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Before the Dems and GOP meet ... the Greens
Here’s your Green Party candidates for president, 2008:
1. Jesse Johnson, 2006 US Senate candidate and 2004 gubernatorial candidate for the Mountain Party in West Virginia (now affiliate state party of the Green Party of the United States); filmmaker.
2. Kat Swift, Kat Swift, Texas Green organizer; former Campus Greens leader; activist with Clean Money San Antonio and San Antonio Democracy Now.
3. Kent Mesplay, 2004 candidate for the Green presidential nomination; former president of Turtle Island Institute; environmental engineer, alternative energy activist; California Green organizer.
4. Cynthia McKinney, former member of the US House of Representatives (Georgia), 1993 to 2003, 2005 to 2007; former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, 1988-1992.
Cynthia McKinney? Stereotypes and smears related to 9/11 aside, her temper, and sense of entitlement, do concern me a little bit. She also (and this coming from someone who doesn’t come close to supporting the Israel lobby) can flirt with the boundaries of something approaching anti-Semitism.
Per the first sentence in the paragraph above, her indulgence of 9/11 “truther” crackpot theories, as articulated when she was in my area, in Fort Worth, in February, also concern me.
But, she’s got name recognition, and as a female candidate, might appeal to Clintonites who have a political brain, as well as anti-Obama anger, rather than Clintonites deluded enough to join a GOP-flacked PUMA group. And, yes, I could accept her as presidential material.
But, let’s also look at the not-so-famous candidates.
Mesplay, with his background in alt-energy, has a strong “core Green” issue, and one of importance. He favors Instant Runoff Voting (and please, flacks for other alternative voting systems, I know IRV is not perfect; do not inundate me with comments). And, Mesplay, with Blackfoot Indian heritage, also brings minority background to the table.
I have a bit of familiarity with Swift. Clean money is a good emphasis. However, her website has had little updating in months, and, it’s not too much above the amateur level as far as layout, etc.
I know less about Johnson; he’s run for U.S. Senate and the governor’s mansion in West Virginia.
And, for Nader-bashers (not that I'm a Nader-defender), you will note that he is NOT a Green Party candidate. He may continue to run as an Independent, but that's a different thing.
Comments (4)
As someone who used to live in Cynthia's district, I'll also point out that she lost the Democratic primary in '06, so that doesn't particularly speak well of her popularity. We're talking about a district that was practically designed for her (in the Gerrymandering sense).
July 4, 2008 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since when is "entitlement" the new euphemism for "black." Where the heck do you get this line: "her... sense of entitlement, do concern me a little bit."
Pray tell, just what has she said she is entitled to?
July 4, 2008 7:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
He might be reacting to her interaction with the DC cop. That sort of "entitlement" is very common amongst all politicians (i.e., those with egos who expect to be recognized), but she arguably displayed it a little too openly.
July 4, 2008 8:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ben, yes, that's what meant by sense of entitlement; no, Jade, it has nothing to do with race or gender. Besides, didn't I say "I could accept her as presidential material"?
As for the 2006 primary, I credit Johnson for making good use of the Internet. I also note that Georgia has an open primary.
July 7, 2008 2:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
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