American Blackout Goes Green

So last night cessioncommunity hosted a FilmGuide Screening of "American Blackout". This doco was a compelling look at the US voting system from the inside out. Democrat congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was one of the main figures whose journey played out. It was fascinating to see her ditched from Congress, not by Republicans voting in the election, but by Republicans crossing over to vote against her in the DEMOCRAT primaries! They signed up as Democrats and then voted her off the ticket. Appalling really.

Anyways, a number of people wondered afterwards where she was in the US election just gone. The answer: she was running for President under the Green party banner! America really missed a chance here: she would have been the first US president who was black and a woman...

She didn't win. In fact, she came last.

And she's not necessarily an Obama fan - her election night speech on this site - this report says this:

Green Party candidate, former US Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), told APN on election eve that even if Obama were to win, the Green Party’s work was still not done.

"I have a different view. It’s unfortunate that we’re not gonna get the kind of change people deserve and need. Not on war. Not that we need and I think people are voting for on civil liberties and social justice issues," McKinney told APN.

"Severing the ties that bind with special interests... the Democratic Party is not prepared to do that, so there are inherent constraints, limits to change. That has not been fully expressed, people have not been educated what those limits are," McKinney said.

"People are saying, George Bush has been so bad, but it’s not the substantive policy-driven change I’m advocating and people are truly expecting," McKinney said.

"I and other members of the Green Party will convene at some point and determine what the future course is. There are so many people who are hungry for a deeper change than is possible within the two party system, so we’ve worked real hard to identify who these people are and I’m sure that we’ll be working on a program to commence November 5th," McKinney said.