By Lynne
McCain might not have to do anything to grab disgruntled Hillary supporters away from Obama ... not as long as Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney is in the race.
The Nation posted an opinion piece this week by John Nichols in which two students, former Clinton supporters who are now backing McCain, wrote:
For those of you who just can't stomach McCain, we suggest you look into Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate. She is an African American woman from Georgia and is a former member of the House.
We think the endorsement will make more impact if it goes to John McCain, but we see Cynthia McKinney as a viable alternative and someone more qualified than Senator Obama to be President having served for longer in Congress.
In fact, McKinney served six terms in Congress and two terms in the Georgia Legislature. She’s poised to become the Green Party's first female presidential nominee.
Students aren't the only ones noticing. Comedian Roseanne Barr posted several endorsements of McKinney on her blog this week. Since Roseanne "will vote for a woman instead of a man," she is urging support for "cynthia mckinney of the green party. the green party is the future of america ..."
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Meanwhile Glen Ford, the Executive Director of the Black Agenda Report, wrote:
Of course, the real deal is former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, presidential candidate for the Green Party ticket. McKinney reports she's leading in the Greens' delegate count. Unlike Obama, whose politics is substantially to the Right of most Blacks, Cynthia McKinney loves you back.
On the home page of her Web site, McKinney congratulates Obama on securing the Democratic Party nomination.
I’m not so sure he’ll return the sentiment after the Green Party National Convention in July.
Comments (1)
Obama's politics are substantially to the right of most blacks?
* Rated 100% by NARAL on pro-choice votes in 2005, 2006 & 2007. (Jan 2008)
* Rated 100% by the NAACP, indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance. (Dec 2006)
* Rated 100% by the Citizens for Tax Justice, indicating support of progressive taxation. (Dec 2006)
* Rated as the #1 most liberal senator in 2007 by the National Journal (after finishing 10th in 2006 and 16th in 2005.)
Just how can anyone call him "to the right" of anyone?
He's been positioned as this "new breed" and everyone talks about how he's going to be engender bipartisanship, but he is far left on every issue. He seems like a very nice guy, and he's very well spoken, and I think he'll handle things quite well from a foreign relations standpoint, but he is as left wing as possible on every possible issue.
I think as the campaign goes on and when (if?) people actually start to focus on issues, it will hurt Obama. While the backlash has subsided since Bush, "Liberal" is still seen as a dirty word in politics.