I'm disturbed by a comment left by a recent visitor to Georgia Politics Unfiltered. This visitor claimed that Allen Thornell is at least as liberal as Nan Orrock (whose vacant seat in the 58th House district he is running to fill), and that this was somehow inimical to the interests of the state party.
Now, don't get me wrong – I'm all in favor of strategic positioning and messaging from our statewide candidates, and from our local candidates who have to win in moderate districts. But the 58th district is one of the most liberal districts in the entire state, and I see no reason whatsoever not to stand up and cheer for Allen, who promises to be an outspoken, much-needed voice for progressives under the Gold Dome. Why should we not be happy that the GLBT community will be represented by one of their own, not only a gay man but one who understands firsthand the challenges HIV presents to Georgia?
I see this same fear of outspoken liberalism in the whole Cynthia McKinney debacle. Cynthia has certainly damaged the Democratic cause with her recent dramatics, but there is no justification for attacking her outspokenness. Who else among Democrats stood up in those early Iraq months and took the attack to Bush for his administration's bungling of the war? Denise Majette may be less dramatic, but she will have a hard time equaling Cynthia's strength of conviction.
Why are some Democrats afraid to bring in heavy hitters from districts that can elect them? Without these strong voices speaking truth to power, our party is nothing more than Republican Lite, Sonny Perdue without the egregious fashion misstatements. Who will carry our banner when our enemies under the Gold Dome dredge legislation like the voter ID bill from the filth they wallow in? Let us be proud of our strongest warriors rather than sacrificing their ideals on the altar of centrism.
2 Comments:
This commentary is a day late and a dollar short. But I noticed that the majority of the blogs on here are factoids, without much commentary.
While outspokeness in a public official is oftentimes an excellent trait, Cynthia McKinney is better described as a hothead who is very much not representing herself or her constituency with dignity. She should not be re-elected, and the party should find a replacement soon. We already have enough issues keeping the balance currently and trying to strengthen our current candidates for future elections, without our representatives giving right wingers any ammunition. Her assault of the police officer, is just the icing on the cake in a history of outrageous behavior.
Benson, THANK YOU. As someone who was against the war from the beginning, and not one of those Democrats who was "initially pro-war but then realized 'oh shit, innocent people are actually dying and omg this is wrong!'", I have to say it took McKinney a lot of guts to stand up against the war and for impeachment before anyone else. Was this motivated as much by ego as personal belief on her part? Probably. But she still showed up to tons of grassroots efforts regardless. I can't help but notice many of the Democrats who attack McKinney so viciously have a very 'hands off, don't rock the boat' approach to involvement in heated issues. The police officer debacle was obviously her fault; I don't think she represents the party as well as she could by a long shot. But having the balls to stand up with some conviction takes a lot more than a couple of lost marbles.
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