An incendiary firebrand, at that
I dunno, do the biases of the Associated Press and The Guardian cancel each other out? Reinforce each other? Have absolutely nothing to do with anything, given the piece, Democrats Head to Ga. Senate Runoff Race, has to do with primary elections in Georgia?
This would be a much better weblog if I had absolute certainty about the answers to these questions. Or didn't raise them at all. Or something.
Rep. Denise Majette, a former judge who won national attention two years ago by ousting firebrand Rep. Cynthia McKinney, finished first in Tuesday's election, leading millionaire entrepreneur Cliff Oxford, but she failed to reach the 50 percent threshold needed to win the nomination outright.[. . .] In another Georgia primary, McKinney, a firebrand who lost her House seat two years ago to Majette in a backlash spawned by her incendiary remarks about President Bush, won a chance to take her old seat back in an Atlanta suburb. She beat five other Democrats with enough votes to avoid a runoff.
I like adding emphasis. It relaxes me.
If you're a bit fuzzy about what incendiary remarks the firebrand made, John Hood writes in GOP Primaries Matter at National Review Online:
Conservatives nationwide have arguably a more acute case of heartburn from the Georgia results with the discovery that former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, the longtime congresswoman who notoriously suggested that BUSH KNEW (about the 9/11 attacks), appears to have gained just enough votes in a comeback bid to avoid a runoff and will likely return to Congress next year to renew her strident and despicable conspiracy-mongering.
I expect this demonstrates the difference between the liberal and conservative media. One of degree.
Way outside the margins, Greg Palast wrote:
The McKinney “quote” was, indeed, all over the place: in the Washington Post, National Public Radio, and needless to say, all the other metropolitan dailies--everywhere but in Congresswoman McKinney’s mouth.Nor was it in the Congressional Record, nor in any recorded talk, nor on her Website, nor in any of her radio talks. Here’s the Congresswoman’s statement from the record:
“George Bush had no prior knowledge of the plan to attack the World Trade Center on September 11.”
Oh.
Of course, Palast maintains that Al Gore didn't claim to have invented the Internet, either. Is there no end to his lies?
Some readers may think I deliberately hid this next bit, from Cynthia McKinney, critic of Israel, wins Democratic primary in Georgia, in the extended entry.
The resurrection of McKinney’s career comes as a surprise to many Jewish donors, who spent time and money to defeat her two years ago after a controversial tenure in Congress. McKinney had consistently angered many Jews because of her anti-Israel comments and vocal opposition to votes supporting Israel’s right to self-defense.Though much was made of the Jewish community’s role in McKinney’s primary defeat in 2002, Jews had not been particularly active so far this year in trying to prevent her return to Congress.
And they'd be absolutely right, since I have no idea what to make of it. The story appears in JTA, linked by Google News as Jewish Telegraphic Agency, but I didn't notice that expansion anywhere on the site. Point being that I seem to recall accusations of antisemitism being tossed around at the time for suggesting, well, exactly what the article states. Perhaps if the suggestion had been phrased in a slightly less moronic fashion. . . I'm thinking of a quote from McKinney's father, I expect it'll make the rounds again, if you're curious.
And if Majette wins her runoff, there's the amusement value of the two of them being on the same ticket. Joint appearances, mutual endorsements. . .
Comments
She was on Democracy Now! this morning (check out the replay at Democracy Now!'s website) and Amy Goodman introduced her saying that she was entirely, certainly, undoubtedly going to win her seat back. The reason she lost it last year was because of some weird Republican crossover vote, where Republicans didn't have a primary so, they could all vote in her primary and vote against her. No mention of Jews being involved, unless Republican is code word for Jew nowadays.
And Democracy Now! is not the kind of news organization that is going to miss out on a chance to highlight a fight over support for or against Israel's policies towards Palestinians.
Anyway, Ms., er, I mean Representative McKinney totally is excited to be back in her seat and ready to rumble. I'm *so* glad she's finally going back, because I'm tired of Representative Maxine Waters having to do all the work around there.
(Hmm, two black women doing all the work in the House. Now where have I seen that before?)
Posted by: Hanna | July 22, 2004 12:10 PM
Thanks, Hanna. I'll try to catch that one, for a change. And complain bitterly about the lack of Pacifica/community owned and operated stations around here, without actually taking any steps to rectify that situation. So, you know, same old same old.
And I remember a'right, it was more a question of funding from outside the district going to Majette's campaign than voting.
It's entirely possible that I don't remember a'right.
Posted by: Aaron | July 22, 2004 5:40 PM