McKinney Looking for Another Comeback

COPA’s first regional meeting during this anniversary year took place on February 21st,  in New York City at the historic Audubon Ballroom, now the Malcolm X/Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center and the scene of his assassination 43 years ago. Our co-sponsored forum of experts and commentators packed the lobby and was broadcast live over Sirius Satellite Radio nationwide. In this piece, we get passing mention since one of our speakers was former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, now a presidential primary candidate for the Green Party. McKinney introduced the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Records Act in two different sessions of Congress to effect release of hundreds of thousands of pages of classified records on the life and death of Dr. King and she has spoken at several COPA meetings – John Judge

Capitol Briefing, Washington Post 2/24/08

McKinney Looking for Another Comeback

While Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) battle it out for the Democratic presidential nomination, another (former) Democratic lawmaker is working toward her own party’s nod for the November ballot.

Ex-Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney is running for the Green Party’s nomination for president. She won the Statehood Green Party primary in D.C. with 41 percent of the vote (out of a total of 509 votes cast), and has also won Green primaries in Illinois and Arkansas. She lost in California to consumer activist Ralph Nader.

…Now, she’s running full steam ahead for the White House, though in a video interview posted on her Web site, McKinney seems to acknowledge that, given the long odds against her, her candidacy is about more than just winning.

“Well of course, I’d love to be able to sign in my new address as 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but I also understand that what we’re involved in hopefully is the creation of a movement, a movement that is vital to the future of this country,” McKinney said.

McKinney is now touring the country trying to drum up support and make public appearances. Tonight, for example, McKinney will be at the Audubon Ballroom in New York to participate in a panel discussion on “The Assassination of Malcolm X: A Riddle Unraveled.” She has drawn support from an eclectic cast of characters, including convicted murderer and cause célèbre Mumia Abu Jamal.

The Green Party is on the presidential ballot in 21 states and is working to get on all 51 (including D.C.). In several states, the party is holding caucuses to choose a presidential nominee. The next big step for McKinney is the party’s national presidential nominating convention in Chicago July 10-13. For political reporters who prefer the Windy City to Denver or Minneapolis, and who know that McKinney nearly always has something interesting to say, his could be a hot ticket.

By Ben Pershing |  February 21, 2008; 1:50 PM ET 2008 Campaign
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