[Iowa-dx] Commons Dreams Article on McKinney

[Hart, Holly J]

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/23/8468/




Published on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 by Inter Press Service
Outspoken War Critic Poised for Green Party Run
By Matthew Cardinale

ATLANTA - With media attention focused almost exclusively on the dramatic c=
ontest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, millions of U.S. voters pr=
obably have no inkling that there is a ballot option beyond the Democratic =
and Republican Parties.0423 02 1

=93There needs to be room for a lot of policy threads in American discourse=
. But the corporate media is not informing the people,=94 Cynthia McKinney,=
 the front-runner for the Green Party presidential nomination, told IPS dur=
ing a rare 90-minute interview.

Founded in 2001 as the successor of the Association of State Green Parties,=
 the party=92s platform revolves around environmentalism, non-violence, soc=
ial justice and grassroots organising. It has slightly more than 300,000 re=
gistered voters nationwide, and a standing ballot line in 20 states plus Wa=
shington, DC. In other states, the party must circulate petitions to get it=
s candidates on the ballot.

McKinney, a former congressional representative from Georgia, abandoned the=
 Democratic Party last year in disgust at its failure to end the U.S. troop=
 presence in Iraq, and is now poised for a presidential run on the Green Pa=
rty ticket.

She has won Green Party primaries in Arkansas, Illinois, and Washington, DC=
. Ralph Nader, who gave the party national stature as its candidate in 2000=
, won in California and Massachusetts, prior to announcing he is running as=
 an Independent instead.

McKinney also won the Green state caucuses in Wisconsin and Rhode Island, a=
nd has a total of 71 delegates. Trailing candidates include Kent Mesplay (1=
0 delegates), Howie Hawkins (8), Jesse Johnson (2) and Kat Swift (2).

The likelihood of McKinney winning the nomination at the party=92s national=
 convention in Chicago this summer is =93very high=94, Richard Winger, edit=
or of Ballot Access News, told IPS, although he added that the Green Party =
will have a =93one in a million=94 chance of winning the presidency this No=
vember.

=93This country, even though it claims to be such a model, is one of the le=
ast democratic countries because election laws, campaign finance laws, and =
laws around debates openly discriminate against all parties except two part=
ies [Republican and Democrat],=94 Winger said.

=93In other countries, there is one set of [ballot access] laws,=94 instead=
 of 51 sets governing the 50 states and the capital, he said. =93This is th=
e only country that exempts the two biggest parties from having to qualify.=
=94

Scott McLarty, the national Green Party spokesperson, told IPS, =93We would=
 like to see our presidential ticket get five percent of the vote.=94

Despite the fact that winning is pretty much out of the question, many part=
y activists are excited by the prospect of McKinney=92s campaign inspiring =
a =93Black-Brown-Green Coalition=94.

=93Of course you=92ve got the situation that the Green Party is basically a=
 party of whites. So they are extremely aware of that fact, except in Massa=
chusetts and DC where they merged with the Rainbow Party. You have a little=
 more people of colour in those two states,=94 McKinney, who is African Ame=
rican, told IPS.

=93There is a real need of the values of the Green Party to be known among =
all people of the country, not just a few,=94 she said.

The Green Party admits this problem. =93That=92s true except in certain loc=
ations. In DC, the Green Party membership is mostly black. Among leaders, t=
here=92s a lot of diversity,=94 said McLarty.

=93Over the past couple decades, there has been a belief that the environme=
ntal movement is a white phenomenon and the Green Party has been associated=
 with the environment even though we cover other things like health care an=
d the war,=94 he told IPS.

=93On top of that, a lot of black voters have felt a very strong loyalty to=
 the Democratic Party. When people feel strong loyalty to one party, they a=
re less likely to support start-up parties,=94 McLarty said.

=93It=92s always been true of minor parties in U.S. You=92d think African A=
mericans would have been angry enough to leave the two major parties. Tradi=
tion goes back 100 years ago that African Americans are not interested in o=
ther parties,=94 Winger said.

McKinney, McLarty, and Winger each have different ideas of how the Green Pa=
rty should approach its political development.

=93I asked for candidate recruitment because the purpose of a political par=
ty is to win office. They have successfully recruited more than 500 candida=
tes,=94 McKinney said.

However, the fact that the Green Party is not on the ballot in McKinney=92s=
 home state =93looks weak=94, Winger pointed out. Georgians will need to co=
llect over 40,000 signatures by July to get McKinney on the ballot, Winger =
said, and they=92ve only collected about 3,000.

=93Some people have been out of the political system for a very long time,=
=94 McKinney noted. =93They made a choice to not be involved in the politic=
al process. After a series of disappointments, people made a rational choic=
e. Unfortunately, the U.S. participation rates are well below that of other=
 countries.=94

In recent years, Green parties have been racking up electoral successes aro=
und the world, particularly in Europe.

=93The Green Party participated in the coalition that led in Germany and in=
 Ireland and in the Kenyan Parliament,=94 McKinney said. =93The Green Party=
 is international.=94

=93We have a winner-take-all system in the U.S. that pushes conformity,=94 =
she added. =93Regressive ballot access laws in Georgia [and other states] p=
revent candidates from getting on the ballot.=94

=93The Green Party is a political entity that deserves to be built,=94 she =
said.

=A9 2008 Inter Press Service