The Patrick Henry Democratic Club 2008 Courage Under Fire Award Cynthia McKinney

In 2001, she walked out of Congress to protest the seating of Bush’s Florida Electors as it was then believed and later proven that Al Gore won Florida in the 2000 Presidential election. She showed this courage again in 2005 in voting against to Bush’s Ohio electors. When the facts came out, it turned out that Bush had also lost Ohio in 2004. McKinney was right both times.

After 9/11/01 a veil of silence and fear pervaded Democratic leaders in government. While others quaked, McKinney had the courage to ask about the facts leading up to 9/11. For daring to ask the question other Americans were asking, she received retaliation from leaders of her own party. Hence the Democratic majority leader co-authored the PATRIOT Act, stripping away rights and privileges from the American people and allowing the U.S. Government to have unprecedented powers. Cynthia McKinney, Dennis Kucinich, Maxine Waters and Ron Paul led the fight against the PATRIOT Act in the House. Later, she and these other brave individuals led the House fight against the renewal of the PATRIOT Act. McKinney also fought other extreme measures, such as the Real ID Act.

McKinney has long been an opponent of war. In The People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn speaks of how McKinney spoke against the First Gulf War in the Georgia Legislature. Though war proponents walked out, she continued speaking against the war. Later she led the opposition to the war in Iraq and co-founded the Out-of-Iraq Caucus with Maxine Waters. She has repeatedly stood up to war profiteers and attempts to overthrow government. Her House vote against a resolution essentially calling for the overthrow of the elected Palestinian Leadership did not gain her any support from individuals promoting the current genocide taking place against the Palestinian. Those promoting the current genocidal campaign being practiced on the Palestinians have deeper pockets than those supporting human rights.

In 2006, McKinney filed Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush. Dick Cheney and Condoleeza Rice. Across America, people were demanding these articles be filed by someone. Cynthia McKinney was the first to show that courage.

In 2007, Democratic progressives went to Cynthia McKinney and told her they did not trust the Democratic Party to nominate someone who supported the basic principles of the Democratic Party. They asked her to be on the general election ballot so that they would have someone to vote for on November 4, 2004. Listening to Democratic progressives, McKinney ran for and won the Green nomination for President. On November, 4, 2006 she was there for Democratic progressives and others who might have otherwise stayed home on election day. We will never know how many votes she received. Most of the counting was directed towards making sure the ballots for Obama and McCain were counted and most of McKinney’s ballots are believed to remain uncounted. Yet, her presence assisted other liberal and progressive candidates who would not have received as many Democratic votes if the McKinney voters had stayed home on election day. Though the media tried to trick the public into believing Obama was the only black candidate on the ballot and tried to pretend she wasn’t even running and though a lot of pressure was put on her supporters to vote against their conscience, her presence and courage came through for the American people. Her candidacy is proof that she does not bow down to pressure and that she puts the interests of the American people first. McKinney showed the integrity and courage to stand against pressure and do the right thing for the right reasons. She is a true hero.

Young Dems