• Obama and McCain are both for the death penalty. The video below shows Cynthia McKinney confronting the death penalty by witnessing the pain of a family affected by it. Cynthia McKinney faces the inhumanity of the recent execution of Gregory Wright in Texas, and articulates her opposition to the death penalty.

Green Party leaders are urging progressive, independent, and antiwar voters to invest their votes in a growing progressive, antiwar party on Election Day 2008 by voting for the Green Party presidential ticket: Cynthia McKinney for President, Rosa Clemente for Vice President.

Greens are making a special appeal progressive, independent, anti-war and anti-death penalty voters to vote for the ‘Green Imperative’ on November 4th.

“Millions of Americans who favor the Green Party’s positions on the wars, health care, global warming, and other important issues plan to vote for Barack Obama, who doesn’t share their views. It’s not enough just to defeat John McCain and the GOP agenda,” said Green vice presidential candidate Rosa Clemente.

“Democrats have retreated over and over and voted for Bush-Cheney policies — war funding, the unconstitutional US Patriotic Act, telecomm immunity, corporate handouts and taxbreaks, the death penalty, record incarceration rates, and a $700 billion Wall Street bailout that doesn’t help working Americans. The only way to reverse the dangerous direction of US politics is to build a real opposition party. Voting for Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente will strengthen a party that’s dedicated to ecological, antiwar, and truly democratic values and doesn’t take money and orders from corporations,” Ms. Clemente added.

Greens stressed that votes for the Green presidential candidates, as well as for Green candidates for state and local office, will also help some state Green Parties achieve or keep official party status in their states. For example, Iowa requires 2% in a presidential race to maintain a party’s ballot line, Arkansas requires 3%, and Minnesota and Rhode Island each require 5%.

Green Party leaders said that votes for for the McKinney/Clemente ticket would have an effect after Election Day. “A vote for the McKinney-Clemente ticket is an investment that will continue to pay off as the Green Party grows and challenges bipartisan corporate-money politics in the years to come. A vote for an independent is a valid protest vote, but does nothing to establish a permanent political alternative. The Green Party is a permanent political fixture with the hope of achieving major party status in the coming years,” said Sanda Everette, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.

As November 4th draws nearer, there is an increasing buzz of anticipation as well as anxiety on this campus over the outcome of the election. The overwhelming majority of Swatties are supporting Democratic hopeful Barack Obama with a few vying for McCain, but another possibly smaller minority of students intend to or have already voted for Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney. McKinney, a former Democratic Congresswoman from Georgia, is running for office with activist-journalist Rosa Clemente as Vice Presidential candidate.

Senior Ladule Lako LoSarah ’09, a registered Green Party voter, says he strongly identifies with “McKinney’s sense of disillusionment with the Democratic Party’s complicity with the Bush agenda. The party hasn’t supported her in the past and hasn’t stepped up with a voice of dissent. That’s what she’s trying to be, a dissenting voice.”…

All three supporters cited deep concerns over the realities of Obama’s moderate stance on issues and campaign ties to various businesses. Lako LoSarah states that “Obama is not as progressive as people think; he claimed he was anti-war and is now reconsidering this position; he has also changed his position on environmental issues like off-shore drilling.” Similarly, Engel says Obama has repeatedly sold himself out after the primaries, “coming away from his unconditional ‘end the war in Iraq’ and then unconditionally accepting Colin Powell’s endorsement, a real slap in the face to the anti-war community.”

The current Obamamania offers no check on Obama’s changing positions, marketing him as ultra-liberal while being ultra-moderate under the table. The required corporate sponsorship is also troubling to many Green students…

“It’s ironic that Republicans lambast Obama for extreme leftism,” Engel also notes, “because he’s often just propped up as a radical. If we really want to be radical, let’s be radical and vote for a truly progressive African American woman who comes from the community with a Latina vice president.”

Cynthia McKinney is a former Georgia House of Representatives member. She served six terms as a Democrat, including powerful assignments on the Armed Services and International Relations committees. In 2008, she left the Democratic Party to run for president as the Green Party candidate.

You were originally a Democratic member of the House, but switched party affiliation to the Green Party. What motivated this shift?

The Democratic Party left me by refusing to address rampant voter disenfranchisement in 2000 and 2004 and refusing to stand up to an administration that was lying to the public, which resulted in trillion-dollar deficit for the people and loss of lives in Iraq. I found a home where my values were reflected back to me, with the Green Party.

What changes would a McKinney administration bring?

First, we would stop the wars. Then, we would start to undo the mess Wall Street has made with the connivance of the two parties by bringing the four pillars of the Green Party (ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and nonviolence) into the policymaking of this country. We would see an end to institutional policies of discrimination and class division, which would strengthen our communities to be sustainable, healthy, and livable…

Would opening the debates create a flood of candidates filing for the presidency?

It might, but considering the quality of what the two biggest parties offer, wouldn’t that be preferable? Opening the debates would certainly make a situation where more diverse people would file and it would make them more representative of the population and constituency…

You propose reparations for blacks. Would this lift the economic disparity? Where would the funds come for this program?

The fortunes in this country were originally based on ownership of land or on the slave trade, and that original deficit in the owning of land created an economic hole that African-Americans have never been able to climb out of. A lack of democracy has perpetuated that system, in which African-Americans own less, and are subjected to the most financial irregularities that Wall Street perpetuates. There are many things to do to end the disparities in our communities: remove lead paint, improve the diet of all children, improve schools in low-income neighborhoods instead of giving them fewer resources; the list goes on for quite awhile.  Reparations is one of the things that completes the picture. If we stop funding wars and bailouts, we could do amazing things in this country…

Do you believe you will win?

What is your definition of “win?” If the Green Party gets 5 percent of the vote, we will qualify for millions of dollars in public funding. This will enable us to promote policies that the other parties aren?t even mentioning, such as single-payer, universal health care. If you want public policy that that reflects your values, then your vote for the Green Party will be a step toward that goal.

- – -

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama have captured the limelight in the race for the US presidency, but they are not the only ones running: 12 forgotten candidates are also chasing the keys to the White House.

Without the million-dollar war chests or national organizations to compete with the major parties…

But still, the libertarian candidate Bob Barr, independent Ralph Nader and, to a lesser extent, Chuck Baldwin’s Constitution Party and Green candidate Cynthia McKinney, could have a significant impact on the hopes of McCain or Obama, who remain locked in tight races in key battleground states…

Like the Democrats, the Green Party also has an African-American candidate in Cynthia McKinney, a Georgia congresswoman from 1993 to 2003.

McKinney will be on the ballot in 32 states, and could possibly peel off voters from Obama in key states due to her support among women, blacks and anti-war advocates.

“Obama cannot take the peace vote for granted. There are peace candidates running from across the political spectrum,” said Kevin Zeese, executive director of anti-war group Voters for Peace…

Editor’s note: I put this article mostly in the category of “It doesn’t matter what you say, just as long as you spell the candidate’s name right.” Because, it included some negatives, such as a phrase acting as if these candidates have no chance to win (and, many, technically could win in the electoral college), and it seems dismissive of Cynthia’s campaign such that since she is a black woman, she will get votes based on that alone. Though, I am excited that the campaign received coverage and that they acknowledged Cynthia McKinney as a former Congressperson. Also, it is wonderful that the mainstream press pointed out that Cynthia is a candidate whom anti-war voters are interested in. This supports the McKinney/Green Party goal of making Obama rethink his position on the War in Afgahanistan (where he wants a surge) and the War in Iraq (which he has not committed to leave quickly enough). – KW

Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente will be campaigning non-stop between now and the election…and after.

Check the official campaign website, www.runcynthiarun.org for details and updates, but tentatively Cynthia McKinney’s schedule looks like:

• October 22-25 – Los Angeles, but also including NPR’s Talk of the Nation Oct. 22nd from 1-3 EST, and Saturday’s Weekend Edition Oct 25th at 8 a.m. EST
• October 26-27 – Seattle, WA – see this for details
• October 28-30 – Illinois (no details yet)
• October 31-Nov. 1 – Texas (with Rosa Clemente, Galveston and San Antonio were mentioned)
• Nov. 2-4 – Los Angeles

Rosa Clemente’s schedule:

• This week – North Carolina, interviews
• Oct. 29 – Bucknell University, Pennsylvania
• Oct. 31-Nov. 1 – Texas (with Cynthia McKinney)
• Nov. 3-6 – New York City (tentative)

Very latest update: Cynthia will participate in an interview, in place of the Third Party WEB debate scheduled for Sunday, October 19th! More: here. Website is: here.

Also: A new RADIO APPEARANCE for tonight (Sunday, Oct. 19th) is announced: The Week In Review at 11 p.m. on 50 thousand watt WRKS-FM, aka KISS-FM, 98.7 on the FM dial, IN NYC (you can usually hear in Long Island, NY) and ONLINE STREAMING at www.987kissfm.com! Both Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney and Green Party Vice Presidential Candidate Rosa Clemente will appear.

Green nominee Cynthia McKinney to speak in online presidential candidates’ forum, Sunday, Oct. 19 from 7pm to 9pm

• Web site for the broadcast: http://www.breakthematrix.com/channels/1

Green Party presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney will participate in a webcast forum for presidential candidates on Sunday, October 19, to be aired 7 to 9 pm on BreakTheMatrix.com (http://www.breakthematrix.com/channels/1).

Cynthia McKinney will join other candidates who’ve been invited to the online forum, which has been organized by ThirdPartyTicket.com’s Trevor Lyman (http://www.thirdpartyticket.com).

Ms. McKinney will not appear at a candidates’ forum at Columbia University on the evening of October 19.  The news of Ms. McKinney’s participation in the Columbia event was released to the media in error by persons who are unassociated with the McKinney campaign, and who had not confirmed such an appearance with Ms. McKinney or her staff.

“We invite everyone to go online, tune in to BreakTheMatrix.com, and listen to Cynthia McKinney and the other candidates debate real issues.  We’ll hear Ms. McKinney offer ideas that have been censored from the McCain-Obama debates — ideas that most Americans support, like bringing our troops home now, health care for everyone, and help for working Americans facing financial difficulty instead of a $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street,” said John Judge, media secretary for the McKinney/Clemente Power to the People Committee.

Cynthia McKinney and running mate Rosa Clemente were nominated by the Green Party at the Green National Convention in Chicago this past July.

“A vote for Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente is an investment in a growing progressive antiwar party that accepts no corporate contributions.  No other candidate in the 2008 election offers the hope of a permanent alternative to the Democrats and Republicans and the corporate interests that the two established parties serve.  The Green Party isn’t an alternative, it’s an imperative,” said Ms. Clemente.

Greens and other Americans have objected to the format of the McCain-Obama debates, which were sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), and which excluded all candidates except the Democratic and Republican nominee.

The CPD, which sets rules for candidate participation, is owned and run by the Democratic and Republican parties, which have an interest in excluding all candidates except their own. Greens noted that the CPD is funded through contributions from corporations, which have their own interests in limiting the candidates who participate in the debates.

MORE INFORMATION

“Where’s Kenny Rogers When You Need Him? The Big Boys Got Their Bailout, But the Elected Leadership and the Voters Meet at the Election Day Showdown”
By Cynthia McKinney, OpEdNews.com, Oct. 7, 2008
http://www.opednews.com/articles/-Where-s-Kenny-Rogers-When-by-Cynthia-McKinney-081007-748.html

E-mail from Nick Shea, General Manager
Columbia Political Union

Dear all,

It is with great regret that we must inform you that the Presidential
debate scheduled for this Sunday evening, hosted by the Columbia
Political Union (CPU), will not be taking place.

Unfortunately, the nature of planning large-scale events with multiple
participants, who at times have competing interests, is that nothing
is ever set in stone until the very last moment.  Such was the case
with this event.   Due to circumstances beyond our control, several of
the candidates decided not to participate in the debate at the last
minute.  Though the CPU Executive Board worked tirelessly over the
last 48 hours to make this event happen as planned, at 5 PM today we
were finally forced to conclude it was no longer possible for us to
host this event.

Despite the fact that this event will not occur, we believe it is a
great testament to Columbia students’ interest in political discourse,
their sense of civic responsibility, and their receptiveness to new
ideas that all 275 tickets reserved for students were sold out within
a day of being made available for an event on a Sunday evening before
midterm exams.

The CPU Executive Board is committed to elevating political discourse
on Columbia’s campus.  We work to provide members of the Columbia
community with opportunities to engage with political ideas across a
wide ideological spectrum and on a range of issues.  It was with these
objectives in mind that we hoped to host this debate.  Our only
interest was to give all candidates –either inside or outside the
political mainstream– the opportunity to speak directly to students
and the nation about the issues they deem critical for this country.
No one is more disappointed than us that this event will not be taking
place.

Though we are disappointed, we have many great events planned for this
year, and we will continue to pursue opportunities like this one in
the future.   On Friday, October 24, at 2:45pm, the CPU will be
hosting Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) in Lerner Cinema.  We encourage
everyone to attend this event.

Thank you for your interest in this event, and for your patience with
us over the past few days.  We hope to see you at our future events.

All the best,
Nick

——————————–
Nick Shea

General Manager
Columbia Political Union
-

This story from Democracy Now was reposted at Cynthia McKinney’s campaign web-site, with the part confirming her appearance at the debate placed in bold. Looks like the debate is on…

Breaking the Sound Barrier: Third-Party Candidates Ralph Nader & Cynthia McKinney Respond to Final McCain-Obama Debate
Thursday, 16 October 2008 20:19
Democracy Now, October 16, 2008

For livestream version or audio: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/16/stream

Senators Barack Obama and John McCain met last night for the final debate before the November 4th presidential election, sparring over the economy, tax policy, negative campaigning, trade agreements, abortion and the educational system. As with the other debates, third-party candidates were not invited to participate. We break the sound barrier and hear from Green Party presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney and independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader…

CYNTHIA McKINNEY: Thank you very much. First of all, let me thank you for inviting me to be with you, and also I’d like to thank Trevor Lyman of thirdpartyticket.com, who has also organized any event, a debate, a third-party debate on October 19th from 7:00 to 9:00, and I will be participating.

4:30 p.m.–Gather and line up on the south side of Hempstead Turnpike starting from Uniondale Avenue and spreading west toward California Avenue and Oak Street. Park on the streets south of Hempstead Turnpike.

If you are a green and are interested in carrying a banner with a green group, meeting up at the demonstration, or sharing a carpool, you can contact the Wilders at (631) 422-4702.

Cynthia McKinney supporters and Green Party members should wear green! And, bring signs on the following topics, important to this election:

1.Open the debates! If the two parties had to face third party voices, the American people could hear a message of true peace and non-violence.

2. End all the wars – even Afghanistan. John McCain wants endless war everywhere. Barack Obama supports war in Afghanistan, and is not committed to getting out of Iraq quickly enough.

3. No nukes -Barack Obama and John McCain are both FOR nuclear power

4. Single-Payer Universal Healthcare.- Barack Obama and John McCain are AGAINST single-payer, universal health care. Obama recently aired a commercial dismissing single-payer health care.

Here are the details of the event designed for Long Island peace groups, which will also be attended by Green Party members, Nader folks, and people who are passionate about non-violence:

Join us on October 15, 2008

4:30—6:30 p.m.

At the final Presidential Debate at Hofstra, as
We the People tell Senators McCain and Obama that
we expect our next President to:

End the war in Iraq, bring our soldiers home now and provide full medical benefits
for veterans Reallocate war funds to housing, jobs, health care, the environment, and education Create a universal, single-payer health care system for all Americans Develop a sustainable energy policy that substantially reduces global warming and creates good-paying jobs Eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness Restore all Constitutional rights and human rights Implement a foreign policy based on the rule of law, justice, and human dignity

Bring Your Voice to the Debate!

4:30 p.m.–Gather and line up on the south side of Hempstead Turnpike starting from Uniondale Avenue and spreading west toward California Avenue and Oak Street.

We will be joined by United for Peace and Justice, Peace Action NYS, Brooklyn for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and other peace and social justice organizations.

Parking available on side streets south of Hempstead Turnpike
Signs will be available or bring your own.

For more information: LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, 516-741-4360, www.longislandpeace.org

This event is being coordinated by the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives in collaboration with organization that have endorsed The People’s Agenda: Suffolk Peace Network; Great Neck SANE/Peace Action; Code Pink LI; The Shelter Rock Forum; Interfaith Alliance LI Chapter; Pax Christi LI; LI Veterans for Peace, Chapter 138; LITHR, Hofstra University; Social Justice Committee of The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock; The Islamic Center of Long Island; Veterans for Peace; Five Towns Forum; South Country Peace Group; Long Island Progressive Coalition; NYS Peace Action; LI Citizens Campaign for the Environment; Long Island Immigrant Alliance; Progressive Students Union; S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth Inc. , School of Americas Watch LI (List in formation)

I discovered that two of the places to go in Long Island are: Huntington Town Hall and Babylon Town Hall. So, it would be very convenient for people attending the Huntington Fall Festival today to swing by Town Hall and register to vote.

From Newsday:

Nassau and Suffolk County residents who have not registered to vote may do so in person Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. at the county boards of election and 24 other sites across Long Island.

For a list of the locations in each county, call Nassau’s Board of Election at 516-571-2411 and Suffolk’s at 631-852-4500. The list of sites in Nassau is also available at www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/boe/.

Have a friend who might not be registered? Give them a call. We have one more chance to get like-minded people on board to cast a vote for McKinney/Clemente on November 4th! Every vote for Cynthia McKinney for President is a step closer to our goals, a step closer to building a strong, Green Party that can help turn this country rightside up again.