Now,
as the fine members of Booman Tribune reminded me earlier this week, I am no fan of Cynthia McKinney, mostly due to her 'incident' with the Capitol Police earlier this year.
I believe I posted a diary entitled "Cynthia McKinney is an Embarrassment." Needless to say, this caused quite a flame war in and of itself. I was called a racist, a sexist, and an all around evil asshole. I didn't mind that. On any given day, I can be called all of those things. Indeed, in my Booman diary above, I was actually called a member of the religious right!
But even I think the ad is going to cause a stir.
I will let Booman denizen 'the other colleen' explain why:
What I did was note the demonstrable fact that over a period of approximately a week some of the more unpleasant elements on DK .... wrote or actively participated in a series of diaries viciously attacking Cynthia McKinney (using, I would note, the exact same talking points then being repeated every half hour on Fox news who were also so, so embarrassed). I have no idea if you fellows discussed this amongst yourselves and do not care nor do I care to persuade you to my view. I was simply noting the touching display of bonding that took place.
...
In all fairness I believe the multiple diaries (2 or three a day) had more to do with her politics. I believe that women and people of color willing to sell out wouldn't evoke nearly the same intense dislike I've seen demonstrated for McKinney on DK long before this small incident. I mean, after all, you and the others who were so embarrassed that McKinney reacted to being grabbed from behind by striking at the man who grabbed her with her enormous fist haven't objected at all to the corruption and ineffectual 'leadership' of DLC members Jefferson, Blanco, Landreiux or Ray Naglin. Not even when DLC Jefferson was caught with all that traceable bribe money in his freezer did any of you so publicly demonstrate your 'embarrassment'. Mr Jefferson is, of course, much more tractable and way less uppity...
You, of course, were so anxious to rid the Democratic party of the unindicted Cynthia McKinney you were at one point eagerly embracing a challenger who was an overt, rather than a covert Republican.
And she goes on like that....
Needless to say, Cynthia McKinney engenders enormous amount of respect among many progressives, so I expect there to be some backlash much like certain other ads provoked a backlash a little over a year ago.
I will point out that, as I said during the Pie Wars a year ago, it is only an ad. Kos or Daily Kos is not making any endorsement. Kos or Daily Kos is not supporting or endorsing Hank Johnson (that I know of). It is only an ad and I am sure that if Cynthia McKinney wished to purchase an ad on Daily Kos, she could do so at any time.
Further, as I learned on Booman earlier this week, many progressives were and still are angry at the DSCC's tactics in clearing the primary field for Bob Casey in Pennsylvania. Obviously they, and I, dislike the interference in the Democratic primary process. Bob Casey, they say, should have earned the nomination, and I agree. It should not have been a coronation. Indeed, we make the same arguments with respect to Joe Lieberman. One of the reasons we are angry with him and wish to depose him in the primary is because he did not wish to be challenged by those he is supposedly representing.
Well, there is also a primary in Georgia. Cynthia McKinney, like Joe Lieberman, will have to face the voters and earn their support. The ad is part of the primary process.
But I do expect her supporters and admirers to be angry with the placement and nature of the ad. The picture with the red slash through it is a bit much, I will agree.
But again, like a year ago, it is only an ad. And it is part of the primary process. You wanted Bob Casey and Joe Lieberman to face a primary, well, then, so then we can't be upset when Cynthia gets a challenger too.
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