[Marxism] McKinney Declines 2008 Green Presidential Bid

["Eli Stephens" <elishastephens@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

URL: http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0225.html

BREAKING: McKinney Declines 2008 Green Presidential Bid

By Matthew Cardinale, News Editor, The Atlanta Progressive News (September 
11, 2007)

(APN) ATLANTA ? After months of speculation, former US Rep. Cynthia McKinney 
(D-GA) has withdrawn her name as a candidate for the Green Party nomination, 
Atlanta Progressive News has learned.

"As I'm sure you know, I have been approached by many within the Green Party 
over the preceeding [sic] year who have asked that I consider seeking the 
nomination of the Green Party of the United States as its candidate for 
President of the United States. In 2003, I was similiarly [sic] approached 
about my potential interest in the 2004 race,? McKinney wrote in remarks 
dated September 10, 2007, posted on her website.

"I have seriously weighed the options, travelled [sic] extensively holding 
first private, then more public events with Greens over the preceding year, 
exploring such a possibility with Greens in at least a dozen state parties, 
meeting with the chair of your Presidential Campaign Support Committee, with 
the members of your Steering Committee, and speaking at, and entertaining 
questions from, the Party's Annual Meeting in Reading, Pennsylvania, this 
past July. Since the Reading meeting, I have also begun to help Green 
candidates raise money for their campaigns," McKinney wrote.

"For months I have answered questions about my intentions for this race in 
2008 by saying that while I am not yet in, neither am I out of this race," 
McKinney wrote.

"After careful consideration about the political conditions facing our 
nation, the level of development within the Party, my own readiness to take 
on such a daunting task, and my own long postponed personal priorities, I 
write to inform the Party that I must at this time withdraw my name from 
consideration for the Party's 2008 Presidential Nominating contest," 
McKinney wrote.

"I remain committed to our collective work of transforming our nation and to 
mobilizing peace loving Americans, justice seeking activists, and others 
disfranchised by the powers which currently control our nation toward that 
end," she added.

McKinney?s decision to not run for US President opens up the possibility of 
her running again for her former US House seat, or possibly another US House 
seat, as has also been mentioned to Atlanta Progressive News by sources 
familiar with the matter.

McKinney recently told APN her former Congressional staff was "hoping for a 
three-peat," referring to the fact that she was reelected to her seat in 
2004 after being temporarily replaced by former US Rep. Denise Majette 
(D-GA).

Of course, it?s also possible that she has now since decided to spend more 
time with her college-age son and/or pursue avenues of political influence 
outside the legislature.

McKinney has made several previous speeches indicating her interest to run 
in 2008 for something, although recently she seemed to be hinting that she 
would run as a Green.

McKinney has spent the last several months traveling and attempting to raise 
funds to pay off her 2006 Congressional Campaign debt. Much of this 
fundraising has been at Green Party events.

On March 17, 2007, McKinney declared her "independence" from the Democratic 
Party in remarks made during an anti-war march on the Pentagon in 
Washington, DC.

On March 23, 2007, McKinney told Atlanta Progressive News "the Dems didn?t 
bolster their case today, did they?" after the Democratic Congress approved 
further funding for the US Invasion of Iraq.

On May 25, 2007, McKinney told WBAI radio station in New York, "2008 has not 
been ruled out, some kind of effort. Certainly now it is questionable as to 
whether it would come under the banner of the Democratic Party. There is no 
way with the current crop of Democratic candidates... they cannot speak for 
me any longer."

Finally, "If I do something in 2008, they?ve tried to label me as the 
violent Congresswoman, but honestly they haven?t seen violence yet. What I?d 
like to do is violence to the system, violence to the oppression... So if I 
do something in 2008, and I really do want to do something in 2008, it will 
be the fullest expression I know of revolutionary love. Because we will make 
revolution and it will only be about love," McKinney said on June 09, 2007, 
during a fundraising event in New York called "Revolutionary Love."

About the author:

Matthew Cardinale is the News Editor of The Atlanta Progressive News and may 
be reached at matthew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_________________________________________________________________
Discover sweet stuff waiting for you at the Messenger Cafe.  Claim your 
treat today! 
http://www.cafemessenger.com/info/info_sweetstuff.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_SeptHMtagline2


________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism