Cynthia McKinney at the Green Party of Calif. strategy retreat

[Sorry it has taken a while to get this up. I would have posted from Sonoma, but we were in a no-wifi zone (below).]The Green Party of California has had a lot of issues since the 2000 election including accusations of spoiling, infighting in Los Angeles and on the state coordinating committee, fundraising problems, and a bitter split over the 2004 presidential nomination. At this GPCA strategy retreat, I felt like the party had climbed a tall mountain, and could finally see over the other side.

The speakers--Cynthia McKinney (former member, U.S. Congress [D-GA]); Ross Mirkarimi (member, San Francisco Board of Supervisors); Larry Robinson (member, Sabastapol City Council); and Brent McMillan (political director, GPUS)--all had insightful, encouraging and inspiring things to say. The possible presidential candidacy of McKinney is the most broadly interesting topic, so I'll focus on her in this post, and then discuss the other news in a separate post.

McKinney (above), is being courted as a potential Green Party presidential candidate. Her appearance at this event and at other Green Party gatherings around the country show that she is seriously considering a run (she is also promoting a film, American Blackout, about voter suppression). She hasn't publicly decided whether to run, however. I would expect a decision in the next couple of months. Some of the discussion and strategizing was off the record, but I can tell you that she said a lot of the right things, and the sense in the room was that most Greens would be ecstatic if she decides to run.

McKinney suggested she would stress the anti-war position and electoral reform in a presidential campaign. She would reach out to nonvoters and minorities with her campaign, and seek to broaden and expand the membership of the Green Party.

Despite her reputation in the media, Cynthia McKinney is extremely personable, down-to-earth, and unpretentious. I was impressed that she not only came to speak to us, she spent two nights at the camp with us. While Ralph Nader has continued to support Green candidates and the party, he never, to my knowledge, took the time to meet and talk to local Greens around the country like this. McKinney seems to see a potential presidential candidacy as a partnership with the party.