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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
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February 3, 2012
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Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
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Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
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Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
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Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
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January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
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Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
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Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
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Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
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January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
July 15, 2004
/ 26 Tamuz, 5764
She's baaaack!
By
Douglas Bloomfield
The return of Cynthia McKinney
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
It's "Georgia on my mind" for many Jewish political activists this campaign year, and it's giving them a headache. In the peach state's fourth congressional district, a political battle is brewing that could pit a Jewish candidate against someone widely considered to be anti-Semitic.
The two are women and they're leading a field of six in the race for the Democratic nomination to represent a part of the Atlanta area in the House of Representatives.
The contest is a disappointment for some Jewish politicos because they thought the matter was settled two years ago when the vituperative Rep. Cynthia McKinney was defeated in a bitter campaign.
The woman who won the 2002 race, former judge Denise L. Majette, had a great deal of support from Jewish activists around the country — along with many others fed up with the polarizing McKinney, who may be best recalled for suggesting that President Bush had advance warning of the 9/11 attacks but failed to act because administration friends could benefit financially.
Majette, like McKinney, is African American. That's where the similarities end. Majette is more in the mold of the highly respected Rep. John Lewis (D) from the neighboring 5th district: an influential voice for reconciliation and someone working to improve black-Jewish relations. Majette, in her first term, has been a strong supporter of Israel inside the Congressional Black Caucus.
The Georgia 4th race won't change the balance of power in the Congress, but it can change the temperament, particularly in the Black Caucus if a voice for conciliation is replaced with an angry and divisive one.
With Americans increasingly convinced the war in Iraq was a disastrous mistake, the danger is that McKinney could demagogue that sentiment as an opportunity to point the finger of blame at the Jews — not unlike Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) and Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-SC), who have suggested President Bush went to war under Jewish pressure to protect Israel's interests.
On the record, few will criticize Majette for giving up a safe House seat to take a long-shot chance on the Senate. But privately they're puzzled, disappointed and a bit angry that she opened the way for a McKinney comeback — something that would be difficult if Majette were still running.
An official of one pro-Israel lobby group said many people around the country who played a critical role in her 2002 election victory feel let down, and Majette can't expect the same kind of support she enjoyed two years ago.
Another political operative said if McKinney wins, "we'll get an anti-Semite back in the House who is carrying a grudge."
When McKinney was unseated two years ago, her father, Billy McKinney, who lost his state legislature seat in the same election, spelled out just who he held responsible: " J-E-W-S." There were no objections or apologies from his daughter.
Six candidates are in the Democratic 4th district primary; the two front-runners are McKinney and Liane Levetan, a state senator who is the former DeKalb County chief executive officer. The district is considered strongly Democratic, but if McKinney winds up as the Democratic nominee, the Republican candidate will be competitive, analysts say.
Majette is one of eight seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat being vacated by Sen. Zell Miller. Jewish activists want her to win the primary, and if she does, they will pitch in with money, but it won't be like two years ago. First, the Democrat is a long-shot in the general election, and the Republican contenders, including two incumbent congressmen, have good records, according to pro-Israel lobbyists.
The 4th District is heavily Democratic so the House race is likely to be decided in the primary (if, as expected, no one gets a majority in the July 20 vote, a runoff will be held on Aug. 10). McKinney is considered likely to make the runoff because of her strong base among blacks, but she is also a polarizing figure who could motivate Republicans to cross over and vote in the Democratic primary along with black moderates and Jews.
Majette was just endorsed by the state's largest labor union for her Senate bid, but the Georgia State AFL-CIO is also supporting McKinney to succeed her. The group also backed McKinney against Majette two years ago and lost, so let's hope that repeats itself.
Pundits consider Levetan the most likely of the other candidates to wind up in the runoff because of her name recognition and ability to raise money. She is best positioned to tap into the national Jewish political network, but her opponents also have ties to the Jewish community. Levetan, 68, was born in pre-war Austria and came to America in 1951; she has strong family connections to Israel and has been active in her Jewish community.
Although the district is 53 percent black and 32 percent white, she has repeatedly won elections in that racially divided area for state senate and county CEO.
A Levetan spokesman shrugged off suggestions that the race would be a referendum on support for Israel or the Palestinians. McKinney has so far been avoiding discussing the Middle East this time, but that didn't stop the Arab news service, Al Jazeera, from declaring, "Cynthia McKinney is running again defying pro Israel lobbyıs efforts to control Black agenda."
A McKinney-Levetan runoff could be very nasty in light of McKinney's hostility toward Israel and its supporters. If the former representative returns to Congress, her victory would reverberate on several levels, all unpleasant for the Jewish community.
Politically it would be a slap at pro-Israel activists who played a major role in her defeat two years ago, and it would create a perception of a weakening of Jewish power.
More important, it would mean replacing a friend and conciliator in Washington with a divisive figure harboring resentment McKinney can be expected to stir up anti Israel sentiment in the Black Caucus.
With an anti-Iraq backlash developing around the country, she could seize the opportunity to other critics of administration policy who say Bush invaded Iraq under Jewish pressure to protect Israel's interests.
This is one contest that could reverberate across the political and racial landscape, and where who wins is not as important as who loses.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Douglas M. Bloomfield is a nationally syndicated columnist.
Comment by clicking here.
© 2004, Douglas M. Bloomfield
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