On Hank Johnson

As you can see, we’ve elected to support and publish a letter from Hank Johnson, who is a Democrat running to replace Cynthia McKinney as the Member of Congress from Georgia’s 4th District. I’m going a step further and working with other bloggers to try and raise some significant bucks for her opponent.

The goal: $50,000 in two weeks for Commissioner Hank Johnson.

This is an important race, for a variety of reasons, and I think that it matters that the moderate Dems. – like myself – support someone who may well be a little more liberal than we are, because while we may or may not be aligned widely on issues, Commissioner Johnson isn’t someone who practices the politics of conspiracy, hate, and hyperbole.

McKinney’s record as a Member ought to speak for itself. She has passed one bill – renaming a post office – while serving as a go-to quote for the newsmedia looking for controversy. Her belief that Bush conspired to plan 9/11; her letter to the Saudis after 9/11 asking for money; her support from organizations that have been linked to terrorist fundraising; her abject failure as a Member of Congress to do the job she was elected to do. Here’s a quote from a commenter on NPR:

Your analysis of Cynthia McKinney is right on track. I am a liberal African-American democrat living in her district and I have been strongly engaged in the effort to unseat her. Aside from her hysterical behavior she is an embarrassment to her constituents. Like many I am tired of her race baiting platform and I have no tangible evidence of what she has done in our area. I was particularly disturbed by a picture of her sitting with Cindy Sheehan that appeared in the Atlanta paper the day after the primary for two reasons. First, I admire Ms. Sheehan and her anti-war efforts and secondly, this was one of the few times I have ever seen her photographed with Caucasians on both sides of her. Obviously I am voting for Mr. Johnson, he appears to be rational and as qualified as the incumbent.

Her record is despicable enough that it ought to be enough reason to replace her.

The organic rise of Johnson to challenge McKinney is an example of the self-correcting forces within the system, forces that we’re potentially all part of. I’m happy to help them along.

If you want to be a part, the go over to Johnson’s website and give the man some money.

That’s why I’m setting a target of $50,000 in donations in the next two weeks.

That sounds wildly ambitions – and it is – but it’s only 5,000 people giving $10 each. I’m in for $100, so we only need 4,990 now…

So go on over, drop $10.00 (or more) on the candidate, and send me an email and tell me you did it. I’ll keep a tally.

7 thoughts on “On Hank Johnson”

  1. Marc,
    OK, you got this right of center Repub for $25,
    just hope he ignores commenter on his post telling him to pay attention to Euston!.
    Email on way!
    Mike

  2. “Her belief that Bush conspired to plan 9/11”

    It’s wonderful the way people can determine what someone believes by repeating what other people say the person believes, even though the person has never actually expressed that belief. At most McKinney suggested the *possibility* of *foreknowledge*, not planning, with her statement: “What did the Administration know, and when did it know it about the events of September 11? Who else knew and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered?”

    But facts are stupid things, eh?

  3. truth machine –

    So you’re not counting her June 16 2002 appearance on KPFA in which she (indirectly) accused Bush of having his administration not act to prevent 9/11 so that the Carlyle Group could make more money?

    Here’s a press release from her office:

    I am not aware of any evidence showing that President Bush or members of his administration have personally profited from the attacks of 9-11. A complete investigation might reveal that to be the case. For example, it is known that President Bush’s father, through the Carlyle Group had – at the time of the attacks – joint business interests with the bin Laden construction company and many defense industry holdings, the stocks of which, have soared since September 11.

    On the other hand, what is undeniable is that corporations close to the Administration, have directly benefited from the increased defense spending arising from the aftermath of September 11. The Carlyle Group, DynCorp, and Halliburton certainly stand out as companies close to this Administration. Secretary Rumsfeld maintained in a hearing before Congress that we can afford the new spending, even though the request for more defense spending is the highest increase in twenty years and the Pentagon has lost $2.3 trillion.

    A.L.

  4. Nice move, Marc.

    I do however think that what the Bush family and Carlyle group does stinks big time. Too bad McKinney is one of the few to mention it.

  5. SAO –

    I’m right there with you when it comes to the issue of the revolving door in Washington, and the need to make changes to put a stick in it.

    But the problem gets perpetuated when each side looks hard at the mote in the other team’s eye, and ignores the log in their own.

    So let’s talk about a general class of problem, with many instances, and work to resolve the class…

    A.L.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.