Obama hater\\\" for jumping into the race at this juncture. But we live on a rapidly expanding \\\'global\\\' playground... and African Americans can no longer be pigeonholed to one party nor viewed as one-dimensional or monolithic on the political landscape. Indeed, having an African American man and woman participating on the national and international stage, debating alongside Senator John McCain, on critical issues and platforms to make America better... will make great theater.

With both Barack Obama and Cynthia McKinney\\\'s names on this year\\\'s presidential ballot will make available a \\\'choice\\\' that has not been afforded to Blacks in this country EVER, and may not ever happen like this again in our lifetime.

So, hats off to Green Party Presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney... may the best man or woman win!

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 10:49 AM

From The Nation:

McKinney does not spend much time attacking either the Democrat or the Republican. Rather, the former state legislator and six-term member of the House – whose broad experience as a child of the civil rights movement, a community activist, an educator and a state and national official compares favorably with both of her big-party rivals – simply says: \"Don\'t expect me to keep a count of the major flip flops of the other candidates between now and November. I\'m sure there will be plenty. They are in this flip flop because they have to appear to share our values -- while they serve somebody else.\"

That \"somebody else\" comment is a reference to the corporate and governmental elites that Cynthia McKinney has spent a lifetime battling. She has her scars. But she is still reasonably young by presidential politics standards – just 53 – and she is still appealing and appropriately idealistic.

Don\'t talk about \"wasted votes\" or \"spoiling\" that which is already spoiled, she says

\"We are in this to build a movement,\" McKinney told the cheering delegates. \"A vote for the Green Party is a vote for the movement that will turn this country right-side-up again.\"

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:00 AM

Back in 1948, I first encountered the argument that there was no significant difference between the two major parties, so a third party candidate wasn't really a spoiler. It was bullshit then. As now.

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: CarolC
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:02 AM

Having her in the race certainly will provide some contrast with Obama for those who think they can peg Obama as a "far-left liberal".

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:05 AM

Not a problem!

We are the party here to clean up the rot in a spoiled system!

Look up at the sun for authentic change, and end the dark, downward spiral of which dick greenhaus (love the name!) speaks!

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: Riginslinger
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:06 AM

Yeah, and it'll give the far-left-liberals somebody to vote for as Obama rushes to the right.

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:09 AM

And give true progressives a real chance to vote their conscience, not their cynicism, and get the Green Party a much needed shot in the arm to carry on the good fight well past the presidential elections!

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: CarolC
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:09 AM

So where does this leave Nader? Wasn't he trying to get the Greens nomination? Does this mean he's out of the race, or is he still running as a Green, but without their endorsement?

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:24 AM

No, Nader is running as an independent this year, and wasn\'t seeking the Green Party of the US endorsement, though he did speak at their National Meeting last year in PA.

They share many of the same constituents, have organized to reform ballot access laws nationally to level the playing field for independent candidates and third parties, and are serious about getting a place in national debates.

They also share many positions on the issues and the broken political system. Impeachment of Bush and Cheney is one example, but there are many.

They aren\'t running against each other--and that will be a paradigm the narrow \"win or lose\" minded people won\'t get. But that\'s OK. Their candidacies are all about building a mainstream reform movement. Nothing in the US will change, nor will the US democracy be salvaged, if this movement is suffocated by the two party corporate woned and controlled political system.

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: CarolC
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:28 AM

So how does one choose between McKinney and Nader? In what ways are they and their platforms different?

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:36 AM

The same way people chose between Obama and Clinton, whose platforms and positions weren\'t that different either!

Headlined on 7/7/08 at opednews.com:
McKinney Poised to Challenge Obama For Left-Wing and Black Voters

by Vivian Berryhill

As Senator Barack Obama continues pivoting away from those primary-election positions and promises that once galvanized his Democratic base, he may have a new worry looming on the horizon in the person of Cynthia McKinney. A former Georgia Congresswoman, McKinney is said to be a shoo-in as the Green Party\'s 2008 presidential nominee when their convention is held in Chicago, July 10-12.

Securing the Green Party\'s 2008 standard-bearer position would bestow on McKinney the historic title of \'first\' African American woman to be on the ballot as a viable candidate of a major party for President of the United States. That title alone will not only lessen the aura surrounding Barack Obama\'s position as the \'first\' African American male presidential nominee, but she may also siphon off just-enough left-wing, African American, and women voters, to sink both their chances for victory in the Fall.

Obama, in his quest to appeal to Reagan Republicans and Independents, is gravitating toward a more \'centrist\' position of late, which is causing serious ire among many of his followers, and those who supported and believed in his pre-General election message. And McKinney, being the shrewed politician she has always been, is set to capitalize on the Obama backlash. Recently issuing the following statement, McKinney\'s camp unashamedly challenges progressives/liberals who are disappointed in Obama:


\"There can be no effective reasoning with those African Americans who want only that a member of \'The Race\' occupy the Oval Office - no matter the character and politics of that Black individual. But self-described progressives of all races cannot excuse their own docility in the face of Obama\'s rightward lunge - especially when there exists one last opportunity to threaten the Democratic nominee-to-be with a backlash against his betrayals of progressive principles - one last chance to affect Obama\'s behavior before Election Day, November 4, and beyond. Cynthia McKinney.

It\'s time for people claiming to be progressives who supported Obama, to accept that they were bamboozled by a champion slickster. Actually, that\'s putting the best face on the situation, since most of Obama\'s progressive credentials were simply wished into existence by folks who were tired of even pretending to fight. Obama now dares to drop all pretense of progressivism, trusting that there will be no ramifications on the Left, especially among the otherwise most dependable progressive constituency, African Americans\".

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: Riginslinger
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 11:51 AM

"So how does one choose between McKinney and Nader?"


                The last I heard, Nader was only able to get on the ballot in five states, so that makes the choice easy in the other 45.

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 12:13 PM

Nader\\\'s petitions are completed for 11 states so far, and have been turned in in 8 of them. The independent parties move much slower than the corporate crook parties--they won\\\'t have their ballot peitions handed in around the country until the fall.

If you share these values, why would you vote for Demagogue Dems?

The Ten Key Values of the U.S. Green Movement

There are many voices present in the community to create a more just and sustainable world. The Ten Key Values of the United States Green Movement are listed here. There may not be a tangible measurement of a value system, but the steps we take each day measure the distance we have come.

GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY

We will work to increase public participation at every level of government through public campaign financing, proportional representation and other election reforms, to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them.

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE

All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, and in society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.

ECOLOGICAL WISDOM

Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation.

NONVIOLENCE

It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society\\\'s current patterns of violence. We will work to end institutional violence including war, the production of weapons of mass destruction, police brutality, the death penalty, hate crimes and poverty.

DECENTRALIZATION

Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. We support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits a powerful few. Decision-making should, as much as possible, take place at the individual and local level, while assuring that the environment and civil rights are protected for all.

COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS

We recognize it is essential to create a sustainable economic system that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. We support local economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers\\\' rights. We support community-based businesses which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control through democratic participation.

FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY

We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Values such as equity between the sexes and interpersonal responsibility must be developed with moral conscience.

RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY

We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.

PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY

We encourage all people to work to fulfill their individual potential, and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.

FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY

Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, while developing a sustainable economy that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We need to assure that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 12:33 PM

Cynthia McKinney\'s Call to Action
in Support of Dennis Kucinich\'s Articles of Impeachment Against Bush

. . .

Today we find that the ball is back in our court. It\'s up to the People now to \"flip the script\" once again. A massive grassroots movement of the People must coalesce very quickly, which can move Chairman Conyers and the House Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on H.Res. 1258.

I call upon all the forces of the Black movement nationwide--whether they currently support my presidential bid or the candidacy of Senator Obama--along with all my Green and Reconstructionist supporters, Katrina survivors and their supporters, the election protection movement, and all progressive forces, to organize a mass mobilization to push the House Judiciary Committee to move on the 35 Articles of Impeachment, with an explicit emphasis on the Black demands for fairness, equality and justice as laid out in Articles 28, 29 and 31.

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: CarolC
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 12:35 PM

Does anyone here know what some of the substantial differences are between the platforms of McKinney and Nader, or substantial differences between the candidates themselves (besides the obvious ones)?

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 12:58 PM

As I said Carol, there are no substantial diffeeerences between McKinney & Nader\'s positions on issues. So progressives will choose between them and the Demagogue Dems, based upon their own values, what message they want delivered with their votes and to whom, and whether they are seriously interested in building the blossoming grassroots movement for electoral reform through a third party (Greens) or through independently organized grassroots efforts that include but aren\'t limited to things like ballot iniatives, IRV voting, changing state ballot access laws, etc.

Depends upon what floats your progressive boat, in otehr words!

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,GoGreens!
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 01:15 PM

Sorry, forgot to provide a link for you to look up their positions, CarolC. Most websites that claim to offer side by side comparisons (like Project Vote Smart or the NPR website) only provide comparisons between the corporate crooks parties. But at the website below, you will find a lot of good information on both Nader and McKinney:

http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: CarolC
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 09:34 PM

I'm still a Kucinich supporter myself (although I may vote for Obama), but I am curious about how much difference there is between Nader and McKinney. I appreciate the links.

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: Riginslinger
Date: 16 Jul 08 - 04:10 PM

Well, Nader is a lot more boring to listen to, but it doesn't seem like either one of them has any kind of a grasp on the environment.

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: MarkS
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 12:32 AM

Come on!
This woman has more fingers and toes than brain cells.
Is this the best the Greens could do?

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: GUEST,saulgoldie
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 11:01 AM

She is a flame-throwing anti-semite. If Hillary had won, I would not have voted for her. But I also would not have voted for McKinney. Prolly write in Kucinich, or something. I will not vote Green when they have such kooks as nominees.

Saul

Subject: RE: BS: McKinney Wins Green Party Endorsement!
From: Riginslinger
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 11:56 AM

saulgoldie - While I would agree she's a flame thrower, and I have trouble making out how she fits into the Green environmental agenda, why would you lable her an anti-semite?