Even the Female Black Congresswoman who slugged a police officer for protecting her thinks ill of Al Gore:
McKinney's softened image takes a blow
Published Wednesday April 5 2006
By DOUG GROSS, Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - When Rep. Cynthia McKinney returned to Congress in 2004, friends and foes saw a quieter, more amiable version of the lawmaker who once suggested the Bush White House had prior knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks.
But now, as she aggressively defends herself for scuffling with a Capitol police officer, it is clear the makeover didn't last long.
"She's brought back the old Cynthia," said Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University. "There won't be any more news stories about 'the new Cynthia McKinney.'"
In 1992, McKinney became the first black woman elected to Congress from Georgia. Known early on mostly for her flashy fashions, including braids and gold tennis shoes, McKinney had a brash style that made her a target for conservatives and an embarrassment to some of her more moderate Democratic colleagues.
She once said that former Vice President Al Gore had a low "Negro tolerance level" and ...
She denounced New York Mayor Rudolph Guiliani for refusing a $10 million donation from a Saudi prince for the families of Sept. 11 victims. She has been criticized for her outspoken support of the Palestinian cause in Israel. In 1996, her father, longtime state lawmaker Billy McKinney, called her Republican opponent a "racist Jew."
McKinney was defeated in 2002 when voters in her majority-black district's Democratic primary replaced her with Denise Majette, a former judge. But two years later Majette left Congress to run for Senate. McKinney won her old seat back.
While she did not change her politics, McKinney softened her profile during her second stint in Washington. She largely avoided the fiery rhetoric and granted more interviews to mainstream media outlets. That all ended last Wednesday.
McKinney argued with a police officer who did not recognize her as she entered a House office building. Police said McKinney struck the officer as he tried to stop her. McKinney said she acted in self-defense after the officer "inappropriately touched" her. In interviews, she has repeatedly blamed racial profiling for the scuffle.
McKinney spokesman Coz Carson said the congresswoman was trying to publicize persistent problems of racism and racial profiling.
"The congresswoman was not looking for an issue or for any opportunity to get in the spotlight," he said. "She is doing what any good politician would do - bringing forward issues that don't usually get discussed on Fox, CNN or any of the other news shows."
The controversy has again made McKinney a political target ...
McKinney is not getting much more support from her fellow Georgia Democrats.
"Thinking an officer is racially motivated does not excuse hitting or pushing him," said Rep. Jim Marshall, who is facing re-election this year. |
