On todays version of hanoi Jane.
Radical loses primary after anti-Jew claim
By David Rennie in Washington
(Filed: 22/08/2002)
One of the most radical members of the US Congress was defeated yesterday in a primary election dominated by her pro-Palestinian views and her suggestion that President George W Bush knowingly allowed the September 11 attacks to happen.
Cynthia McKinney, a Democratic member of Congress from Georgia for five terms, claimed that Mr Bush was exploiting terrorism to trigger a war which would enrich defence industry friends and cronies.
She was was beaten in the battle to become Democratic candidate for the mid-term elections on Nov 5 by a moderate former judge, Denise Majette, who received funding from Jewish groups outside the state.
McKinney supporters ran a negative campaign, painting Mrs Majette, an African American like Miss McKinney, as a stooge of white and Jewish interests, telling black voters "she sold us out" and referring her as a female Uncle Tom, or "Tomette".
On election night, Miss McKinney's father, Billy McKinney, himself a state legislator, dismissed allegations of dirty tricks by his daughter as a Jewish plot. "That ain't nothing," he said. "Jews have bought everybody."
The election cast a spotlight on the anti-Semitism of some black radicals, who accuse Jewish interests of leading Byzantine conspiracies to repress African-Americans.
Miss McKinney received a campaign visit from Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, who is banned from visiting Britain for his statements that Judaism is a "dirty religion", and that Hitler was "a very great man".
When New York rejected a Saudi prince's donation of £6 million for September 11 victims, after the prince suggested that US Middle East policy partly prompted the attacks, Miss McKinney offered to accept the cheque on behalf of black America.
American Jewish groups, many from outside Georgia, offered substantial funding and support for Mrs Majette, leaving her with a campaign war-chest double the size of her rival's.
In the end, Miss McKinney was defeated by indifference from her traditional support base of African-American voters, and by large numbers of Republicans who crossed party lines to vote for Mrs Majette.
Officials are now investigating accusations of election day dirty tricks after an anonymous male voice left messages on thousands of voters' answering machines, falsely warning them that it was illegal for Republicans to vote in Democratic primaries.
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Congresswoman McKinney has been endorsed by:
The AFL-CIO
The Sierra Club
National Women's Political Caucus
National Organization of Women (NOW)
The League of Conservation Voters
NARAL
Along with many other established organizations and Georgia Citizens
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And, of course, Ralph Nader. Looks like things arn't going well in leftie land
