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Tuesday, July 25, 2006
McKinney and gays: This circle isn’t unbroken
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In political campaigns, victory is about coalitions holding together, however tentatively. Fractured alliances are often a prelude to defeat.
For years, gays and lesbians in DeKalb County were an essential ingredient in Cynthia McKinney’s formula for holding her 4th District congressional seat. No more, and it’s gotten quite personal.
Shortly after her 2002 loss to Denise Majette, McKinney locked on DeKalb County’s same-sex community as one of the groups that had betrayed her.
Here’s an excerpt from an October 2003 speech McKinney gave in California:
“By the time the corporate media had finished with me, my white support had plummeted. And sadly, this was even among people whom I had represented for a decade and who knew me.
“I was even booed at our annual Gay Pride Parade despite my lifetime 100 percent [Human Rights Commission] voting record.
And Atlanta’s white gay and lesbian leadership refused to march with me, including Georgia’s only openly gay member of the Legislature, whom I had endorsed and for whom one of my trusted staffers had worked to ensure that she won.
“I protected her during redistricting when other Democrats targeted her. A white lesbian that I helped get elected in a majority black district. She refused to march with me, too.�
The only woman who matches the above description is state Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates). More on this later.
This spring, at a forum attended by a reporter from the Southern Voice newspaper, McKinney’s father, Billy McKinney, said much the same thing.
“Cynthia supported gays for 10 years, then the gay leadership abandoned her and voted for Majette,â€? the father said.
In that same article, Southern Voice, a publication aimed at gay and lesbian readers, reported that, since returning to Congress, McKinney had not signed on to any legislation favorable to gays.
Back to Karla Drenner. Last week, she handily won re-election to House District 86, with 62 percent of the vote — despite some surgery and an unplanned hospitalization. Drenner was forced to rely on an army of volunteers.
Her opponent was Cynthia Tucker of Stone Mountain — no, not that one. This Tucker was endorsed early in the race by Cynthia McKinney, as well as other African-American leaders in DeKalb County.
House District 86 is located in the center of DeKalb County, home to 90 percent of the 4th Congressional District. The same territory that gave Drenner nearly two-thirds of the vote, doled out only 45 percent to McKinney. Hank Johnson won 44 percent.
Perhaps there’s a connection, perhaps not. But it certainly could matter whether Drenner’s supporters — whether gay or not — hold a grudge in McKinney’s Aug. 8 run-off.
McKinney claims a place at the debate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’ve gotten word from the Atlanta Press Club that all candidates in the statewide, televised run-off debates the group will host on GPTV have confirmed their attendance.
For those still suffering from Election Night hangovers, the key word in the above sentence is “all.” As in, even Cynthia McKinney. She missed a couple in the primary, but apparently has re-prioritized.
Here’s the schedule:
— Republican secretary of state, Karen Handel and Bill Stephens, taped, to air at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1.
— Republican commissioner of agriculture, Gary Black and Brian Kemp, taped, to air at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2.
— Democratic secretary of state, Gail Buckner and Darryl Hicks, taped, to air at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3.
— Democratic lieutenant governor, Greg Hecht and Jim Martin, live, 7 p.m. Monday, July 31.
— Democratic 4th Congressional District, Hank Johnson and Cynthia McKinney, live, 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 31.
